I’m really looking forward to the cooler days of autumn after the hot and humid Florida summer we’ve had. I also love the cozy comfort foods that come with the season, but I realize that many classic fall dishes are acidifying and deficient in bone-rejuvenating nutrients.
Fortunately, there’s no reason to give up your favorites! You can stick with the 80/20 balance as described in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program and still enjoy the seasonal bounty.
Today I am going to show you how you can swap bone-damaging ingredients in popular fall comfort foods with bone-healthy ones. You’ll enjoy these delicious recipes, and they'll help make this season both tastier and healthier! Let's get started…
Reverse Bone Loss By Swapping Ingredients
The key to making acidifying foods and beverages more alkalizing is to trade less nutritious calcium-depleting ingredients for the bone-healthy ones listed in the Program. Once you get the hang of it, this technique makes following the Osteoporosis Reversal Program’s diet (80% alkalizing and 20% acidifying) even easier.
Healthy, pH-balanced foods reverse bone loss and make you look and feel younger. So let’s get to the foods and recipes!
4 Comfort Foods And Beverages To “Alkalize”
1. Meaty Cheesy Chili
A cold autumn night feels much warmer with a big bowl of spicy chili. Topped with cheese and full of meat and beans, though, chili is quite acidifying.
Swap: Instead of acidifying beans like kidney, black, pinto, etc., use mostly alkalizing lima beans (avoid canned lima beans if possible – the high sodium content and potential BPA in the can lining make frozen or dried a better choice for your bones).
Replace 2/3 of the meat with chopped veggies like zucchini, tomatoes, winter squash, onions, bell peppers, and so forth.
And rather than topping your chili with cheese, try a dollop of plain yogurt and/or minced green onions.
2. Sugary Desserts
Autumn brings holiday time and family gatherings, and in my family we have several dessert recipes passed down through the years. While an occasional indulgence is fine (you don’t want to offend your friend or relative who just brought you a homemade cake to share), a regular habit of eating rich desserts takes away bone density and adds years to your bones.
The bottom line is, sugar destroys your bones. It’s extremely acidifying and devoid of all nutritional value, so a little goes a long way in terms of the 80/20 balance.
Swap: Rather than preparing heavy desserts laden with sugar and other unhealthy ingredients, explore the varied world of fresh fruits – try making a quick topping for fresh fruit by stirring raw honey and a little vanilla into plain yogurt.
There’s more good news for your sweet tooth: you can prepare pH-balanced desserts that are not full of sugar. In Bone Appétit, the companion cookbook to the Osteoporosis Reversal Program, you’ll find an amazing array of satisfying sweet treats that are not acidifying.
Gingerbread Cake, for example, would be excellent for autumn, as would Raisin Oatmeal Muffins and Pears Aplenty Crumble. Set out a bowl of Lip Smackin’ Date Macaroons for a pH-balanced finish to a family meal, and a topping of fresh fruit makes desserts like Heavenly Chocolate Cake (also found in Bone Appétit) a pH-balanced treat.
3. Rich Coffee Beverages
Few things warm you up in cold weather like a hot cappuccino or latte (especially with a sweet snack!). However, not only is coffee acidifying, but so are the hot milk, whipped cream, and sugary flavored syrup these beverages typically contain. There’s nothing alkalizing in a coffee beverage!
Swap: Instead of cow’s milk, use unsweetened vanilla or plain almond milk, sweeten with stevia or honey, and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice.
If you really like whipped cream, you can try this alkalizing substitute: leave a jar of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight, and then spoon off the “cream”. Whip it in a mixer until thick and sweeten with stevia or raw honey.
4. Bread-Based Stuffing
In some areas of the United States, people call this holiday mainstay “dressing.” Whatever you call it, there’s no doubt that it can be highly acidifying. Stuffing primarily consists of white bread or cornbread, both of which are acid-forming.
Additionally, many stuffing recipes contain processed meats like sausage, and that’s very bad news for your bones. Processed meats are high in sodium, and they also contain nitrites and nitrates that rob your body of the crucial amino acid glutathione.
Swap: Here’s a bone-healthy recipe for stuffing that replaces the conventional ingredients with foods that rejuvenate your bones.
Saver's Stuffing
Makes approximately 5 cups
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Cook the quinoa in the vegetable broth following package directions.
- While the quinoa is cooking, heat the oil and sauté the onion and mushrooms for a few minutes.
- Add the tomato, sage, celery, carrots, and salt and pepper to taste; cook for approximately 12-15 minutes over medium heat, or until vegetables are soft.
- Mix the cooked quinoa with the vegetables in the pan and enjoy!
Welcome Autumn With More Bone-Building Recipes
In Bone Appétit, you’ll find more than 200 recipes that nourish your bones and reverse the effects of aging.
Whether it’s a main dish or a salad, a pot of comforting soup or a healthful dessert, Bone Appétit has everything you need to enjoy the Osteoporosis Reversal Program’s 80/20 nutritional plan.
Many times when we hear about a nutritional approach to a condition, we think it means deprivation and bland or boring foods. But bone-rejuvenating food should be enjoyable and delicious, and with Bone Appétit, it is!
I would like to invite you to take a look at Bone Appétit by clicking here.
Happy autumn!
You May Also Like These Related Articles:
Curb Your Sugar Cravings With Strategies From Scientific Studies
Scientifically Confirmed: 3 Bone-Healthy Habits To Enjoy Your Mornings
Recent Study Links Dietary Acid Load To Osteoporosis RiskComments on this article are closed.
-
-
I also would order the Bon Appetite book if I could get it in a hard cover. Ordering a digital book would only
crowd up my computer. I have seen many complaints of Savers that had ask for a hard copy but to no avail. I don’t understand why is it so difficult to get a hard copy? How many more people have to ask? I am a bit upset about this. -
Thank you, Ita.
-
You’re very welcome, Ita!
-
-
I definitely prefer hard vopy books over digital products of books, please provide an option for that. My experience is that a reference book on counter top is easier to access for ideas and is a great reminder every time you go to kitchen. Digitial documents are “out of sight / out of mind”.
-
I second that! I know it’s not your policy, but a paper copy would be amazing.
-
I wholeheartedly agree. I paid for all the “books” but only got digital files. Not the same!
-
-
-
please make a paper cookbook. I would buy it in a heartbeat.
-
Dear Vivian
Could you please clarify the difference between blood calcium and tissue calcium in the body? My blood calcium is normal, however my tissue calcium is sky-high. I take VitaminD, but suspended the calcium to try to reduce my levels of calcium. My DEXA scan results plummeted from -1.5 to -2.2. I follow a healthy balanced diet and I am devastated by these last results.
-
Hello Audrey, we’re very sorry to hear about your results. We will be sending you an email regarding your question. Remember that we’re always here for you!
-
-
I don’t understand why you recommend plain yogurt when you make it very clear that dairy leaches calcium from your bones…I know the sugared yogurts are not good but how does taking the sugar out turn dairy into an acceptable food? even one you promote – there are several recipes in your cookbook which use it…?
-
Hi Susanna,
Plain yogurt contains healthful bacteria, making it a bone-healthy beverage. It also has an alkalizing effect on the body, thanks to the change it undergoes during fermentation.
-
-
Hi Vivian and all of the savers out there,
The Saver’s Stuffing was excellent… I made it tonight and had 2 servings!
We have fresh sage in our garden and that added something, I think!
It is a recipe that will be on our list for Thanksgiving! Thanks!!-
Glad to hear it, Paula! What a perfect dish for Thanksgiving.
-
-
This recepie looks great. I am going to try it.
Thanks for sharing all this info with us.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you Karin-
You are welcome, Karin! And thank you for stopping by the site and contributing. 🙂 Let us know how the recipe turns out for you!
-
-
Good Evening Vivian And Fellow Commenters,
That SAVER’S STUFFING Recipe SOUNDS DELICIOUS!
Thank You Very Much For Sharing It With Us.I Hope All Is Well With All Of You. I And My Family Are Well Ourselves.
Got To Go For Now. Take Good Care Of Yourselves, And Stay Well.
LOVE, LESLIE (MS. L. CARMEL)
-
The quinoa stuffing recipe sounds like it would also make a wonderful side dish anytime.
-
Yes, it is excellent for all seasons. 🙂
-
-
I’ve been using chestnuts (vacuum-sealed bags) instead of sausage in my stuffings, increasing onions. What about chestnuts, are they acidifying or alkalising or neither?
-
Chestnuts are a great substitute for sausage! They are alkalizing – you can read more about them here:
https://saveourbones.com/the-nutrient-rich-alkalizing-nut-thats-in-season-for-the-holidays/
-
-
That quinoa stuffing looks yummy……. Thanks
-
Dairy from grass fed cows or goats that is not pasteurized will not be acidifying.
-
Great ideas, Vivian! Which types of winter squash are alkalinizing?
-
I was recently introduced to Kombucha, which is a fermented sweet tea drink. I really enjoyed it and have heard that it is a very healthful drink, good for the gut and joints. However what about your bones? It can be home brewed like yogurt, kefir or fermented vegetables, but I did not want to go to that effort if it was bad for the bones.
-
I am really grateful for the articles and information on your site. They are very informational yet easy to read and understand, making it easy and even fun to incorporate important changes for bone health.
-
It definitely can be fun! That helps us all to stay motivated. 🙂 And I am so glad you are enjoying the information on this site.
-
-
many nutritionists concerned with bone health forget about the percentage of people living with gout. Your recipe for a fall “Saver’s Stuffing” includes mushrooms. Consider leaving that ingredient out for those living with gout. Mushrooms are more about adding texture, not taste—and can cause high acidity in some people. I’ve managed to totally control gout through diet and stretch exercises. I used to take a medication, but the healthcare system in America allowed that generic to become an exclusive brand name that went from 30 cents per tablet to over $11/tablet. There’s a silver lining in every cloud because I would never have considered a strict vegetarian diet without the cost increase.
-
That’s the great thing about the Save Our Bones diet, Luis – it’s easy to tweak recipes and substitute (or leave out) ingredients, and still get nutritional benefits for your bones! 🙂
-
In my part of NYS this time of year its grapes ans grape pie. The only substitute I can think of is Alimstevis to substitute for sugar. What about how to change the pie crust? And is there still too much natural sugar in the grapes? Anyone have suggestions.. Also I need help for making Pizza with NO nightshade fookd. Thaks for nay help someone can give me.
Shirley
-
-
I agree with the comment about a hard copy instead of digital and crowding up the computer.