My cucumber-silica post about plant-based bone strengthening strategies was utterly derailed by facts this morning. Damn. I HATE THAT. Last minute fact-check found me reading some clinical studies about silica absorption rates. Which made me weep at little (at my own ignorance), apply coffee, read some more and then rethink my personal 20 year bone healing strategy. And rethink my post. Already had some nice cucumber pics ready to go, too. Sigh More coffee.
The critics of natural medicine are not wrong when they say we are too emotional-experiential and don't read or apply the available science & empirical data enough. I have bone issues and have read-studied bone health more than most doctors, for the last 25 years. A long time in a wheelchair and six years walking with crutches will do that. Today I walk and run easily (hardware in my feet notwithstanding), have above average bone density BUT I cracked a rib when I fell 2 months ago, and currently have no less than 6 fractures in my left arm after an altercation between my very large pick up truck and a speeding-not-indicating minivan laden with Chinese tourists. So I went back to review my bone health diet and strategy. Because the knowledge base shifts, as do our personal dietary needs.
Basically our bones need 2 elements to really be super strong and flexible - magnesium and silica. Both facilitate the calcium equation. Both are challenging in terms of bio-availability. Doesn't matter how any bananas you eat, your body absorbs only around 2% of the silica. You need to eat around 50 bananas a day to get enough silica for the recommended daily allowance, which is definitely on the conservative side. So I have for many years been eating and juicing lots of cucumbers, cos they are amazingly high in natural silica. Fun Fact: in my reading today I discovered that warty, bumpy cucumbers have much higher nutrient levels than smooth ones!
My strategy hasn't been wrong, and many bone health sites tout cucumbers as a miracle bone food. And they are. You can read more about that here: https://saveourbones.com/the-incredible-cucumber/# and here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5678890/
All I wanted to do this morning was share that with you and tell you that our diets contain usually more calcium than we need, but that we lack the magnesium & silica to facilitate its absorption and use, and that cucumbers are one of the best ways to improve that equation. So off I zoomed over coffee to impress you with some stats and a study to confirm how much silica they contain, and what you might eat them in combination with to increase bioavailability. Vitamin C rich foods DO help.
And then I came across this study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2744664/
The short version of the findings? The highest - best absorption of silica comes from water and beer. And the inorganic supplements performed badly.
Obviously superb, alive, natural water rich in minerals, as opposed to dead fluoridated urban tap water.
image source: pixabay
Obviously naturally fermented chemical free craft beers are the better choice.
Do I drink beer? Sometimes, if I'm on a budget or the wine-whiskey are unusually bad. I like beer, especially when it's hot, and it's mostly hot here in Thailand. So why do I avoid beer? Hops, from which beer is brewed, is very high in phyto-estrogens which have a feminizing effect on the body (moobs and beer bellies) and which feed estrogen dependent cancers. So I have always assumed beer is bad. Silly really, cos my HEAD KNOWS that the smart witches of yesteryear brewed beer for health.
How do you wade through all this information? You breathe through it. And think quietly. Alkalizing cucumbers will not allow a blood pH environment where cancer flourishes, so I shall keep slugging it down in my daily green juice, release my fear and enjoy beer more often. And look for some local high quality craft beers. And think about sources of better water for my bone health.
Personally I love the journey of reading and discovery, and correcting my own misconceptions. I share my journey of discovery with pleasure to help maybe one person out there thinking (or needing to think) about bone health. And to demonstrate that we don't need supplements and synthetic forms of nutrients (nearly always poorly absorbed and stupidly expensive) - we just need to quietly puzzle through the available knowledge, join the dots and let food be our medicine.
So, who's up for a craft beer tonight? :)
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