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Joint Replacement Handbook | Providence Sacred Heart and Holy Family Hospitals

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48 Healthy Eating for Your Bones, continued 4. Reduce fat Americans currently take in 35% of their calories from fat. Reducing dietary fat is an important part of the weight loss process. • Use nonfat or 1% low-fat milk in place of whole milk and try low fat cheeses and sour cream. • Use a non-stick pan spray for cooking in place of butter, margarine, lard, and oils. • Trim the fat from your meat and remove skin off your chicken before cooking. • For cooking: Try baking, broiling, BBQ, or boiling foods to reduce fat. Read labels: Beware of saturated fats and trans-fats in processed foods. 5. Vitamin D- important for healing Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is present in few foods and fortified in others. It helps the body absorb calcium RDA for Men and Women ages 19-70 is 600IU. For those over the age of 70 the recommendation increases to 800IU. Sources of Vitamin D: • Fortified dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese) and juices • Fatty Fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna) • Egg Yolks • Sunshine! 5-30 minutes at least twice a week • Supplements 6. Limit Caffeine and Soda Intake Coffee, tea, and soda containing caffeine can decrease absorption of calcium and contribute to bone loss. Drinking more than three cups of coffee per day may interfere with calcium absorption. Some studies suggest that colas in particular lead to increased bone loss due to the phosphate or phosphoric acid. 7.Phytates and Oxalates Phytates: may prevent your body from absorbing calcium. Beans are an excellent source of calcium and magnesium, however are also high in phytates. You can reduce phytate levels by soaking beans in water overnight prior to cooking them in fresh water. Wheat bran also contains high levels of phytates. Try to avoid eating wheat bran within two hours of dairy products or other high calcium foods or your calcium supplement. Oxalates: Your body doesn't absorb calcium well from foods that are high in oxalates (oxalic acid) such as spinach, rhubarb, and certain beans. These foods contain other healthy nutrients and should not be avoided, however they just shouldn't be considered as sources of calcium.

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