More and more today we are seeing bone health problems in our society. But we are used to look for quick fixes or for pharmaceutical means to mask problems instead of focusing on the natural source of health, food! The food we eat has the power to not only prevent disease, but also to cure it, to maintain us young and energetic, and to protect our body from decay. And we should realize that even though people are taking more medicines and supplements than ever, bone health problems are growing more than ever, so that doesn’t really add up, does it?

When we think about decay, specially for women, the first thing that comes to mind are our bones. Bone decay seems to be an inevitable part of aging, but we are seeing it at younger and younger ages, and this should not be happening. We have been misinformed, heavy lobbying by the dairy industry has for years manipulated us into believing that milk is the source of bone health. Well if you look a little deeper into it, you will realize that not only does it not help with your bone health, but it actually hurts it! We need to drain calcium and other minerals from our bones in order to digest dairy products.

Now the good new is, bone health can be dramatically improved through diet! Nature has been generous in providing us the nutrients our bodies need to stay health. Let’s talk about green beans today. Green beans belong to the legume family, although they are among the most tender of the legumes. And before we dive into their nutritional content and health benefits, here’s a trivia fact for you, despite their name, green beans are not always green, they grow in yellow and even purple varieties.

Green beans are very rich in vitamin K1, a serving of green beans provides us 122% of the daily recommended value of this nutrient. And vitamin K plays a very important role in bone health.

Vitamin K1, found in greens beans, has been associated with better bone mineral retention. This means, it helps important minerals like calcium and magnesium to stay in our bones, improving our bone density and decreasing our risk of osteoporosis and other bone ailments. Green beans also serve as a good source of silicon. This mineral, even though less popular than calcium and magnesium, is very important for bone and connective tissue health.

Together with vitamin K, green beans are a great source of vitamins A, C, and several carotenoids like beta-carotenes. They are also rich in potassium, iron, cooper, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. This amazing content of nutrients make them a great food not only for bone health, but also for boosting your energy levels, and your immune system ,decreasing inflammation, and improving cardiovascular health.Their antioxidant content helps combat free radical activity associated with cancer and other degenerative diseases. Green beans also contain heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamins B1, B2 and niacin, these nutrients are very important for heart health, and are sometimes lacking in people with a vegetarian diet.

So there we have it, bet most of you were not aware of the may health benefits of green beans. I doesn’t cease to amaze me the abundance of nutrients we can find in nature. Eat more fruits, vegetables and legumes, eat the organic, serve them with love, and you will be pampering your body from the inside out, improving your health bringing more life to your years and more years to your life! Eat Green Beans for Bone Health.