 A closer look at bone health. So here on the Dr. Gundry channel, we spend a lot of time talking about your health, especially your gut health, your brain, your longevity. But there's one health topic we barely touched on. And that's a shame because in some ways this one topic is the framework for everything. And today I mean that literally because we're talking bone health. Now, if you've been following me from the beginning, you might remember an experiment I'd done ages ago where I combined milk and coke to demonstrate the impact soda will have on your bones. Maybe you remember by the end of that experiment, the phosphoric acid in the soda had made the milk almost as clear as water. It's actually freaky stuff. But since then we've only hit on bone health a little. So today I wanna really get back to the basics and talk about why your bone health is so important and how to keep your bones strong. Let's start with the why. And in some ways it's obvious. Your bone health is important because bones are the structure of your entire body. And without strong bones, you can't walk, play, chew or enjoy a huge number of your favorite daily activities. And as you age, bone health becomes especially important. Not just for your mobility, but to your longevity. Let me share some quick statistics with you. Every three seconds someone suffers an osteoporosis related fracture. And that's just one reason someone breaks a bone. That means in the time it takes you to watch this video, somewhere around 100 people will break their bone, maybe more. If you're a woman over 50, and don't we all wanna live over 50, there's a 40% chance you're breaking a hip, spine or wrist. And that's just a few of the 260 bones in your body. And men, you're not doing that much better statistically speaking. Hoping to live over 80, you're statistically likely to be hospitalized due to a bone related injury likely from a fall. And that's just the start. So if you wanna live a long, healthy life and you wanna enjoy your favorite activities as you age, it is vital that you take care of your bones. Now, don't just go chug a glass of milk. Bone health is way more important than just calcium. And in case you haven't noticed, I don't exactly encourage milk drinking on the plan. But let's talk about calcium and a few of the other nutrients essential for bone health. Yep, calcium is one of the most important building blocks for strong bones. So it is important that you enjoy plenty of calcium each day. But did you know that sesame seeds, goats milk, almonds, broccoli, collard greens and rhubarb are all rich in calcium? So is salmon. So there's no reason you need to be chugging that 2% milk to support your bones. And calcium isn't the only nutrient you need to optimize bone health. Want to actually absorb the calcium you eat, you need to make sure you're getting enough vitamin D3. Now, one of the best ways to do that is to spend time outside. Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin after all. But it's also in foods like beef liver. Please keep it grass fed, wild caught salmon and sardines, egg yolks, mushrooms and oysters. So there are plenty of ways to get your vitamin D, even if you can't get outside. Now here's a bonus, vitamin D is also great for your immune system. So you've got your bone building blocks, that's calcium and your vitamin D3 to help your body use that calcium. So what else do you need? Well, vitamin K is another nutrient that's essential for helping your body process calcium the right way. And it's also important for preventing bone mineralization and bone spurs, things that can actually lead to serious injuries down the line. So where can you get vitamin K? Good news, it's in a whole lot of gunnery approved foods. So when you load up on leafy greens, you're loading up on vitamin K. Egg yolks, another great source of K. And one of my all-time favorite sources is something that I consider the ultimate health food, cruciferous veggies. Yep, eating delicious things like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage can seriously up your vitamin K intake as well as making mealtime just a bit more delicious. It's a win for your bones, your taste buds and your gut health. Now, before you go whip up a broccoli mushroom omelet and load up on D, K and calcium, there's one other thing we've got to discuss, magnesium. It's a mineral that's essential for keeping your bones hard and strong. And if you've gone lectin-free you may not be ingesting as much of it because two of those common sources of magnesium, tofu and whole wheat are off the menu. Now don't freak out because there are other fantastic sources of magnesium out there. Do you really think I'd put anyone on a plan that didn't include the vital nutrients they need? For starters, avocados are really high in magnesium and they're also rich in fat and protein to keep you fueled up. That's why they're the one fruit I tell people they can eat every day no matter what. And if you're not an avocado fan, go for spinach, peeled almonds, pressure cooked black beans or treat yourself to a little dark chocolate. It's loaded in magnesium and it's nice to have a sweet treat every now and then. Now, before I head out there's one other thing I should mention and it's got nothing to do with your diet. I'm talking about exercise, specifically weight-bearing or resistance-based exercise. Both are shown to improve bone strength and density over time. And you don't have to go to the gym to get your workout in. Do a few bicep curls with your grocery bags before putting your food away. You actually see me doing this in Trader Joe's. Or a couple of squats with a laundry basket. A little everyday chores can become amazing bone strengtheners if you get creative. And when your bones are strong and healthy you've got a better chance of being able to fully embrace and enjoy life as you age. Which honestly is my biggest goal for you because I'm Dr. Gundry and I'm always looking out for you and poor York.