Kale, a vegetable better for osteoporosis than milk and anchovies[정세연의 음식처방]

2024-08-05 09:34:39

We don’t use the bones we have at birth for our entire lives. Without us even knowing, osteoclasts destroy the old bone and osteoblasts create new bone and regenerate it. The problem is that as we age, the rate at which bones are created slows down rather than being destroyed. So if you don’t pay attention to bone density management, you can develop osteoporosis, where your bones become hollow and full of holes. You might think, “Why don’t I just take calcium supplements?” But when taking calcium supplements, calcium that isn’t absorbed into the bones can accumulate in the heart and blood vessels, causing hardening and calcification, and various nutrients are needed to fill the bones in addition to calcium. That’s why it’s best to consume it through food. Kale is a vegetable that is better for your bones than milk or anchovies.

Jeong Se-yeon, Director of ‘Let’s Eat Dinner Together Oriental Medicine Clinic’

Kale is known to be a food rich in nutrients, so much so that the WHO (World Health Organization) has selected it as one of the three major immune-boosting foods along with tomatoes and sweet potatoes, and in particular, it is a ‘calcium bomb’. Among leafy vegetables, spinach is also said to be rich in calcium. Spinach has about 40mg of calcium per 100g, but kale has a whopping 232mg. Based on the same weight, milk contains 113mg of calcium, so kale has twice as much as milk.

In addition to the calcium content, the bioavailability (how much calcium is absorbed and used in the body) is important. The calcium bioavailability of milk is 32%, that of anchovies is 25%, and that of spinach is about 5%. In comparison, the calcium bioavailability of kale is significantly higher at 49.3%.

There’s another reason kale is great for filling bones: it’s packed with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory flavonoids. When you compare the total flavonoid content per gram, kale is far superior at 15.9 milligrams, compared to spinach at 7.5 milligrams, broccoli at 5.0 milligrams, and carrots at 2.5 milligrams.

I recommend the ‘Bone-Strengthening Kale Juice’ made by grinding bananas and fermented beans together as a kale sikchi recipe. Bananas not only enhance the taste of kale juice, but they are also rich in potassium (K), which alkalizes the blood and prevents calcium from leaking out of the bones. Fermented beans such as natto, cheonggukjang, and tempeh have excellent detoxification effects, reduce inflammation, and are rich in vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 acts as a kind of adhesive that attaches the calcium we consume to the bones like cement. If the kale is large, wash one leaf, or if it is small, wash 4-5 leaves thoroughly and cut into an appropriate size. Add the cut kale, one banana, one natto, and a little water to the blender and blend. If you don’t like the smell of natto, you can substitute it with Indonesian fermented bean tempeh, which is almost odorless.

It is also good to eat kale wrapped in fermented soybean paste, or to eat it as a kale wrap when eating meat. However, there are some things to be careful about when eating kale. If you drink kale in juice form, it can be a burden to the stomach due to the secretion of gastric acid, so people with reflux esophagitis should avoid eating it before going to bed. Also, kale is a cruciferous vegetable, so if you have a thyroid disease, you should be careful about eating it in excess. It is also good to avoid eating it with foods that reduce calcium bioavailability. Foods high in phosphorus, such as carbonated beverages and long-boiled bone broth, are not good, and iron supplements interfere with the absorption of calcium, so if you are taking iron supplements for anemia, you should take them at different times.

※Director Jeong’s video, ‘Drink kale juice like this for a month! It eliminates inflammation and is greatly effective in treating osteoporosis’ can be viewed on dongA.com.

Jeong Se-yeon, Director of ‘Let’s Eat Dinner Together Oriental Medicine Clinic’

Jeong Se-yeon’s food prescription

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2024-08-05 09:34:39