A few years ago, I injured my shoulder at the gym. It was so bad I couldn’t swim or weight train or even lift my left arm over my head for yoga poses for a full eight months while it healed. Fortunately, at the time I worked with a knowledgeable rehab trainer and awesome physiotherapist, Line Troster, and regained full mobility in my shoulder. The bad news was when I went for a bone density scan some time later, I was dismayed to learn I had gone from low risk to medium risk for osteoporosis. I’m sure the reason for this was my eight months of inactivity and isn’t just a given because I happened to be in my mid-fifties.
Osteoporosis is on the rise in North America – and while inactivity and obesity are factors, there also appears to be a correlation between cow’s milk and osteoporosis. Cow’s milk is not necessarily the bone-healthy option it was once considered to be, and prescription drugs are certainly not the answer. Our book.
Passageways to Wellness covers this and also includes healthy proven options to obtain Calcium Without The Cow…
Back to my story, my shoulder injury forced me to give up my much loved activity that I thrive on and disrupted my life, but in the grand scope of things it was minor compared to the debilitating effects of chronic osteoporosis.
Spring is a wonderful time of renewals. And it’s also a good time to consider prevention as well as rebirth; with the pandemic, many of our normal health concerns have fallen off our radars–and one of those might have been what you’re doing to retain your bone density.
But spring, and especially this spring with the vaccination pace picking up and the possibility of returning to “normal” life not too far away, it’s a good idea to begin to focus on the health topics that we were concerned about before the pandemic. One of those with debilitating consequences in osteoporosis.
In the meantime, here is a recipe for bone-building Ginger Tahini Rolls to help stave off the symptoms of osteoporosis.
Zucchini Ginger Tahini Rolls
Ingredients
1 zucchini
Filling
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 2 dashes wheat free tamari
- Fresh dill for garnish
- 1 lemon
- 1 baby carrot sliced for garnish
1. Create horizontal ribbons of zucchini with a peeler.
2. Mix the tahini with lemon juice, tamari, and ginger.
3. Lay out a zucchini ribbon and spread the creamy mixture with a butter knife
4. Roll and place on the serving platter
5. Garnish with dill and one small piece of carrot
Health properties of Zucchini Ginger Tahini Rolls:
Ginger
- Anti-inflammatory useful for aches and sprains, bursitis
- High potassium and magnesium content important for bone building
- Add to food or boil to make tea
Tahini
- Great source of quality bone building magnesium, phosphorous, copper and manganese and zinc.
- Zinc deficiency has been shown to be associated with fractures in older men and women
Zucchini
- High phosphorous and magnesium content makes them winners with their ability to bring down high blood pressure, promote healthy weight and build strong bones
Dill
- Effective antioxidant offers protection from free radicals
- Contains the body’s most powerful antioxidant “glutathione” which neutralizes certain carcinogens.
- Also shares some of the antimicrobial immune boosting qualities of garlic. So garlic move over and share the stage with DILL!
