Our teeth and bones need vitamins and minerals to keep strong and healthy during menopause and perimenopause. Smoothies are a delicious way to eat those nutrients. As you know smoothies are in fashion. And there are good reasons for it. They make it easier to drink something healthy and consume some powerful foods in a delicious and convenient form.
We can use smoothies to strengthen, protect and even heal our bones and teeth. After 40, during perimenopause and menopause and beyond, we need to take care of our bones and teeth, because the hormonal changes that take place can weaken them.
Sometimes when we think of good foods and nutrients for bones, we think of milk. But in reality we need more than milk, and in fact we may not need milk. We think milk, because of the propaganda. While it is true that milk has a lot of calcium, and calcium is great for teeth and bones, we also need other nutrients.
Teeth and bones need vitamins and minerals during menopause and perimenopause. Bones can regenerate and strengthen, about 5 to 10% of all bone tissue is renewed each year.
Teeth also need food, the same foods as bones. Your teeth are stronger if you eat the right foods. Dentists don’t teach patients to eat for teeth health, but it is fundamental. If you eat healthy your teeth don’t develop many cavities.
Nutrients for teeth and bones during perimenopause and menopause
The nutrients that strengthen our teeth and bones are the same at any age. However, at times of hormonal fluctuation we need to make sure we are having them. Some of the most important nutrients are:
Calcium.
The best and easiest calcium to absorb is from animal sources, but there are also many veggies that have it such as spinach and other green leaves as well as soy and white beans. (Read calcium in bone broth)
Potassium.
This mineral is needed for bone and teeth health as much as calcium. One study found that potassium reduces bone degeneration and increases the rate of bone formation in women. Bananas, sweet potatoes, oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew, apricots, grapefruit, prunes, raisins, dates, peas, cucumbers, etc. are wonderful sources of potassium.
Vitamin K2.
This one is difficult to add to smoothies. The richest natural source is a Japanese food called natto (fermented soy beans), which doesn’t taste that good. (I take a supplement of K2 every other day or so)
Protein.
This you are probably consuming enough in you meals
Magnesium.
You can find it in green vegetables, such as collards and kale, in some seeds such as poppy, sesame, chia etc., some nuts, legumes, whole grains and avocado. Avocados, seeds and nuts add a lot creaminess to the smoothies, but be careful because they have a lot of calories.
Phosphorus.
You can find them in soybeans, fish, meat, milk, eggs, in legumes and whole grains. You can add oats to your smoothies.
Vitamins
- Vitamin D. You can get it from the sun and supplements.
- Vitamin A. You can find it in sweet potato, spinach, carrots, cantaloupe, mangoes, eggs and others.
- Vitamin C. There are a lot of fruits with this nutrient such as, citrus, berries and many tropical fruits. You don’t need any specialty fruits to get your daily requirements of vitamin C.
Zinc.
You can find it in seeds, nuts and some grains. The most abundant sources are meat and shellfish. One powerful source is broccoli sprouts, and you can add them to smoothies or salads.
Others.
There are also other minerals that are required in small amounts. These are part of many fruits and veggies.
Did you know?
Sesame seeds are a good source of calcium, magnesium, copper, vitamin B1, zinc and dietary fiber. A quarter cup of sesame seeds has more calcium than a cup of milk. It also has a lot of calories, but you can add a tablespoon of tahini to your smoothie.
Now some recipes
Collagen, anti-inflammatory smoothie
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 scoop of powdered collagen or gelatin
1 cup fresh mix berries
2 teaspoons of seeds such as sesame, hemp, pumpkin, sunflower or others
½ frozen banana. For potassium, fiber and sweetness. It also makes the smoothie very creamy
1 pitted prune. For boron, fiber and sweetness
½ tsp of turmeric powder
A bunch of broccoli sprouts
Optional: If you like more sweetness add stevia, date sugar, maple syrup or sugar.
Instructions
Put all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Drink right after. You can adjust to your preferred thickness adding more water. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the ingredients, use what you have.
Very cherry
Ingredients:
1 cup of fresh or frozen pitted cherries
¼ cup of oats
½ tsp of turmeric powder
1 cup of milk or water. It can be almond or full fat or 2% pasture-raised, grass fed, organic cow’s milk, or goat’s milk
1/2 cup of organic Greek yogurt (full fat or 2%)
½ frozen banana
Optional, pitted dates or prunes for added sweetness or stevia, maple sugar or sugar
Optional, one scoop of powdered collagen or gelatin
Instructions
Put all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Drink right after. You can adjust to your preferred thickness adding more water. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the ingredients, use what you have.
The smoothies can also be consumed as smoothie bowls. The only difference as you know is that you will eat them with a spoon/fork, instead of drinking them.
Make your smoothies or bowls pretty and sit down and enjoy the flavors.
Read: Recipes for infused water
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I love those recipes! And why did I never thought of adding prunes or dates to my smoothies for sweetness? And I also like the fact that you mentioned not worrying so much about the protein, because yes, we do have that in pretty much every meal.
Thanks Marta. I hope you try them and like them.
I’m definitely gonna try it. It looks delicious and with all of those benefits I just can’t resist!
Hi Nadine. Smoothies are delicious and they are a good way to satisfy our sweet tooth without added sugar or worse sweets with a lot of artificial ingredients.
I love smoothies and love that you shared some delicious recipes that I can’t wait to try! Thank you for providing the information about what each item provides, it’s really beneficial to know what we’re putting into our bodies, and what it does for our bodies.
Yes, smoothies are great and we can make them really healthy and nutritious. I hope you enjoy the recipes.
Thanks for sharing these delicious smoothie recipes. I’m always looking for new smoothie recipes to experiment with, so I’ll give these a try xo
Hi. I am happy that you like them.