My Story

 I came as close to begging as any adult would while trying to maintain a sense of decorum. After all, I was in my doctor’s office.

All I wanted was a bone density test to see if I had osteoporosis. I knew something was up. I could check off many of the risk factors in my profile—small frame, no formal exercise, low calcium intake, vegan diet—but the one that hit the hardest was having a mom with osteoporosis. I watched her height shrink and her shoulders stoop more and more over the years. There was no way I wanted history to repeat itself.

My doctor insisted I was too young to have osteoporosis, but he finally relented and my DXA scan was scheduled.

A week later my doctor called me, flummoxed. Now it was his turn to struggle with decorum. “My god,” he sputtered. “You have the bones of a 70-year-old-woman.” 

I was 47.

I soon learned that the path to treating osteoporosis is filled with twists and turns. For every piece of advice, research paper, and factor to be weighed in determining my treatment, there was an expert, new study, or new finding to shake my confidence in my choices. It was head-spinning. 

After months of feeling powerless, I had an “Ah-ha” moment: Food. Whatever medical treatment I chose, showcasing the right ingredients in my diet was a way I could help myself every time I sat down to eat. My years of experience as a photo stylist for food photography (where I’ve learned a thing or two about cooking), my years of work on cookbooks, the satisfaction I get from doing research—they’re all ways I can empower myself and empower others.

And that’s how this blog was born. It’s never too early to support your bone health with good nutrition, and the recipes you’ll find in OsteoBLAST make nutritious foods a joy to eat.  

So, let’s get cooking!

Disclaimer - To my readers : This blog is a reflection of my own journey supplementing my osteoporosis treatment with a bone-supporting diet. My objective is to share my love of food and extensive nutritional research with you, and inspire empowerment at the dinner table. I am not a doctor or licensed nutritionist and I am not providing medical advice. See your doctor before starting any health regimen, especially an endocrinologist, if you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis. It may also help to see a nutritionist.

My personal recommendation as someone who struggles with this illness: Exercise and prioritize nutrition. If you’re a young person who ticks the boxes of risk factors, like I once was, it’s never too early to eat to support bone health! And if you’ve been diagnosed with osteoporosis and are struggling with a whirlwind of conflicting medical advice and anecdotes -- like I once was, and still am --  knowing that there are some factors we can’t control, remember that we can control making food choices that help our bodies. I find this encouraging, and hope you do too.