The good news about my recent bone density scores is that they were not significantly lower than two years ago.

The bad news: The T-score on my spine is -3.1. The T-scores on my neck are -2.5 (left) and -2.7 (right). The T-scores on my hip are -1.8 (left) and -2.0 (right).  When T-scores are below -2.5, therapy with a prescription medication is indicated.

I was not very surprised when I received an email and a phone call from Kaiser wanting to schedule me for an appointment for an infusion.

What is infused into the bloodstream is Reclast, or Zoledronic Acid. This infusion is done during a 15-minute IV, given once a year.  That sounds great – once a year — until you read the reviews of people who have undergone the procedure.

I realize that most people with a satisfactory outcome do not write reviews.  Torturous pain and other weird symptoms experienced by many persons were enough to convince me to try a different approach.

Actually, I have tried to eat calcium and Vitamin D-rich foods for years.

Trying has not been good enough.  I now want to begin a regimen of eating those foods on a regular basis.

I will make a daily chart of what I eat.  And I will stock the following foods, all of which I actually enjoy a great deal. I hope that these foods will help me exceed the minimum of 1,000 mg of calcium and 800 IU of Vitamin D daily.

Spinach – I have liked it since the days of the Popeye cartoons

Bok Choy – delicious in a stir fry or eaten raw for a snack

Yogurt – my Vanilla yogurt with cherries, blueberries, or strawberries is like an ice

cream treat

Sesame Seeds (Tahini) – love it as a salad dressing

Sardines (also high in Vitamin D) – loved it since I ate sardine sandwiches with Dad

Almond milk (fortified with 45 percent Daily Value calcium and 25 percent DV vitamin D) Almonds – a great TV snack

Orange Juice (fortified with 35% calcium and 25% vitamin D)

Broccoli – delicious – cooked so it is a little crunchy

Cheese – great grilled cheese and tuna melt sandwiches

Canned salmon with bones (also high in vitamin D) – the soft bones mash well

Tofu – a Chinese dinner treat

White beans – taste almost as good as baked beans

Sweet potato – it helps regulate calcium via its magnesium and potassium content

Vitamin D is found in foods that I like: Beef liver, cheese and egg yolks. I also need to get out more in the sun to let nature’s vitamin D work on me.  I will now begin to apply SPF 50 sun tan lotion.

I hope it will help me avoid the pre-cancers I have routinely gotten on my forehead and temples.

It’s got to be God’s gift that I enjoy all the “right foods” for my bone health.  Now I must give back the gift to my bones by eating them regularly.  Bon Appétit!

Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertzebsen@gmail.com