It all started with an early morning gym session. Back in January, I decided to follow the lead of many women my age and start weight training to strengthen my muscles and joints. It only took one badly executed barbell squat to fracture one of my lumbar vertebrae.
Since then, my recovery has been slow : a mix of painkillers, red light therapy, cold-water swimming, gentle walks, light pelvic exercises, and plenty of rest while listening to Tibetan singing bowls. Even standing, walking or sitting for short periods has been painful at times.
What I didn’t expect was to be diagnosed with osteopenia (low bone density), serious enough that I now have to follow an osteoporosis treatment plan. My mum was treated for osteoporosis in her early sixties, so I assumed I still had time before worrying about bone density. Turns out I was wrong.
It should take about two years to reverse my osteopenia. My general diet and fitness aren’t to blame (my issue is probably hereditary), but I do have to tweak things to boost my protein and calcium intake (plus a few other nutrients). On my doctor’s advice, I’ve started eating some meat again.
This was not a decision I made lightly. For the foreseeable future, my daily protein needs are around 90–100g and, given what I eat (and the fact that I don’t want to rely too heavily on protein powders) meat has to be part of my diet again, at least in a small way. So, after ten years of not eating it, I’m officially a flexitarian once more.
Once my back is strong enough, I’ll get back to weight training but with much lighter loads this time! In the meantime, I’m drinking less alcohol, swimming every day at Tooting Lido, and adding resistance bands to some of my physio exercises. Slow, steady progress.
I’ve also started using Cronometer, a nutrition tracking app that helps me keep an eye on my protein, calcium and other nutrients that are essential for bone health. I absolutely love it and it’s been invaluable in helping me fine-tune my diet to meet my new nutritional needs.
As for the recipes on this website, not much will change. I’m still firmly focused on a plant-forward flexitarian diet. I’ll just occasionally add a side of grilled organic chicken or fish alongside my usual veggies and grains.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve learned a lot about bone health, and I’ll be sharing what I’ve discovered, plus the high-protein and calcium-rich foods I’ve been stocking up on and the recipes I’ve been making. You can easily keep them meat-free, or not. That’s entirely your choice.
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