How to think like a millionaire

By T. Harv Eker  (T. Harv Eker is the author of Secrets of Millionaire Mind and the creator of the world famous "Millionaire Mind Intensive," a program which I have attended from 26 November to 28 November 2010 in Singapore and I would highly recommend those who willing to succeed in live to get an opportunity to attend the program.)

Rich people have a way of thinking that is different from poor and middle class people. They think differently about money, wealth, themselves, other people, and life. Let’s examine six crucial differences between how rich people think and how poor or middle class people think.

By doing so, you will have some alternative beliefs in the files of your mind from which to choose. In this way, you can catch yourself thinking as poor people do and quickly switch over to how rich people think.

Remember, beliefs are not right, wrong, true or false, they're just past opinions which can be changed on your command. The fact is, you can CHOOSE to think in ways that will support you instead of ways that don't.

1. Rich People Believe "I Create My Life"
Poor people believe "Life happens to me."

If you want to create wealth, it is imperative that you believe that you are at the steering wheel of your life; that you create every moment of your life, especially your financial life. If you don't believe this, then you must believe you have little control over your life and that financial success has nothing to do with you. That is not a very rich attitude.

Instead of taking responsibility for what's going on in their lives, poor people choose to play the role of victim. Of course, any "victim's" predominant thought process is "poor me." And presto, through the law of intention that's literally what they get; "poor," as in money, me.

Here's some homework I promise will change your life. For the next seven days, I challenge you not to complain at all. Not just out loud, but in your head too. I've given this little challenge to thousands of people and several hundred have personally told me that this exercise completely transformed their lives. I invite you to email me with the results of this experiment. I guarantee you'll be astonished as to how amazing your life will become when you stop focusing on the "crap."

It's time to decide. You can be a victim OR you can be rich, but you can't be both. It's time to take back your power and acknowledge the fact that you create every moment of your life. That you create everything that is in your life and everything that is not in it. That you create your wealth and you create your non-wealth and everything in between.
2. Rich People Play the Money Game to Win
Poor people play the money game not to lose.

Poor people play the money game on defense rather than offense. Let me ask you, if you were to play any sport or any game strictly on defense, what are the chances of you winning that game? Most people agree; slim and none.

Yet, that's exactly how most people play the money game. Their primary concern is survival and security, not wealth and abundance. So, what is your goal? What is your real objective? What is your true intention?

Rich people's big goal is to have massive wealth and abundance. Poor people's big goal is to have "enough to pay the bills..." on time would be a miracle! Again, let me remind you of the power of intention. When your objective is to have enough to pay the bills, that's exactly how much you'll get; just enough to pay the bills and usually not a cent more. You get what you truly intend to get. If you want to get rich, your goal has to be "rich." Not just enough to pay the bills and not just enough to be comfortable. Rich, darn it, rich!
3. Rich People Are Committed to Being Rich
Poor people are uncommitted to being rich.

Most of us have good reasons as to why it would be wonderful to be rich, but what about the other side of the coin? Are there reasons why it might not be so great to be rich or go through the process of trying to get rich?

Each of us has a file on wealth in our mind. This file contains our personal beliefs that include why being wealthy would be great. But for many people, their file also includes information as to why being rich might not be so great. These people have mixed internal messages around money and especially wealth.

One part of them says, "Having more money will make life a lot more fun." But then another part screams, "Yeah, but "I'm going to have to work like a dog! What kind of fun is that?" One part says, "I'll be able to travel the world." then the other part responds, "Yeah, and everyone in the world will want something from me." These mixed messages are one of the biggest reasons that most people never become rich.

In fact, the #1 reason most people don't get what they want is they don't know what they want. Rich people are totally clear they want wealth. They are unwavering in their desire. They are fully committed to creating wealth. They will do "whatever it takes" to have wealth as long as it's moral, legal and ethical. Rich people do not send mixed messages to the universe. Poor people do.

I hate to break the news to you, but getting rich is not a "stroll in the park." It's takes focus, expertise, 100% effort, and "never say die" perseverance. You have to really commit to it, both consciously and subconsciously. You have to believe in your heart you can do it and you deserve it. If you are not fully committed to creating wealth, chances are you won't.

4. Rich People Think Big
Poor people think small.

We once had a trainer teaching at one of our seminars who went from a net worth of $250 thousand to over $600 million in only 3 years. When asked his secret he said, "Everything changed the day I began to think big." In my book, SpeedWealth, I discuss the "Law of Income" which states that "you will be paid in direct proportion to the value you deliver according to the market place."
Another way of understanding this is to answer the following question: How many people do you actually serve or affect?

For instance in my business, some trainers enjoy speaking to groups of 20, others are comfortable with 100, others like an audience of 500, still others want 5000 people or more in attendance. Is there is a difference in income between these trainers? You bet there is.

Who are you? How do you want to live your life? How do you want to play the game?

Do you want to play in the big leagues or in little league, in the majors or the minors?

Will you play big or play small? It's your choice.

But hear this. It's not about you. It's about living your mission. It's about living true to your purpose. It's about adding your piece of the puzzle to the world. It's about serving others.

Most of us are so stuck in our egos that everything revolves around "me, me and more me." But again, it's not about you, it's about adding value to other people's lives. It's your choice. One road leads to being broke and miserable, the other leads to money, meaning, and fulfillment.

It's time to stop hiding out and start stepping out. It's time to stop needing and start leading. It's time to start being the star that you are. It's time to share your gifts and value in a BIG way. There could be thousands or even millions of people counting on you. Are you up to the challenge for our society and our children's sake? Let's hope so.
5. Rich People Are Bigger Than Their Problems
Poor people are smaller than their problems.

Getting rich is not a stroll in the park. It's a journey that is full of obstacles, twists, and detours. The simple fact is, success is messy. The road is fraught with pitfalls and that's why most people don't take it. They don't want the hassles, the headaches and the responsibilities. In short, they don't want the problems.

Therein lies one of the biggest differences between rich people and poor people. Rich and successful people are bigger than their problems while poor and unsuccessful people are smaller than their problems.

Poor people will do almost anything to avoid anything that looks like it could be a problem. They back away from challenges. The irony is that in their quest to make sure they don't have problems, they have the biggest problem of all... they're broke and miserable.

The secret to success is not to try to avoid or shrink your problems; it's to grow yourself so you're bigger than any problem.

Imagine a "level 2" character person looking at a "level 5" problem. Would this problem appear to be big or small? The answer is that from a "level 2" perspective, a "level 5" problem would seem BIG.

Now imagine a "level 8" person looking at the same "level 5" problem. From this person's perspective, is this problem big or small? Magically the identical problem is now a SMALL problem.

And for a "level 10" person, it's NO problem at all. It's just an everyday occurrence, like getting dressed or brushing your teeth. Whether you are rich or poor, playing big or playing small, problems do not go away. If you're breathing, you will always have so-called "problems."

What's important to realize is that the size of the problem is never the real issue. What matters is the size of you!
Remember, your wealth can only grow to the extent that you do! The idea is to grow yourself to a place where you can overcome any problems that get in your way of creating wealth and keeping it once you have it.

Rich people do not back away from problems, do not avoid problems and do not complain about problems. Rich people are financial warriors and when a warrior is confronted with a challenge they shout: BRING IT ON!
6. Rich People Focus on Opportunities
Poor people focus on problems.

Rich people see potential growth. Poor people see potential loss.

Rich people focus on the rewards. Poor people focus on the risks.

It's the age-old question, is the glass half empty or half full? We're not merely talking about "positive thinking" here, we're talking about a habitual way of seeing the world. Poor people come from fear. Their minds are constantly scanning for what's wrong or what could go wrong in any situation. Their primary mindset is "What if it doesn't work?" or, more bluntly, "It won't work." Rich people, as we discussed earlier, take responsibility for creating their life and come from the mindset, "It will work because I'll make it work."

In the financial world, as in most other arenas, risk is directly proportionate to reward; generally, the higher the reward, the higher the risk. People with rich mentalities are willing to take that risk.

Rich people expect to succeed. They have confidence in their abilities, they have confidence in their creativity and they believe that should the "doo-doo hit the fan", they can always make their money back or succeed in another way.

On the other hand, poor people expect to fail. They lack confidence in themselves and in their abilities, and should things not work out, they believe it would be catastrophic.

You have to do something, buy something, or start something in order to succeed financially. You have to see opportunities for profit all around you instead of focusing on ways of losing money.

It's funny! Why a lot of people like to eat 5 pungent foods?

What are 5 pungent plants? They are shallot, garlic, leek, Chinese chive and onion. All these plants belong to the plant family of lily and the scientific name is “Allium”. These plants have strong and bitter smell that contains yellowish foul and oily elements. The smelly odour is especially penetrating. People who like to eat cooked foods of these plants regularly will have their sexual desires increased.

The five pungent plants are able to excite our mind, brains and other internal organs. A person who eats these foods in raw will not be able to control himself but get angry easily. Besides, the mouth odour, sweats, excrement and urines, phlegm and others are extremely smelly. These foods affect the body by bringing harm to kidney, bones, heart, blood, liver, veins, spleen, muscles, lungs and skin. Such a person will be sleepy and forgetful.

A person who like to eat the pungent foods whether eat in raw or cooked, and because of the odour that is extremely smelly and penetrating, all the saints, protectors, angels and good spirits that are unable to stand with the odour will leave him as far as possible. Only those evil spirits and ghosts who like to stay in dirty and smelly environment and like to eat excrement and urine would like and would be able to approach these people who love to eat pungent foods, as those protectors have left them. These evil spirits and ghosts love the odour that spred from human's mouths very much and they will “kiss” human's lips to suck human’s energy as their “food” for surviving! It's funny, why a lot of people still love to eat pungent foods?

Therefore, such pungent foods are a great hindrance to all cultivators, vegetarians and human beings. In fact, we can use ginger to replace these pungent foods for our daily cooking. For those who still love to eat pungent foods better think twice on the consequences.

Increase brain power by walking

Walking is a simple, natural and low impact exercise. It helps to improve our brain power because it increases blood circulation and at the same time it also increases glucose and oxygen that reach our brain in increased amounts. Movement and exercise increase breathing and heart rate so that more blood flows to the brain, enhancing energy production and waste removal. As we walk our leg muscles don't take up extra glucose and oxygen like we do during other forms of exercise, and in this way we effectively oxygenate our brain.

Walking on a regular basis, say 30 minutes, 3 times a week (or more), will help to enhance the function of specific brain structure and improve the coordination of important brain networks. The following are the benefits of walking that increases our brain power:-

• Improves the higher mental processes of memory and in executive functions like planning and organization.
• Improves learning ability and intelligence
• Have better concentration
• Improves in reasoning tasks
• Increase cognitive function level
• Enhances connections between the brain circuits, combat a drop in brain function linked to aging
• Senior citizens who walk regularly show significant improvement in memory skills compared to sedentary elderly people

Therefore, don't just sit in front of computer for 8 hours, instead we should plan our time for regular walking to have better brain power and at the same time walking is also a good exercise for health improvement.

Improve vision in 10 easy ways

Common eye diseases are age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), cataracts, glaucoma and dry eye disease, are preventable to certain extent. The following steps can be easily applied in our daily lives to protect our peepers and improve our eyesight:-

1. Mix a cup of blueberries with a cup of yogurt for breakfast

Blueberries are one of the richest fruit forms of antioxidants. By eating these fruits, the chances to develop age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the leading cause of blindness in older people, will be reduced.

2. Have more carrots in our daily diet

Carrots are one of nature's top sources of vitamin A, which is important for healthy eyesight. Vitamin A maintains a healthy cornea and helps proper perception of light at the retina. And it can help us to prevent nyctalopia (night blindness) too. Carrots also contain a substance called beta carotene, which may help protect our eyes against cataracts and macular degeneration.

3. Have sweet potatoes for dinner

Since they are rich in vitamin A too, these sweet spuds can help improve our night vision.

4. Have spinach twice a week.

Spinach contains lutein, a nutrient that may prevent age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Ideally, get lutein in combination with some form of fat (olive oil works great) for the best absorption.

5. Stop smoking

Smoking is not only contributing to serious illnesses such as lung cancer, but it also increases the risk of cataracts, glaucoma, dry eyes, and age-related macular degeneration.

6. Avoid car vents blowing directly to our eyes.

Dry, air-conditioned air will suck the moisture out of eyes like a sponge. Direct the vents in our car away from our eyes, or wear sunglasses as a shield. Dry eyes can be more than an inconvenience; serious dryness can lead to corneal abrasions and even blindness if left untreated.

7. Position our computer screen to just below eye level.

By lowering our computer screen below our eye level, our eyes will close slightly when we are staring at the computer, this will minimize fluid evaporation in eyes and the risk of dry eye syndrome.

8. Walk at least four times a week.

Regular exercise can reduce the intraocular pressure, or IOP, in people with glaucoma. Glaucoma patients who walked briskly four times per week for 40 minutes could lower their IOP enough so they could stop taking medication for their condition. It's also possible that walking could also reduce overall risk of developing glaucoma.

                                            

9. Do eye exercise – palming

Remember when we were playing hide and seek when we were a little kid? It was enough to cover the eyes with our palms and nobody was able to see us! Just do it exactly the same way as we did in our childhood - cup our eyes up with our hands and observe the darkness in front of our face. Make sure that we are not touching our eyelids with our palms.

10. Do eye massage

There are acupuncture points located around our eyes. If there is something wrong with our eyes, these points will become painful crying for help. If their screams are noticed well in advance then the illness can be prevented. By simply massaging these screaming dots, it is possible to restore the energy flow and therefore correct proper functioning of our eyes.

Below is the video showing a simple method of eye massage.

Eye massage video

Top vegetables and fruits that are good for health

1) Improve digestion and sleep

Black beans, bran cereal, avocado, apples, brown rice, grapefruit, peppermint, soybeans, ginger, pineapple, melon, asparagus

2) Prevent colds and other common illnesses

Orange juice, bell peppers, green tea, pumpkin seeds, summer squash, apricots, ground cinnamon, cayenne pepper, cloves, cranberries

3) Generally productivity boosters

Mustard greens, plums, sweet potatoes, papaya, pear, dill, cauliflower

4) Eyesight

Strawberries, carrots, flaxseeds, spinach, blueberries, medlar (barbary wolfberry fruit)

5) Energy and brain food

Raisins, lima beans, corn, fig, spinach, turnip leaves, green beans, peanut butter, kidney beans, lemons, sage

6) Cancer and long term illness prevention

Blueberries, kale, cabbage, tomatoes, broccoli, rye bread, raspberries, basil, Brussels sprouts, seaweed

7) Control blood pressure and improve heart health

Bananas, dark chocolate, Romaine lettuce, olives, kiwi, grapes, spring greens

VEGETARIAN TEMAKI RECIPE

Before I turned from meat eater to vegetarian, I didn't like Japanese food. When I became a vegetarian, there was one day, about 7 or 8 years ago, I brought my family to a newly opened vegetarian restaurant in Bandar Sunway, where Japanese foods were served. This was the first time I ate Japanese foods including vegetarian Temaki. My family enjoyed the food very much especially vegetarian Temaki.

Later, as I mentioned that my wife likes to cook, she therefore learned how to make Temaki and here is the recipe:-

Ingredients

(A) 2 bowls cooked sushi rice
      6 sheets roasted laver

(B) 30g alfalfa sprouts
     1 lettuce
     Some cucumber and carrot strips
     1 avocado cut into strips

(C) A bit of salad cream

(D) 3 table spoon small vegetarian shrimp - deep fried till crispy
     or monkey mushroom floss (can be bought at vegetarian shops)

Method

Place some rice diagonally across a sheet of purple laver. Arrange ingredients (B) and (C) on it and roll it into a cone shape, garnish with (D) as toppings. Now Temaki is ready for you to eat.

10 ESSENTIAL HEALTHY FOODS

1. Yogurt  

This delicious dairy product is a healthy food which is rich in vitamins and nutrition. Yogurt may help to lose weight while maintaining muscle, bolster immune system and block progression of colon cancer. Yogurt may be an anti-inflammatory and a treatment for arthritis and also may benefit those who have problems of lactose intolerance, inflammatory bowel disease, diarrhea, constipation or food allergies.

2. Olive Oil

The benefits of olive oil may go way beyond its wonderful taste. This monounsaturated oil, which is rich in antioxidants, may be the key to the healthy diet - meaning a lower risk of heart attacks, diabetes and colon cancers.

3. Almonds 

Almonds contain monounsaturated fat, magnesium, calcium, potassium and fiber. These crunchy, protein-packed nuggets provides monounsaturated fat that help to slash LDLs (bad cholesterol) and boost HDLs (good cholesterol). Almonds also provide calcium and magnesium that are able to help to lower blood pressure.

4. Kidney Beans

Kidney beans contain soluble fiber, folate, potassium and magnesium. These beans could cut down the risk of coronary heart disease. They are also rich in LDL-lowering soluble fiber and homocysteine-controlling folate, as well as blood pressure-easing potassium and magnesium.

5. Apples

Apples are rich in antioxidants and pectin (a soluble fiber). People who ate two apples a day had fewer oxidized, artery-attacking LDLs than non-apple eaters. Apples also have hefty quantities of the flavonoid quercetin, which is natural chemicals in plants that, when in our bloodstream, remove free radical molecules, fight inflammation, and impede cancer.

6. Carrots

Carrots are one of nature's top sources of beta-carotene, an artery-protecting and are colour therapy for our cardiovascular system. These veggies' brilliant orange hue is a sign of super-high levels of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that guards against artery-clogging oxidized LDL cholesterol. Carrots also provide blood pressure-lowering potassium and magnesium, plus the homocysteine-lowering combination of folate, vitamin B6, and the antioxidants alpha-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.

7. Spinach

This leafy green is one of the healthiest vegetables. It is uncommonly rich in a variety of nutrients including calcium, iron, potassium, vitamins A, K, and C. Spinach has the function to combat prostate cancer, protect vision and bolster cardiovascular health.

 

8. Barley

In addition to being a hearty soup staple, barley is a cholesterol-lowering grain high in fiber and niacin. Barley also produces butyric acid, a fatty acid that fights colon cancer.

9. Tomatoes

Fiber-rich tomatoes are low in calories and high in vitamin C, vitamin A, and cancer-preventing lycopene. Tomatoes are also beneficial in fighting various forms of cancer.

10. Avocados

The nutrients in this creamy, sinfully rich-tasting vegetable read like a list of essentials for a healthy diet: cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fat, fiber, copper, potassium and vitamins C, K, and B6.

HOW DOES EXCESSIVE PROTEIN AFFECT KIDNEY

Excessive protein consumption is not only the chief cause of osteoporosis, there are other problems that are also derived from too much protein, particularly too much animal protein. One such problem is kidney stones.

The calcium lost from our bones due to excessive protein has to go somewhere after it has served its purpose in our bloodstream, and so does the calcium we have ingested but have not been able to absorb due to high phosphorous/calcium ratios (the higher this ratio, the greater the loss of bone density). All this calcium ends up in our urine, producing very high levels of calcium in the kidney system, and all-too-often crystallizing into kidney stones.

Additionally, excessive protein consumption can cause the destruction of kidney tissue and the progressive deterioration of kidney function. Extra protein doesn't just trickle out of the body. It takes hard work on the part of the kidneys to get rid of the excess. Many animal studies to find out the relationship between the diet that is rich in protein and their kidneys have shown that the higher the protein in their diet, especially animal protein (i.e meat, fish and eggs), the greater the incidence and the more severe the cases of kidney hypertrophy and inflammation.

The same thing happen to human kidneys if we over consume aniamal protein. People who have suffered kidney damage or loss could preserve their remaining kidney function only if they put on a protein restricted diet. Those kidney patients whose protein intake is not restricted, and particularly those who continue to eat meat, show rapid deterioration of their kidneys to the point where many become dependent on kidney dialysis machines.

As a conclusion, excessive protein particularly animal protein in our daily diet does not only contribute to osteoporosis, but it is also a chief cause of crystallization of kidney stones, destruction of kidney tissue and progressive deterioration of kidney function.

VEGETARIAN SUSHI RECIPE

My family have been taking vegetarian since 11 years ago when my first child was just 3 months old. If we compare the popularity of vegetarian now and 11 years ago, we can get vegetarian restaurants easily nowadays, unlike those days which we found very difficult to get a vegetarian restaurant.

However, the vegetarian foods are still not that popular in schools, especially the school that my children are studying in. Therefore, my wife has to cook vegetarian foods for our kids to bring to school and in fact, my wife loves to cook too.

One of the favorite food my wife like to cook is vegetarian sushi. Here is the recipe:-

Ingredients

(A) 3 sheets roasted laver

(B) 3 cucumbers
     3 carrots
     3 Japanese preserved radish
     3 slices vegetarian ham
      (all cut into strips)
      (optional, you can add in some avocado for healthier diet)

(C) A dash of Japanese soy sauce
     A bit of wasabi (optional, depends on your taste)

(D) 300g Japanese rice - soaked for 1 hour
     2 1/4 cups water

(E) Seasoning
     2 table spoon Japanese vinegar
     1 1/2 table spoon sugar
     1/2 tea spoon salt

Method

To cook rice:-

Cook (D) in a rice cooker. When it is done, leave it for 15 minutes to dry. Loosen the rice and add in seasoning. Cover it and leave it aside.

To prepare sushi:-

Place a piece of laver on the sushi rolling mat. Spread the rice evenly and arrange (B) on top of it. Roll and squeeze as tight as possible. Cut the sushi with a sharp knife, which is dipped in vinegar. Now it is ready to serve.

Alternatively, sushi can be made into triangle shape as follows:

or put into this "pocket" (sorry I don't know what it is called),

These are various type of sushi for my children to bring to school, cool or cool?



WHY ARE VEGETARIANS PROTECTED FROM OSTEOPOROSIS

In 1983, the Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported the results of a study of bone densities in the United States. Researchers at Michigan State and other major universities found that, by the age of 65 in the United States:

• Male vegetarians had an average measurable bone loss of 3%
• Male meat-eaters had an average measurable bone loss of 7%
• Female vegetarians had an average measurable bone loss of 18%
• Female meat-eaters had an average measurable bone loss of 35%

In 1984, another major study of bone densities in the United State was reported by the Medical Tribune. The conclusion was typical of the many such studies: vegetarians were found to have "significantly stronger bone"

At the age of 65, the average meat eating woman in the United States has lost over a third of her skeletal structure. In contrast, older vegetarian women tend to remain active, maintain erect postures, and are less likely to fracture or break bones even with their increased physical activity. If their bones do break or fracture, they heal faster and more completely.

You may wonder, since osteoporosis seems to be caused by excessive dietary protein, why vegetarians seem so protected from its ravages. Isn't it possible to overdose on vegetarian proteins? Even haunted by the protein myth, however, vegetarians tend not to over-consume protein to the extent that meat-eaters do, and this is one reason they do not suffer nearly as much osteoporosis. But even if a vegetarian were to consume as much excess protein as a meat-eater, he or she would still have stronger bones because meat, eggs and fish contribute to osteoporosis in other way - pH of the blood.

Keeping our blood at an essentially neutral pH is a top priority for the body. If our blood were to become too acidic we would die. Accordingly, if the diet contains a lot of acid forming foods, then the body, in its wisdom, withdraws calcium from the bones and uses this alkaline mineral to balance the pH of the blood. As we can see meat, eggs and fish are the most acid-forming foods, and hence the ones that cause calcium to be drawn from the bones to restore the pH balance. Most fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, generally yield an alkaline ash, and so require no depletion of calcium stores from the bones to maintain the neutrality of the blood.

Therefore, it is advisable to consume more vegetarian foods than meat, egg and fish in order to keep our bones stronger and maintain the neutrality of our blood, and subsequently protect us from osteoporosis and other major diseases.

WHAT IS OSTEOPOROSIS AND HOW TO KEEP OUR BONES SOLID?

Osteoporosis is a clinical name given for bone mineral losses (called 'bone re-sorption'). For a person technically to qualify for this label, it means he has lost 50% to 75% of the original bone materials from his skeleton. The loss of calcium and other minerals from the bones is a gradual process which takes a long time before it becomes evident. And it is usually not apparent until loose teeth, receding gums, or a fractured hip show how brittle and chalky the bones have become. As a result, the calcium-deficient bones may break with the slightest provocation, even a mere sneeze may crack a rib.

The reason why the decreasing bone density is hard to be detected is that even in extremes cases of osteoporosis, the calcium level of the blood is usually normal. In the body's ranking of needs, the blood level of calcium takes definite priority over the bone level of calcium. The body needs calcium in the blood for vital operations, such as controlling muscular contractions, blood clotting, transmission of nerve impulses, and other utterly essential tasks. When the body needs to supply calcium to the blood for any reason, it acts as if the bones were a "bank" of stored calcium, and through a series of biochemical reactions, calcium is withdrawn from the calcium bank to be supplied to the blood.

People believe that bones lost calcium only if there were not enough calcium in their diets. For this point of view, and the solution they propose, is to drink higher protein dairy products. However, the modern nutritional research indicates a major flaw in this perspective. In fact, osteoporosis is a disease caused by a number of things, the most important of which is excess dietary protein!

The incidence of osteoporosis correlates directly with protein intake, ie the more excess protein in the diet the greater the incidence of negative calcium balance, and the greater the loss of calcium from the bone. In other words, the more protein in our diet, the more calcium we lose. Therefore, high protein diets in general, and meat based diets in particular, lead to a gradual decrease in bone density, and produce the ongoing development of osteoporosis.

Many studies carried out during the past decades show that the most important dietary change that we can make in order to create a positive calcium balance that will keep our bones solid is not to increase the amount of calcium in our daily diets, but to decrease the amount of protein we take in.