How can you prevent osteoporosis?How to prevent osteoporosis is one of the most studied subjects in the U.S. and other industrialized countries. Osteoporosis is the thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time. Thousands of studies have been done on bone density and how to prevent osteoporosis. The overall conclusion is that women who follow healthy lifestyles, including getting enough sunshine, exercise and eating lots of nutrient rich fruit and vegetables have the best bone health. If you think you need dairy products in order to prevent osteoporosis and have strong bones, just remember that many animal species known for having the strongest bones like elephants, horses, and cows, are complete vegans which means they do not eat dairy products at all after they are weaned from breast milk! Prevent Osteoporosis How can you make sure that both you and your family lead a healthy lifestyle for healthy bones?1. Eat Calcium Rich Food2. Get Plenty of Sun 3. Exercise Prevent osteoporosis with a calcium rich food diet Foods to Eat For Strong Bones & Calcium Rich FoodEat a variety of vegetables and fruits! Researchers found a positive link between vegetable and fruit consumption and bone health. Women who had consumed the most fruit during childhood were found to have higher bone mineral density than those that reported eating less fruit. An acid diet can cause a loss of calcium and damage bones. Alkali buffers from vegetables and fruits may reverse urinary calcium loss. While many health experts focus solely on calcium intake as a sole factor in bone health, the reality is that bone health is also dependent on a wide variety of other factors beside calcium, including the proper acid vs alkaline balance of the body. Eat leafy green vegetables! An excellent source of calcium and other vitamins and minerals needed to support calcium absorption and utilization are leafy greens. Calcium rich leafy greens:Arugula has a peppery taste and is rich in vitamins A, C, and calcium. Arugula can be eaten raw in salads or added to stir-fry, soups, and pasta sauces. Broccoli has both soft florets and crunchy stalks, and is rich in vitamins A, C, and K, folate, and fiber. Broccoli can be eaten raw, steamed, sautéed, or added to a casserole. Collard Greens have a mild flavor and are rich in vitamins A, C and K, folate, fiber, and calcium. The best way to prepare them is to boil them briefly and then add to a soup or stir-fry. You can also eat collard greens as a side dish. Dandelion Greens have a bitter, tangy flavor and are rich in vitamin A and calcium. They are best when steamed or eaten raw in salad. Kale has a slightly bitter, cabbage-like flavor and is rich in vitamins A, C and K. Kale is tasty when added to soups, stir-fries, and sauces. Mustard Greens have a peppery or spicy flavor and are rich in vitamins A, C, and K, folate, and calcium. They are delicious when eaten raw in salads or in stir-fries and soups. Romaine Lettuce is a nutrient-rich lettuce that is high is vitamins A, C, and K, and folate. It is best when eaten raw in salads, sandwiches or wraps. Spinach has a sweet flavor and is rich in vitamins A and K, folate, and iron. Spinach tastes great eaten raw in salads or steamed. Swiss Chard Turnip greens Eat soup! Make a giant pot of soup at the beginning of the week and serve it all week. Not only is a rich vegetable soup great for osteoporosis prevention, it's an excellent way to get children (and adults) to willingly eat their green vegetables. You may also increase the amount of calcium in your diet by making stock for soup from bones and calcium rich vegetables. Make sure to pack in a large variety of dark leafy green vegetables as ingredients in the soup. an extra boost of calcium by adding animal bones. It's possible to drain the calcium from the bones into the stock if you add some vinegar to the stock. Remove the bones after cooking. You can puree the soup or leave the vegetables as they are for a chunkier soup.Eat enough protein - A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that women who had a higher intake of protein also had higher bone mineral density. There have been rumors, especially in the low-carb, low fat diets and vegetarian circles, that "protein leaches calcium from bones". Actual research comparing the bones of meat eaters versus vegetarians, have shown, that women who eat meat actually have better done density than their vegetarian counterparts.Have an occasional drink! Recent research studies have shown a connection between moderate alcohol intake and better bone strength. Results of a study showed that women who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol had significantly higher total body, spine, and mid-radius bone mineral density than did nondrinkers.Don't overdo the dieting! One of the best predictors of bone mass is body weight. Obviously it's not healthy to be overweight or obese which is associated with a long list of health problems, osteoporosis isn't one of them. Research studies have found that being overweight has a protective effect against osteoporosis. Women classified as "restrained eaters", had significantly lower bone mineral density and bone mineral content than women who said they weren't concerned about what they ate. Get some sun! To prevent osteoporosis, make sure to get daily sunshine for vitamin D. Vitamin D facilitates the absorption of calcium and phosphorous, and helps regulates normal calcification of the bones. Vitamin D is important in order to mineralize bone. Due to fear of the effects of overexposure to the sun, many people have taken to covering up from the sun and applying sunscreen daily. Too much sun can cause skin cancer and aging however, not enough sun can lead to osteomalacia. In children, this condition is known as rickets. Sunscreen with an SPF of 8 allows only 5 percent of the normal production of Vitamin D, while a sunscreen with an SPF 30 prevents almost any vitamin D from getting absorbed into the skin.
Exercise! If you really want to prevent osteoporosis you need to exercise. Recent studies have shown that the risk of osteoporosis is lower for people who are active, and do weight bearing activities at least three times a week. When you exercise, you cause your muscles to pull on your bones. Muscle pulling on bone builds bone, so weight-bearing exercise builds denser, stronger bones. The more bone mass you build before age 25 or 30, the better off you will be during the years of gradual bone loss. Exercise can also help you prevent osteoporosis and maintain bone density later in life. Weight bearing exercise include weight-lifting, jogging, hiking, stair-climbing, aerobics, dancing, racquet sports, and other activities that require your muscles to work against gravity. |
