OVERVIEW:
A healthy balanced diet helps you to build strong bones from an early age and maintain them throughout your life. To strengthen your bones, you need to consume sufficient calcium and vitamin D to make your body absorb this calcium. Poor bone health can cause two conditions — rickets and osteoporosis and increase the risk of breaking a bone from a fall later in the life.
Health experts believe and advice that it is essential to keep our bones strong and healthy, because they not only anchor our muscles and give our body its structure, but they also shield our organs against the damages.
Statistics reveal that nearly one in every three women and one in every five man are at the risk of suffering from osteoporotic fracture at some of the given point during their lifetime.
Moreover, studies show that nearly two million Canadians are suffering from osteoporosis disease, which is basically a condition that causes our bones to become excessively thin and porous, which decreases the bone strength, putting our bones at a great risk of breakage.
Health care experts and nutritionists strongly believe that a diet that is rich in the certain nutrients, particularly calcium, can aid in reducing risk factors that lead to bone loss, along with preventing incidents of the bone fractures.
Even though our genetics and the physical activity plays a more detrimental role in impacting bone health, our daily diet can also impact our diet in both, the positive and negative ways.
Research states that our diet starts impacting on our bone health right from the time of our birth and continues to do so until the death.
While we are still growing and developing, nearly until we reach at the age of 20s, our daily diet makes a strong influence on how dense and strong our bones can become.
If our daily diet consists sufficient quantities of all the essential nutrients, our bones can reach their optimal bone mass, becoming as strong and dense as possible.
Moreover, as we become to age from early 20s, daily diet can help us to maintain a healthy bone mass and prevent the risk factors of bone losses.
BONE FOODS: 7 FOODS FOR STRONG BONES
We have picked up some best bone fortifying foods that will provide you a rich density of essential nutrients to boost the strength of your bones.
1. Low-Fat milk or Calcium-Fortified Soy Milk:
Studies shows that nearly all the calcium with in our body is found within our bones, which is why a lack of sufficient calcium consumption through food sources or even supplements can cause severe bone damages.
Basically, when we don’t get enough calcium through our diet, the body begins to use the stored calcium out of the bones in order to maintain constant calcium reserves within the bloodstream and muscles.
Over time, this weakens our bones and increases the risk factors of a fracture. You see, since our bones are living tissues, they are constantly releasing minerals by breaking down and depositing the calcium to generate new bones.
This is why it is essential for everyone to make sure that they consume sufficient calcium to meet their daily dosage need or requirements. Cow’s milk and calcium fortified soy milk are the richest sources of calcium. So, be sure to add them to your daily diet chart.
Milk provides our body, the most important nutrient, called calcium, along with several essential nutrients that aid the body in effectively absorbing calcium, including vitamin D, phosphorus and magnesium.
All you need is one cup of milk to load up to 300 milligrams of calcium. However, if you are intolerant to dairy products, you can pick out other non-dairy products, like coconut or almond milk, containing good amount of calcium and vitamins, but will not provide you the protein and vitamin A, which you receive from dairy products.
2. Plain Yogurt:
Most people believe that Greek yogurt is healthiest but experts always recommend the consumption of plain yogurt over Greek.
It is because it is packed with higher concentration of calcium. Basically, in Greek yogurt, the extra whey is strained out, which makes Greek varieties much thicker, creamier and richer in protein. However, it decreases its calcium contents.
Regular or plain yogurt provides twice amount of the essential bone-fortifying mineral calcium as opposed to the Greek yogurt.
Research reveals that the plain yogurt provides around 263 to 275 mg of calcium, while the Greek yogurt provides only 180 to 212 mg calcium.
3. Nuts:
Nuts are yummy and loaded with protein and magnesium. These two essential nutrients that promote strong bone mass and fortify the bone structure.
A recent Spanish study revealed that consuming nuts, accompanied with a high calcium diet that aids the body by shielding bones against bone demineralization.
4. Prunes:
A recent study states that consuming prunes regularly helps to fortify the health of your bones. It also reduces the risk factors that lead to the development of osteoporosis.
Basically, prunes are rich in phenolic compounds that aid in signalling the cells to raise the formation of bones. Moreover, prunes are also rich in vitamin K, along with boosting the several nutrients.
5. Salmon Fish:
Salmon, a fatty fish is a rich source of vitamin D, which aids in boosting calcium absorption and concentration of calcium that gets deposited within our bones.
It’s ideal to take at least two servings of canned salmon with bones each week.
During winters, you can consult your doctor to recommend a salmon supplement as well.
Salmon is also an incredibly rich source of protein that is essential for production of collagen, which aids in maintaining strength of the bones and aiding in healing bone injuries to ensure a speedy recovery.
Experts believe that salmon is one of a limited sources that naturally contain rich concentrations of vitamin D.
6. Tofu:
Most of the people are not aware of the fact that tofu is actually one of the most enriched sources of calcium, and all you need is a three-quarter cup serving to load your body with an impressive 302 to 525 mg dosage of calcium.
However, be sure to check the nutrition label for its daily value percentage for calcium along with looking for the calcium sulfate in ingredients list in order to ensure your tofu is fortified with calcium.
7. Collard Greens:
Study reveals that regular consumption of cooked collard greens can increase the concentration of calcium in your body.
All you need is one cup of cooked collard greens to brim up your body with 330 mg calcium. Collard greens are also loaded with vitamins C and K, which aid in fortifying the bones and replenishing the bone strength.
You can also obtain some calcium from other dark leafy green veggies, such as spinach, turnip greens, cabbage, okra, broccoli and kale etc.
Cheese, dairy products, soybeans are some other foods for strong bones with sufficient calcium.
For vitamin D needs, you can consume oily fish, such as salmon, sardines and mackerel, eggs, fortified breakfast cereals, fortified fat spreads, some powdered milks.
Be sure to include spinach to your daily diet, even though it is low in calcium, it packs up several other bone-fortifying nutrients, such as vitamin K and magnesium.
The recommended daily intake of calcium for adults is 700 mg. You should be able to get all the calcium needed by eating a healthy balanced diet.
TAKE AWAY
In order to promote strong bone health, it’s essential to consume a daily diet that is loaded with calcium and vitamin D, along with vitamin A, protein, magnesium and vitamin K. There are several foods for strong bones including milk, soy milk, prunes, salmons, plain yogurt, tofu and collard greens.
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