It is never too late to think about the health of your bones. As you age, your bones need more care. Childhood and teenage years are usually spent building our bond density, through playing outdoors and lots of calcium.
Typically boys reach their maximum bone density by 20 and girls by age 18. However, it is essential in adulthood to maintain this bone density and try to slow the process of density loss. Our body naturally loses bone density as we age, and after menopause, women do become at risk of osteoporosis.
There are several ways you can support your bones as you get older.
Stay Active
Try to make sure that you are doing at least 30 minutes of activity per day. This will help keep your bones very strong. Consider doing things like running, walking, dancing, tennis, or golf.
Yoga and Thai Chi, are not only great for your bones but due to the strengthening of the core it can prevent falling and breaking bones later on in life. Back pain for older adults is a common occurrence, with a strong core, you can prevent the impact this might ordinarily have on you.
Nutrients
If you aren’t getting the right levels of vitamin K, potassium, or magnesium, then the calcium you absorb will be affected. You can get these crucial nutrients by making sure you have a wide and varied diet.
Many healthy fruits and vegetables like legumes (which are beans, peas, and lentils), whole grains, fish, seeds, and nuts, contain plenty of these nutrients.
Protein is well known for building muscle, which will help keep your bones healthy too. If you choose to eat protein-rich foods like poultry, fish, shellfish, broccoli, tofu, you will be provided with what you need to keep your bones strong.
Calcium-rich foods
Although most of us assume that calcium only comes from milk, yogurt, kefir, and cheese, there are plenty of non-dairy sources of calcium. This means that even if you have a vegetarian or a vegan, you can get as much calcium as your body needs. Fortified soil and rice beverages often have plenty of calcium, along with green vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, and fortified orange juices. In fact, you can even find a healthy amount of calcium in canned salmon.
Vitamin D
Almost all people are slightly deficient in calcium, vitamin d, B12, and a few other vitamins. However, vitamin D helps you to absorb the calcium in food. So if you’re not getting your vitamin D either by being outside each and every day or your multivitamin doesn’t have enough vitamin D you might need to reassess your diet.
You can find vitamin D in the following foods.
Fortified orange juices, fatty fish like sardines and salmon, margarine, egg yolk, and fortified yogurt (you should always check the label for these), milk and fortified soy and rice beverages.
It is recommended that everybody over the age of 2 has at least 500 ml of fortified soy beverage or milk every day. And if you are 50 or older, it is highly recommended that you also have a vitamin D supplement of at least 400 IU per day. In general, it is better to make sure that you have a daily supplement and the right diet.
Alcohol
This might surprise many people; the alcohol can have a negative impact on how your body absorbs calcium from food if you are regularly drinking. It increases the risk of a break or fracture due to the impact on your calcium absorbtion. It is recommended that men and women both should not drink more than 14 units per week. And in fact at least to alcohol-free days a week.
One unit is only the equivalent of a small glass of wine, half a pint of a standard strength beer, cider or larger, and one measure of spirit.
Cigarettes
Many studies have gone to show that the relationship between the both of use and decreased ground and stay healthy. Smoking affects how old the bone building cells in your body are able to perform their duties. Which means you are at an increased risk of developing osteoporosis if female.
This can also help cause early menopause, which again increases the risk of osteoporosis and breaking your bones if you are female.
Low-calorie diets
There is a balance to be had between consuming too many and too little calories per day. Low-calorie diets not only have an impact on your metabolism, and make your hunger bounce back bigger and more difficult to control, but it can cause muscle mass loss. Diets that have less than 1000 cal per day can lead to low bone density in overweight, obese, or ‘regular’ weight people.
Collagen supplements
There are some studies that have suggested that the collagen supplement might be ideal for supporting bone density. Collagen is one of the main proteins found in bones. It contains amino acids proline, lysine, and glycine. These will help your bones, ligaments, or the tissue and muscle. Collagen hydrolysate comes from animal bones and commonly known as gelatine. And has been used to relieve joint pain for many years. There are other collagen supplements that are suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
Magnesium and zinc
Calcium is not the only mineral that is essential for bone health. There are many others that have a role. This includes magnesium and zinc. Magnesium plays a key role in converting vitamin D into the active form and will help promote calcium absorption within the body.
Zinc is only needed in a very small amount to make up the mineral portion of your bones. The support of bone-building and preventing the excessive breakdown of tissue.
Bone health is essential, no matter how old you are. Having strong bones is something that people take for granted. This is because symptoms very often don’t appear until bone loss is already quite advanced. However, a few simple nutritional and lifestyle habits and changes can help maintain and build strong bones for life.