According to the National
Osteoporosis Foundation half of all women and one-fourth of all men older than
50 will fracture a bone at some point due to osteoporosis, a condition
characterized by weak or porous bones that break easily.
As you get older
the need for healthy nutrition changes. You have got this far with the food you
eat, but the body starts putting new challenges on us and what you eat can help
face those challenges.
Bone density is an
issue as we grow older and there are several ways we can assist our bodies to
cope with this. Calcium is very much needed to keep our bones strong at any
age, but there are certain things in our diet that can interfere with your body’s ability to absorb calcium. Phytates and oxalates
are two such things.
Beans and wheat bran contains high levels of
phytates which can prevent your body from absorbing calcium. However, unlike
beans 100% wheat bran is the only food that appears to reduce the absorption of
calcium in other foods eaten at the same time. For example, when you have milk
and 100% wheat bran cereal together, your body can absorb some, but not all, of
the calcium from the milk. The wheat bran in other foods like breads is much
less concentrated and not likely to have a noticeable impact on calcium
absorption.
Your body doesn’t absorb calcium well
from foods that are high in oxalates (oxalic acid) such as spinach. Other foods
with oxalates are rhubarb, beet greens and certain beans. These foods contain
other healthy nutrients, but they just shouldn’t be counted as sources of
calcium.
Protein is very important for good
bone health, but too much protein can restrict calcium absorption so rather
than having multiple servings of meat it is good to add some high calcium
protein from low fat dairy products.
Eating foods that have a lot of salt
(sodium) causes your body to lose calcium and can lead to bone density loss.
Try to limit the amount of processed foods, canned foods and salt added to the
foods you eat each day.
Alcohol and caffeine can also lead to
bone loss
Middle age spread is something many over 50’s are challenged
with and fat around one's middle is bad for bones. A study by doctors at
Massachusetts General Hospital shows abdominal fat is associated with lower
bone density.
So what is good to increase bone density?
Nutritionally
we need to make sure we get plenty of calcium and vitamin D. Vitamin D aids the
absorption of calcium so is very important. Magnesium, Potassium, Vitamin C and
Vitamin K are all essential for bone health.
Exercise is an essential part of keeping our bones
and joints healthy, it helps to keep the blood circulation feeding muscles,
bones and joints. Adapting your exercise to your capability is important, walking
is extremely good to keeping active and can be done at your own pace. Yoga and
Pilates is also very good to keeping active at any age. All exercise will help
to keep belly fat down and keep you active for longer.
Get out in the sun to get your dose of vitamin D,
but be careful of harmful rays on the skin. Use sun protection factor creams if
in the sun long enough to burn. Eat oily fish which is one of the few foods
that contain vit D.
Get some dairy in your diet unless lacto
intolerant, chose low fat options and be conscious of eating too much saturated
fats. All about the balance.
Foods to eat for good bone health
|
Food
|
Nutrient
|
|
Dairy products such
as low-fat and non-fat milk, yogurt and cheese
|
Calcium. Some dairy
products are fortified with Vitamin D.
|
|
Fish
|
|
|
Canned sardines and
salmon (with bones)
|
Calcium
|
|
Fatty varieties such as
salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines
|
Vitamin D
|
|
Fruits and vegetables
|
|
|
Collard greens, turnip
greens, kale, okra, Chinese cabbage, dandelion greens, mustard greens and broccoli.
|
Calcium
|
|
Spinach, beet greens,
okra, tomato products, artichokes, plantains, potatoes, sweet potatoes,
collard greens and raisins.
|
Magnesium
|
|
Tomato products, raisins,
potatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes, papaya, oranges, orange juice, bananas,
plantains and prunes.
|
Potassium
|
|
Red peppers, green
peppers, oranges, grapefruits, broccoli, strawberries, brussels sprouts,
papaya and pineapples.
|
Vitamin C
|
|
Dark green leafy
vegetables such as kale, collard greens, spinach, mustard greens, turnip
greens and brussel sprouts.
|
Vitamin K
|
|
Fortified Foods
|
|
|
Calcium and vitamin D are
sometimes added to certain brands of juices, breakfast foods, soy milk, rice milk,
cereals, snacks and breads.
|
Calcium, Vitamin D
|
