With Every Year That Passes, You'll Need These Tricks To Keep Your Bones Healthy And Strong More And More

Jul 05, 2018

Osteoporosis is a serious disease that affects more than 75 million people throughout America, Europe, and Japan. This disease is so harmful that it causes someone's bones to break every 3 seconds. Your health is an investment. If you take care of yourself when you're young and create healthy lifestyle changes, you'll be a lot better off when you're older. Incorporate these 10 lifestyle changes while you're young to help fight off osteoporosis and other bone diseases.

10. Eat Enough Calcium

We've all heard about drinking enough milk, whether it's fortified animal or plant-based. However, you're probably not drinking enough to meet your daily requirement. Foods are also rich in calcium, so be sure to eat enough tofu, almonds, spinach, cheese, sardines, and canned salmon. Women under 50 should aim for 1,000 mg daily and women older than 50 need 1,200 mg. Men require the same amounts of calcium, but the age to increase the dose is at 70 instead of 50.

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9. You Need Vitamin D

Although vitamin D is called a vitamin, it is so vital in our bodies that it essentially acts as a hormone. Unfortunately our bodies can't produce vitamin D, unlike true hormones, unless you are out in the sun often. One of many important roles vitamin D plays is helping your body absorb calcium. In order to get enough vitamin D, get outside often, eat fatty fish, dairy products, fortified cereals, eggs, and consider taking a multivitamin.

8. Avoid Excess Weight

Instead of yo-yo dieting, you need to find a healthy and sustainable way to maintain a healthy weight. Many people are adopting the vegan lifestyle to cut their intake of saturated fats. Since plant-based foods are less calorie-dense, vegans enjoy eating lots of food while still staying trim. Keeping excess pounds off will put less strain on your bones.

7. Exercise

As we age, our bodies lose bone mass. To fight this, incorporate more exercises into your routine that not only exercise your muscles, but your bones as well. Walking, running, dancing, and weight training are all wonderful exercises for your bones.

6. Stop Smoking

Everyone knows smoking is bad, but this study shows a direct correlation between smoking and decreased bone density. Research also shows that smoking delays bone healing by 60%.

5. Limit Caffeine

Enjoy your coffee in moderation, but if you drink tons of coffee to fuel you through your days, you need to read this study that shows excessive caffeine increases fractures and decreases bone mass.

4. Get Your Omega-3s

Omega-3s are awesome because they help produce osteoblasts, which are cells that build bones. Polyunsaturated fats are also anti-inflammatory, which is great news for anyone suffering from arthritis. Good sources of omega-3s are walnuts, chia seeds, and seafood like mackerel.

3. Supplement With Collagen

Collagen is not just for keeping your skin youthful, it also composes 90% of your bone mass. You can eat collagen through bell peppers, pumpkin seeds, bone broths, and fish, but you'd have to eat a lot of it to get enough collagen. Instead, consider taking a supplement.

2. Eat Your Protein

Calcium and protein are the dynamic duo that work together to keep bones strong. Health experts have agreed that people should aim to eat 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight. Great sources of protein include meats, fish, beans, nuts, whole grains, and even vegetables.

1. Watch The Salt

Excess sodium not only contributes to high blood pressure and other heart problems, but salt also works against calcium absorption. Instead of seasoning your food with lots of salts, invest in a wide array of spices to make your food seriously delicious. Another helpful tip is that if you use hot spices like cayenne or chili pepper flakes, you rev up your metabolism. This can work dually to keep your salt consumption and weight down.

Which tip was the most surprising? Be sure to spread the news to your friends to help keep them healthy!

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!