10 Foods to Help Prevent Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a bone related disease in which our body losses bone mineral density. Thus, making the bones weaker which leads to an increased risk of fracture. To counter this disease, one must focus on foods those contribute to strengthening of our bones. Lucky for us, that there are so many foods available that does a world of good for the bones. In this article, we are going to discuss ten such foods that will help boost bones strength and prevent osteoporosis.

1) Kale -

Kale is high in calcium content; however this is not the only reason for mentioning kale on this list. It also contains vitamin k which helps your body to absorb the calcium in your bones. Thus kale is a great food choice when it comes to beating osteoporosis. Few alternatives to kale that you can try are broccoli, lettuce and sprouts.

2) Milk -

Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yogurt etc. are rich in calcium. If you are on a weight loss schedule, perhaps trying out a low fat version of such dairy products will be a good idea.

3) Fish -

Fish, such as salmon, sardines etc. are high in Vitamin D. Vitamin d, also known as the “sunshine vitamin”, because our bodies can produce vitamin d when exposed to sunshine – helps in calcium absorption in our body, thus eating foods rich in vitamin d is as important as eating food, high in calcium. Other foods containing Vitamin D are milk, eggs etc.

4) Corn -

Foods rich in fiber helps to lower cholesterol. Research has shown that – people with high cholesterol in their bodies, has fewer cells left that can build bones. Thus, lowering the cholesterol can help in bone growth. Thus eating foods, like – corn, oats, flax-seeds, apple skin etc. can help contribute in bone health.

5) Carrots -

Many such fiber rich foods, tomatoes and peppers for example, are rich in silica which is an essential mineral when it comes to improving bone mineral density. Other foods that contain silica are red raspberry, oats, avocado, strawberry, beets etc.

6) Pumpkin Seeds -

Pumpkin seeds have many health benefits, one of those are, it is rich in magnesium which helps in bone strengthening. So from now on, pumpkin seeds are not just for Halloween, eat them round the year.

7) Artichokes -

Artichokes are high in Phosphorus content which is important for making strong bones and regulating the calcium in our body. Other foods that are rich in Phosphorus are cheese, oats, sunflower seeds, etc.

Mushrooms -

Mushrooms are rich in copper which is important to keep your bones healthy. Other foods that are rich in copper include calf lever, cashews, soybeans, lobsters, oysters etc. Also, cocoa powder is a good source of copper, thus dark chocolates having cocoa in it can also be a good source of copper.

9) Honey -

Honey is a good source of boron which is another good mineral when it comes to improving bones. Other foods containing boron are pears, red grapes, wheat, dates etc.

10) Eggs -

Eggs are good source of protein and are required to build strong bones. The quality of the bone tissues depends on collagen which is produced with good protein rich diet. For the vegetarians, soybeans, nuts and seeds are good alternative for protein. For the rest of us, fish, eggs, chicken etc. are always on the high protein menu.

Osteoporosis can be fought with good food but one must remember to do the other important things that help to keep the bones healthy. For example, it is usually recommended for the osteoporosis patient to do exercise regularly and especially weight exercise. Another important thing is to keep safe, for example wearing knee braces so that the chance of catching a fracture is less. This way, the chance of catching a knee injury will be likely less.

Also, in general, it is suggested to be very careful and not to fall from a height or damage the bones in any other way, as the bones are weak, minor hit might be fatal for the bones.

As a disclaimer, never substitute any of these tips for real medical opinion. Always remember to consult your local doctor before doing anything else.