Bone Health Tips

Building bones is extremely important, especially as you age. And bone health tips are something everyone should keep in mind.

Minerals start incorporating themselves into your bones during your childhood, and will continue to do so until age 30. At about this age, your bone mass and density will peak. 

After the age of 30, your bones will become “thinner” as you grow older. They will become weak with age and eventually be more prone to damage after the age of 50. 

Fortunately, there are things you can do to strengthen your bones as you get older, even after age 60 and beyond. So consider these bone health tips to remain strong and healthy.

Eat a Lot of Vegetables

Of course, one of the best ways to fortify your bones is with vitamins and minerals through your diet. Especially a diet with lots of healthy vegetables.

Veggies are one of the main sources of vitamin C, which is the main vitamin  for stimulating your bone-forming cells. Our bone density is one of the main aspects that keep them strong. 

Bone density is the measurement of the amount of calcium that your bones have. In that sense, osteopenia and osteoporosis are conditions characterized by very low bone density.

For young children, a high intake of green and yellow vegetables makes their bones stronger as they develop and grow through adolescence. 

Additionally, these same vegetables have an impact on older women. One study shows that women over 50 who regularly consume onions have a 20% reduced chance of developing osteoporosis than those who rarely eat them.

Perform Strength Training

Strength training, or weight lifting, is widely acknowledged as one of the very best ways to preserve bone density as you age. Without weight lifting, your bone density will start to degrade after age 30.

And strength training is especially important for people suffering from lower extremity joint deficiencies, like knee or hip arthritis. These are conditions that can limit a person from performing weight-bearing exercises. They are often referred to specialists, like Perth chiropractor Dr. Mathew Farrugia. (1)

The key to it is bone loading. Lifting light weights without much resistance simply won’t achieve the required objective. You need to put your muscles and bones under reasonably heavy resistance. Not to a point where you risk injury, but a reasonably high level of resistance.

If you want to start strength training, you can perform 1 or 2 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions. That is a good general rule that will get you started. Click to learn more about this type of resistance training.

And to achieve maximum benefits and minimal risks, you need to prioritize proper breathing and lifting techniques.

Drink Milk

Of course we’ve all heard the importance of drinking milk. The key to improving your bone density is to consuming calcium-rich foods. And this includes milk! While vegetables have plenty of calcium, milk is also a good source. (2)

Bone development starts during childhood, which is why children are encouraged to drink milk. However, if you don’t drink milk, you can get your calcium from other sources. For example, kale, collards, soybeans, okra, cheese, yogurt, and white beans are all rich in calcium

Consume Adequate Protein

Consuming protein is good for your muscles, and also for your bones. In fact, 50% of your bones are made from protein. Researchers have reported that low protein intake can cause a decrease in calcium absorption. And this can affect bone formation and even cause it to break down. (3)

However, like many things, too much excess can also be a problem. And high-protein diets can leach calcium from your bones. This can counteract the increased acidity in the blood due to the high-protein diet.

So, how much protein should you take? Just enough. Research has found that the right amount is about .36 grams of protein per pound of body weight. If an adult man weight 200 pounds, then the correct amount would be 72 grams per day (200 x .36 = 72).

But also make sure to pair your protein intake with lots of fruits and vegetables.

Don’t Smoke and Don’t Drink Excessively.

Loss of bone density is also associated with tobacco and excessive drinking. If you smoke, you can seek help to quit. There are a lot of programs out there, and some of them are even funded by the government.

Likewise, drinking alcohol can also adversely impact bone density. But if you drink, you don’t have to stop altogether since moderate drinking should not be a problem. 

However, if you drink too much regularly, you should slowly ease into various doctors’ recommendations regarding alcohol intake.

It might be hard at first, but if you want to be healthy and keep your bones in good condition, you need to be cognizant of the consequences. Everything in moderation, except smoking, which needs to be complete cessation!

Final Words

Our bones grow weaker and become more prone to degradation as we age. 

However, there are some things we can do to prevent this from happening too early. As long as you exercise daily, eat plenty of vegetables, consume only moderate alcohol, and avoid smoking, you can enjoy the benefits of having healthy bones as you age.

Click to see more body wellness articles.