Kerry McClure – Practical Wellness
February 1 ·
Today’s post is about bone health…
Here are a few stats:
1. Bones are the framework for your body.
2. Bone is a living tissue that is constantly changing.
3. 90% of peak bone mass is acquired by age 18 for girls and 20 for boys.
4. Bone can keep growing until around age 30. At this point, bones have reached their maximum strength and density.
Factors that affect peak bone mass include: age, genetics, gender, race, hormones, nutrition, physical activity, certain medications and lifestyle behaviors.
A healthy diet and lifestyle can help lower the risk of a weak skeleton.
When it comes to building strong bones, there are two key nutrients (among others): calcium and vitamin D. Calcium supports your bones and teeth structure, while vitamin D improves calcium absorption and bone growth.
Here are a few food suggestions that can help keep your bones healthy:
1. Seeds
Our skeleton is largely made of calcium, but other minerals play a key role too. In fact, 50% of the body’s magnesium resides in our bones. Low levels are linked to fragile bones and calcium loss, research shows. All seeds are good magnesium sources, but pumpkin seeds outshine the rest.
2. Nuts
Bones aren’t hard and brittle; they’re living organs with live cells and fluids. Every day, bone cells break down and build up. That’s how they remain strong and heal after a break.
Walnuts – rich in alpha linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid – decrease the rate of bone breakdown and keep bone formation constant, according to a 2007 Nutrition Journal study.
Brazil nuts are also great sources of magnesium.
So grab a small handful for a snack or sprinkle a couple tablespoons into your oatmeal.
Keep in mind that nuts are high-fat and high-calorie, so limit your daily serving to one ounce – about 1/4 cup.
Other foods with alpha linolenic acid include: flaxseed oil, ground flaxseeds, walnut oil, soybeans, soybean oil.
3. Leafy Greens
Your salads and steamed greens are packed with bone-building nutrients, particularly calcium, magnesium and vitamin K. Vitamin K is critical in forming bone proteins and cuts calcium loss in urine. Too little of this fat-soluble vitamin increases risk of hip fractures, research shows. Just one cup of raw or a half-cup of cooked greens provides several times the recommended intake of 90 micrograms per day.
Here are a few ways to get some extra greens in:
• Add lettuce to your sandwiches.
• Slip spinach leaves between layers of noodles in homemade lasagna.
• Start your dinner with a salad of spinach or mixed greens.
• Try dandelion greens, collard greens or Swiss chard for dinner.
4. Beans
Have beans for dinner tonight, especially pinto, black, white and kidney beans. You’ll get another good boost of magnesium and even some calcium.
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends at least 2-1/2 cups of beans and other legumes (peas, lentils) weekly.
Here are a few “quick tip” ideas:
• At the beginning of the week, open and rinse a can of beans, and store them in your refrigerator. Each night, toss a heaping spoonful into your mixed green salad.
• Top nachos with red beans.
• Mix any drained/rinsed canned bean into vegetable soups.
• Add drained/rinsed black beans or kidney beans to pasta salads.
• Instead of coleslaw or potato salad, take a bean salad to your next potluck.
If you have a bit of extra time, cook up a pot of beans from scratch for the week. Here’s a resource on how to cook your own beans:
http://food.unl.edu/cooking-dry-beans-scratch-can-be-quick
5. Salmon
Salmon is known for having plenty of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, but a 3-ounce piece of salmon contains more than 100% of your vitamin D.
6. Tuna
Tuna, another fatty fish, is a good source of vitamin D. Three ounces of canned tuna contains 154 IU, or about 39% of your daily dose of vitamin D.
More ideas for strong bones:
Eat fruits and veggies. Higher consumption means greater bone mineral density.
Exercise. Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Weight-bearing exercises like running, dancing and lifting weights stress your bones in a good way. This signals your body to make more bone cells.
Don’t drink too much. Alcohol can inhibit the formation of new bone cells.
Pass on the cola. Regular cola drinkers have lower bone mineral density than women who rarely drink cola.
Don’t smoke. The more you smoke, the greater your risk of a fracture.
Don’t overdo on the caffeine. Drink caffeine and you’ll lose more calcium in your urine one to three hours afterward. Drinking more than two or three cups of coffee per day is associated with bone loss in postmenopausal women when their calcium intake is inadequate.
Adults up to age 50 should get 1,000 milligrams of calcium and 200 international units (IUs) of vitamin D a day.
Adults over 50 should get 1,200 milligrams of calcium and 400 to 600 IU of vitamin D.
Checkout the recipes on my website for some delicious, nutrient-dense ideas for your next meal: www.kerrymcclure.com
Sources:
http://nof.org/foods
http://www.niams.nih.gov/…/Bone_He…/bone_health_for_life.asp
http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/
http://www.lifescript.com/…/e…/7_foods_for_strong_bones.aspx
http://www.mayoclinic.org/…/in-dep…/bone-health/art-20045060
Recent Comments