Strong
bones are a prerequisite of a fit body. A detailed view of what you need to do
for getting strong bones is presented here. Hope it will help you.
What you need for strong bones?
Calcium
Calcium is the main ingredient of bones in your body. The calcium need of the body increases steadily with the age but it is highest in the growing teens. The adequate intake of calcium for adults is reported to be about 1000 mg a day. In addition, mothers require a greater amount of calcium to serve their body requirements as lots of calcium is utilized for breast feeding. Here is the recommendation of The Food and Nutrition Board of The National Academy of Sciences for children below 18,
Kids of 1-3 years of age: 500 mg a day
Kids of
4-8 years of age:
800 mg a day
Kids of
9-18 years of age:
1300 mg a day
To get healthy bones, you ought to supply your body with adequate amounts of calcium for bone formation. Some of the best sources of calcium are dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables, salmon, broccoli, sardines, okra, white beans, eggs, tofu, kelp, oysters and rhubarb.
Vitamin D and vitamin K
Your calcium intake is futile if you forget about vitamin D. In the absence of vitamin D, the body is unable to absorb the sufficient amount of available calcium which leads to withdrawal of calcium from the body, resulting is weaker bones. Some of the great sources of vitamin D include salmons, tuna, sardines, orange juice, vitamin D fortified milk and shrimp. Spending 20-30 minutes daily in the sunshine will enable your body to covert vitamin D into an active and usable form, so mind it.
Apart from this, vitamin K assists certain bone forming proteins in their task and therefore is required by the body. Some good sources of vitamin K include kale, spinach, broccoli and swiss chard. Though you need it in smaller quantity, you need it.
Minerals
Minerals such as sulfur, magnesium and silica help the body in proper formation of bones. You can get sulfur in garlic and onions and magnesium through consumption of green leafy vegetables. Another mineral that should not be undermined is Potassium. It neutralizes the effect of acids that cause calcium loss in the body. Some of the great sources of Potassium are white potato, sweet potato, banana and non-fat yoghurt.
Diet for strong bones
Foods to eat
- Thrive on calcium rich foods, the suggested ones are cheese, milk, yoghurt, egg, dark green leafy vegetables, salmon, sardines, okra, broccoli, spinach, tofu, white beans, sesame seeds and rhubarb.
- Enhance your sulfur intake through garlic and onions.
- Some of the bone building herbs are Alfalfa, dandelion root, nettle, barley grass, rose hips and parsley. Include them in your diet.
- Take vitamin D fortified milk in your meal. Other sources of vitamin D are salmons, tuna, sardines and orange juice.
- Always remember to include foods rich in potassium and magnesium in your diet as suggested in the previous section. Don’t forget the importance of vitamin K.
- You can take vitamin and mineral supplements, but do it only after consulting your physician.
Foods to avoid
- Strictly avoid caffeine intake at all costs. They cause great damage to your bones. Coffee and soda should not attract you if you like to build strong bones.
- Diet rich in animal protein should also be refrained from as they cause the body to expel the calcium while the system works to break down the protein.
- Don’t take excessive amounts of whole grains in your meal. According to several studies, it can bind to the calcium and drive it out of your body.
- Soft drinks should be avoided as they are rich in phosphorus. Phosphorus can drain the calcium out of your body, as simple as that.
Exercise for strong bones
Exercise is as important in building and maintaining a healthy skeleton system as the diet if not more. This is because your body accepts only those things that seem necessary for it and the rest of the nutrients go unutilized. When you exercise and strain your bones, you tell your body that you need a stronger and firmer bone structure and your body hears it. The easiest and the most effective exercises for this purpose are running and dancing. In addition, resistance exercises can prove to be magical in fostering bone health as they tend to put mild strain on the bones. Weight training is another effective way of attaining healthy bone in the selected areas of your body. Some exercises that can be done at home are push-ups pull-ups, abdominal crunches and leg squats.
This is all you need to do for healthy bones. Final advice will be that you consult the doctor before engaging in any die hard tactics for attaining sturdy bones. This will protect you against any damaging mistake and prevent you from adopting harmful ways of getting strong bones.
