A good bone health is essential for any individual to function in everyday life. If the bones in the body are not in good shape then performing even basic routine tasks of the day becomes a challenge. Vitamin C is what makes the bones strong and healthy but with time and age the bones in the body start to lose their vitality and become fragile and thus are prone to break even with a little amount of stress in them.
Osteoporosis is one such condition in which the bones become weak and fragile with age of an individual. Diet can play an important role in Osteoporosis. It is important for people suffering from Osteoporosis to know about the good and bad foods for osteoporosis. Physicians recommend regular intake of vitamin C once an individual cross the age of 30, especially females as this is when the wear and tear of the bones of the body starts. Along with vitamin supplements, the body also needs certain nutritious foods to keep the bones healthy.
In this article, we will discuss about Osteoporosis diet, good foods for osteoporosis that makes bones strong and healthier, and the foods that are bad for osteoporosis which one needs to avoid to keep the bones strong and healthy and cope with Osteoporosis and delay its progression.
Osteoporosis Diet: Good Foods for Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a condition which gradually progresses over time and thus if an individual adheres to a good diet he or she may be able to delay if not stop the progression of Osteoporosis. Below mentioned are some good foods for osteoporosis that one can incorporate in his or her diet regimen to keep the bones healthy and delay the progression of osteoporosis.
Milk and Dairy Products: Milk has calcium in abundance and hence is extremely essential for healthy bones. Apart from milk, yogurt and cheese are also some dairy products which can provide enough vitamin C to the body to keep the bones healthy and is quite a good option to delay the progression of Osteoporosis.
Salmon: Along with vitamin C, vitamin D is also an essential ingredient for healthy bones. Salmon is one food which has both of these vitamins in abundance and is considered a good food for osteoporosis. Along with salmon other types of food items which have rich amounts of vitamin C and D are tuna fish, mushrooms, and egg yolk.
Almonds: Almonds are rich in minerals like magnesium and has lots of protein and calcium making it a good food to include in your osteoporosis diet. Taking almonds on a regular basis goes a long way in keeping the bones healthy and delay the progression of Osteoporosis.
Fortified Cereals: If an individual may not be able to incorporate milk or daily products due to any reason then another option is to consume Fortified Cereals. These are rich with nutrients like Vitamin D and calcium as well as other minerals which keep the bones healthy for a long period of time making it a good food for osteoporosis.
Green Peas: One must try and include green peas in their diet for osteoporosis. Green Peas are a rich source of Vitamin K which helps production of Osteocalcin, which is essential for production of calcium molecules. They are also rich in folate and Vitamin B6 which are extremely important for a good bone health and delaying the progression of osteoporosis.
Lettuce: Lettuce has calcium, boron, and Vitamin K1 which are all necessary for good bone health and making it a god food to fight osteoporosis. Thus if lettuce is incorporated in the diet then it may prolong the progression of osteoporosis for as long as possible and keep the bones healthy for a long period of time.
Broccoli: Broccoli is extremely rich in Vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium, vitamin K, and folate which can keep the bone healthy for a long period of time and prevent progression of osteoporosis.
Cabbage: Cabbage is yet another good food for Osteoporosis. It has Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C along with Vitamin K which keeps the bones healthy. This food is easily available and easy to cook as well.
Green Tea: Green Tea has a lot of minerals and nutrients for a good bone health and hence is good for Osteoporosis.
Lemon: Lemon is quite rich in vitamin C and goes a long way in keeping the bones healthy and hence is a good food to include in your Osteoporosis diet. Lemon can be used in various forms of salads and can also be added to other food items to not only make them tasty but to enhance bone health.
Parsley: Parsley is a green vegetable with abundance of folate, Vitamin K, Vitamin K1 and Vitamin K2 which is extremely beneficial for good bone health.
Spinach: This is also a green leafy vegetable which has Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, and Folate in abundance. It also has minerals like magnesium and calcium required for good bone health and delaying the progression of osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis Diet: Foods That are Bad for Osteoporosis
While we have covered some food items that are good for people with osteoporosis to enhance their bone health, there are also some food items that one needs to avoid in case they have osteoporosis. Below mentioned are some such foods that are bad for osteoporosis:
Salty Snacks: There are many snacks available in the market which tends to have a lot of sodium and sugar in it which inhibit calcium absorption and hence are bad for bone health and hence should be avoided by people suffering from osteoporosis.
Colas: if you are a regular consumer of colas then it may not be good news for your overall bone health. Cola results in low bone density and hence an overall poor bone health and if you have osteoporosis then your bones may become that much more fragile and easy to break. It is better to keep colas off of the list of foods for osteoporosis diet.
Caffeinated Beverages: Caffeine when used excessively is bad for osteoporosis as well as overall health. Ingredients of caffeine tend to dent the production of calcium in the body which results in poor bone health and is that much more detrimental for people with osteoporosis and hence should be avoided.
Alcohol: Excessive amount of alcohol affects the bones adversely as it inhibits absorption of calcium with resultant poor bone health.
Legumes: Legumes contain phytate which inhibits absorption of magnesium as well as fiber, and also calcium and thus may cause poor bone health and should be avoided.
Inflammatory Foods: Foods like peppers, white potatoes, mushrooms and eggplant needs to be avoided as they hasten the process of osteoporosis and are detrimental for overall bone health and hence should be avoided.
Swiss Chard: It contains oxalates which prevents absorption of calcium and thus results in poor bone health.
Table Salt: This has high amounts of sodium which prevents absorption of calcium and result in poor bone health and this is more so in cases of osteoporosis and thus should be avoided.
Red Meat: Red Meat also has high amounts of sodium and other ingredients which promote calcium loss from the body and thus is detrimental for bone health. Red Meat also hastens the progression of osteoporosis and as such is considered a Bad Food for Osteoporosis.
Fatty Foods: Excessive consumption of fats is overall bad for health but this is more so for people with osteoporosis as excessive fat consumption cause severe damage to the bones and make it more fragile and easy to break.
In summary, Osteoporosis is a condition which cannot be avoided in its entirety but its progress can definitely be prolonged and delayed if an individual has healthy bones and follows healthy osteoporosis diet keeping in mind the good and bad foods for Osteoporosis.
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