If your body has lost bone or is no longer making as much bone as it needs, you may have osteoporosis.
54 million people in the U. S. have osteoporosis.
We all lose some bone as we age, but osteoporosis is different. It's a serious condition. It is mostly seen in people over the age of 50, and means they are far more likely to break a bone.
When people have osteoporosis, the make-up of their bones grow more brittle.
They're much more prone to break in a fall. Some people never know that they have osteoporosis until this happens, but you can ask your doctor for a bone density test to check.
Many Things Can Cause Osteoporosis
These include drugs you may be taking and illnesses you may have. Many of the risk factors are things that you can’t control, like your sex and your body size.
The good news is that there are steps you can take to prevent yourself from getting osteoporosis.
Top 4 Ways to Prevent Osteoporosis
1. Eat a healthy diet that has lots of calcium and vitamin D.
Calcium builds bones. Vitamin D protects our bones and helps us absorb calcium.
Good foods to boost your calcium intake include Greek yogurt and feta cheese. Use molasses instead of sugar to sweeten your food. Kale is loaded with calcium, and wild-caught salmon is a great source of vitamin D.
Other foods that you should add to your diet include:
- Bok choy
- Chinese cabbage
- Collard greens
- Turnip greens
- Figs
- Almond butter
2. Pay attention to your nutrition and make sure you are eating enough.
The more you cut back on the food you give your body, the fewer nutrients you are giving your bones. Eat foods that are rich in potassium and magnesium like sweet potatoes.
Vitamin C helps your body hold on to the bone that you have, so eat citrus fruits or red peppers.
Tweet3. Working out is one of the best ways to build new bone and keep the bone that you have.
There are two types of exercise that work best. They are weight bearing exercise and exercises to build muscle strength. You can try jogging or jumping rope, climbing stairs and dancing.
You can also walk fast if these are too much for you. Exercises that strengthen muscles include lifting weights and using exercise bands.
4. Eliminate items that work against your bone health.
If you smoke you should stop for many different reasons, and one of them is that it weakens your bones. You should also limit the amount of alcohol that you drink.
Though there are treatments available for osteoporosis, they will not restore your original level of bone health – their goal is simply to cut the risk of fracture. The best way to address osteoporosis is to prevent it by making these lifestyle changes.
Yours in health,
Danette
P.S. Please share this important health info. with your loved ones and I welcome your comments below.
