Do you wish to stay in bed at the age of 65 or be like those fit grandparents who go for a walk and accompany their grandchildren to playgrounds and beaches, play sports and are more active their own parents?
Young adults don’t realize that with time their calcium intake has come down to a minimum. As adults, we get so busy with our lives, work and even children that we forget to take a look at what our diet lacks. Calcium is the most neglected and underrated nutrient. As common as Osteoporosis is becoming among the 25-45 age group, bone density has become a real concern in the individuals.
What is bone density or bone mass?
Bone mineral density: BMD, is a way of measuring bone density, shows the status and strength of bones as represented by calcium content. The BMD test detects calcium deficiency diseases like osteopenia (mild bone loss) and osteoporosis (a much serious bone loss).
If one doesn’t work on building and maintaining healthy bones at this stage in life, they might face difficulty in the later stages of life eventually. It increases the risk of having fragile bones that would break easily and can put you on long-term bed rest.
7 things you could do to build good bone density.
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EAT YOUR GREENS
We have been told this, forced into eating our greens ever since our childhood, be it broccoli or spinach that we tried avoiding in the plate. Legumes are great for your bones. A high intake of green and yellow like bell peppers, corn, kale, pumpkin etc can be really beneficial in terms of increasing bone mineralization. Greens have many antioxidants and are a huge source of vitamin C.
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PRACTICE STRENGHT AND WEIGHT TRAINING
Engaging in strength building exercises can help you build strong bones. Weight-bearing and high impact exercises promote the formation of new bones and this sort of workout increases the chances of bone formation during the stage potential bone growth of new bones. Not only it helps build muscle mass but protects the bones from turning fragile and brittle.
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INCREASE PROTEIN INTAKE
If you are going to work out you will need protein anyway, so making sure that you don’t cut down on protein along with the carbs. As a fact, 50% of your bones are made up of protein. Consuming 10 grams of protein on every day is a must to maintain good bone density. Women and children usually advised not to give up protein while doing their crash diets for the same reason.
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VITAMIN D AND VITAMIN K IS A MUST
They play a major role in bone health. Vitamin D helps in absorption of calcium and its deficiency has become so widespread. You can get vitamin D from exposure to sun and eat fatty cheese, fish, and liver. Vitamin K supports bone health by modifying osteocalcin, a protein that is involved in bone formation. This modification enables osteocalcin to mix the minerals in bones and helps prevent the loss of calcium from bones.
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COULD TRY TAKING COLLAGEN SUPPLEMENTS
Collagen in consumption as a supplement has become a trend already. It is the main portion of a protein that forms bones. As it contains the amino acids glycine, proline, and lysine, it helps build bone, muscle, ligaments and other tissues. You cannot substitute collagen with anything else and it is definitely necessary.
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INCLUDE MAGNESIUM AND ZINC IN YOUR DIET
It isn’t just calcium that’s important for your bones. Magnesium too has a good role to play when it comes to converting Vitamin D into useful substance for bone formation. It promotes calcium absorption. Zinc as a mineral you require it in small amounts. It adds up to the mineral portion of the bones. Good sources of zinc are flaxseeds, spinach, beef etc.
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OMEGA-3 IS THE KEY
Known for their anti-inflammatory effects, they shield your from bones from bone loss during the aging period. Not only should you add it to your diet but balance the omega 3 and omega 6 intakes too. Long chain omegas are found in fatty fish but they are also found in plants products like chia seeds, flaxseeds, and walnuts. It acts like a soldier to protect your bones.
Now you that you have figured what you require to get your bones back in shape and with good strength, there shouldn’t be a reason for you to stay behind on the bed when you get old, let age be only a number let your bones define the growth.
