Osteoporosis is a condition known for weak bones in older woman, and while you may think you don’t have to worry about osteoporosis when you are young and consider it an old person problem, youth is actually the best time to think of it and start working toward prevention.
Doing weight-bearing exercises such as jump-roping, push-ups and walking while young can help build bone density to help keep bones strong latter on in life. Zero-impact exercises such as bicycling and swimming won’t help build strong bones in fact lower bone density was found to be lower in male cyclists than non-athletes so although exercise is healthy and good for you, not all forms of exercise are equally good for the same things.
Although it has been recommend that women 19-50 years old consume 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day, and those over 50 consume 1,200 milligrams per day, but the British Medical Journal recommends 700-800 milligrams since amounts above that don’t seem to aid bone density from nondairy sources. Also, taking too much calcium can cause constipation, interfere with nutrient absorption, and increased the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Ironically despite dairy being promoted as a support for strong bones, dairy products are acidic which means those actually require the body to take calcium from the bones in order to neutralize it and hip fractures were actually found to be the highest amongst those that consume the most dairy.
Better sources of calcium are: broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, and mustard greens, almonds, and beans. One cup of kale or an ounce of almonds will provided 800 mgs of calcium to keep the blood alkaline and provide the vitamin D, and magnesium needed to help build bones. Besides reducing or completely cutting out dairy to maintain bones you should also reduce salt and avoid caffeine. Coffee is acidic like dairy and impairs the absorption of calcium. Sodium increases calcium loss in urine; try to limit your sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams or 1 teaspoon per day. If you are over 51 try to keeping the sodium below 1,500 milligrams which is a bit more than 1/2 a teaspoon per day.
Special risk factors for developing osteoporosis are: Being gluten intolerant( or celiac), being petite, being White, being Asian, having a history of smoking, having a family history of osteoporosis, having had a eating disorder, having a body mass index under 20, having rheumatoid arthritis, having type I diabetes, having menopause before 40, starting menstruation after 15, and drinking alcohol. Adopting a more natural/stimulant free plant based diet and including weight -bearing activities in your lifestyle it can help reducing you risk and maintain healthy bones, but to have better health later you should aim for better health now.
Originally found here
Picture originally found here
