You’ve probably heard that drinking milk is good for building strong bones, but did you know that you can also apply that same logic to other foods? Yes, calcium is just one of the many important minerals that your body needs in large amounts. Calcium is needed in large amounts, especially for young growing children. It is also vital for women of all ages to have high levels of it. For this reason, it is important to learn about a variety of other natural ways to build healthy bones and prevent osteoporosis.
The first way you can prevent osteoporosis is to follow a healthy bone-building regimen that doesn’t put a lot of stress on your joints. A major source of weak and brittle bones is often a lack of protein intake. Even though you may think that you are getting enough protein each day by eating junk food like hot dogs and ice cream, this is often not true. In fact, it is more likely that you are not receiving enough protein because you are overloading your body with too much dietary calcium.
Protein plays a major role in bone growth and maintenance, but there are many other foods that you need to eat on a daily basis in order to achieve adequate levels of protein in your diet. By increasing your vitamin D and calcium intake through regular supplements, you can achieve excellent bone density without having to consume large amounts of meats and dairy products. However, you do need to consume small amounts of these foods every day.
Vitamin D is one of the hormones that your body needs to maintain good bone density. If you are deficient, you can easily develop weak and brittle bones. Foods that contain vitamin D are primarily milk, eggs, seafood, green leafy vegetables, and fortified breakfast cereals. Increasing vitamin D from supplements can quickly increase bone density.
Calcium is another vital nutrient for building strong bones. Older women often suffer from inadequate calcium intake due to their increased use of pharmaceutical drugs and synthetic calcium. However, calcium is an essential nutrient for new bone development and growth, so it should be consumed in its natural state. Milk and dairy products provide the most bio-available calcium. Green leafy vegetables are also a rich source of calcium. By increasing your consumption of green leafy vegetables and other calcium-rich foods, you can quickly increase your daily calcium intake.
Collagen is another important nutrient for bone health. The human body produces collagen as a response to injury. Although collagen is essential for healthy bones and joints, excess collagen has been linked to a number of age-related diseases including osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. There are many supplements on the market today that contain collagen, but like vitamin D, you do need to consume a sufficient amount in order to achieve adequate levels of collagen. The best way to increase the amount of collagen you and your body produce is to get enough antioxidant vitamins.
Vitamin A and vitamin D are both important for bone turnover. They encourage the accelerated removal of old bone cells and strengthen connective tissue. This helps older women and men to protect bone mass and improve the strength of their joints and muscles.
Last but certainly not least, vitamin C is an essential nutrient that helps strengthen bones and helps protect bone mass. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits. Also, foods that are citrus in nature such as tomatoes and peppers are also good sources of vitamin C. Some good foods to eat include lean beef, chicken, fish, egg whites, and whole-grain bread. In addition to eating a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables, you should also take vitamin C supplements. This can be obtained by either consuming vitamin C naturally or taking vitamin C pills.