Managing Bone Health with these 7 Foods
By Nmami Agarwal 20-Oct 2021 Reading Time: 4 Mins
Are you eating good food to keep your bones healthy?
A healthy balanced diet will help you build healthy and strong bones from an early age and maintain them throughout your life. Calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium are the essential bone health nutrients that require special attention to ensure that you meet your daily requirement. A balanced diet that is well-formed with a combination of dairy products, proteins, vegetables, and fruits is the key to healthy bones.
Here are 7 foods that will help you manage your bones well and make them even stronger:
- Milk and milk products: There are reasons dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese always come up in conversations about bone health: They are loaded with calcium, the main nutrient that contributes to bone strength and structure. If you do not get enough calcium through your food or supplements, your body will take the calcium it needs from your bones.
- Fatty fish: Though diet alone likely will not provide you with enough vitamin D, fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and rainbow trout provide some of the sunshine vitamins. Also, it is important to note that vitamin D-rich foods are essential for calcium to be absorbed readily by the intestine and increase bone growth.
- Spinach: Spinach and other cruciferous vegetables like kale, cabbage, and broccoli provide several nutrients that support bone health, such as vitamin K and calcium. Vitamin K works in tandem with calcium to assist in building healthy bones and lack of vitamin K has been associated with osteoporosis and fractures.
- Black beans: They serve up a hearty dose of bone-building nutrients like magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. They are also an excellent source of fibre and are a source of plant protein which helps to keep the bones strong, so one should include black beans in their diet for healthy bones.
- Nuts: Nuts contain some amount of calcium, but they also offer two other nutrients essential to bone health namely, magnesium and phosphorus. Magnesium helps to absorb and retain calcium in the bones. There are plenty of nut varieties to choose from, including walnuts, peanuts, and almonds.
- Grapefruit: Citrus fruits like grapefruit have vitamin C, which has been shown to help prevent bone loss, increase bone mineral build-up and calcium absorption.
- Eggs: Eggs are another great source of vitamin D necessary for bones. The egg yolks in particular are packed with vitamin D and they are essential for calcium absorption and maintain optimum bone health. Consume eggs in moderation with a variety of other vitamin D-rich foods.
Over to you:
Bone health needs an utmost priority to keep them strong and healthy. Start incorporating the above-mentioned foods in your diet especially rich in calcium and vitamin D to have good bone health and less prone to fractures.