Diet and Exercise to Get Stronger Bones

Our bones require nonstop nutrition to maintain bone health. Contrary to belief that one typically needs bone friendly food during the developmental age, our body thrives on an unceasing and liberal supply of nutrients like calcium and vitamin D to keep the bones healthy and strong. Our skeleton is constantly under renovation, even as you read this text. This process is so continuous that the entire skeleton gets replaced every ten years.

To keep pace with this continuous change in the skeleton, it is important that we take a diet rich in foods that support bone mineralization. When there is lack of proper nutrition, demineralization of bones succeeds the mineralization process, resulting in bone diseases, the most common being osteoporosis.

Apart from maintaining the body structure, bones also protect the internal organs from external injuries and therefore it is important to include foods that help maintain bone health, some of which are:

Milk: A cup of milk satisfies approximately 30 percent of our daily calcium requirement. A wiser selection of vitamin D fortified milk is great for improving and maintaining the health and strength of bones.

Cheese: Cheese is the best choice for those who despise milk. Being a milk product, it is rich in calcium and just 1.5 ounces of it is sufficient to cover around 30 percent of the daily requirements. Make sure that you choose the cheese made from skimmed milk and follow strict portion policing.

Green leaves: When it comes to non-dairy sources of calcium, green leafy vegetables are the best bet. Spring onions, cabbage, collard greens, kale, watercress etc., are all loaded with calcium. Although spinach is a major member of this group, due to the presence of oxalic acid its calcium is not absorbed in to human body. It, however, contains a high percentage of vitamin K, which improves bone mineral density.

Egg:  Eggs are rich in vitamin D, but many of us miss to get its benefits by avoiding the consumption of the yolk. Egg covers almost 6 percent of the daily vitamin D requirement when taken along with its yolk.

Salmon: Three and a half ounces of salmon is sufficient to cover approximately 90 percent of the daily vitamin D requirements, making it one of the best natural sources of this vitamin. Canned salmon contains soft edible bones making it an excellent calcium source. Being rich in omega 3 fats, it great for the heart too.

Nuts: Nuts like almond and groundnut are rich sources of potassium and mineral that prevents urinary calcium loss. The omega 3 fatty acids found in walnuts are great to decelerate bone loss, thereby facilitating bone formation. Almond is rich in magnesium and calcium and therefore it supports bone health directly. Since nuts are calorie dense foods, it is important to maintain its portion sizes to avoid weight gain.

Exercise is also important, it accelerates tissue formation and increases bone strength. On being stressed, the bones react by increasing their density, and the best exercises for increasing bone density are those which involve weights. Running, jogging, skipping and direct weight lifting is great for improving bone health. Doing activities that involve these routines strengthen the bones while serving as the best source for recreation. Get involved in fun activities like hiking, playing basketball, racquet games, dancing etc., to build up the density of the bone. Light weight lifting routines like Romanian dead lift, bicep curls and triceps extensions should also be a part of your exercise routine.