When you’re younger, your body builds new bone faster than it breaks down old bone, causing bone mass to increase. But as we age, bone mass loses faster than it is built up, which can lead to weakened bones. Age is not the only factor; Gender, race, family history, and height also affect bone health. The good news is that while you can’t completely prevent some degree of bone loss over time, there are ways to strengthen your bones and slow bone aging.
What you eat and drink can be an important factor in bone health, which includes getting more bone-healthy minerals into your diet. And it’s not just about what you eat – it’s also about what you drink. We spoke to Brittany Dunn, MS, RDN, CDand join our Medical Expert Board to learn more Drinking habits that can help keep your bones healthy and prevent aging.
According to Dunn (and, frankly, your mom), drinking milk is a great way to provide your bones with essential nutrients.
“Fortified milk and milk alternatives contain vitamin D, calcium and protein to support bone health,” says Dunn.
Fortified milk is cow’s milk that contains extra vitamins and minerals that are not found in appreciable amounts in regular milk. If you’re lactose intolerant or just not a fan of cow’s milk, you can find milk alternatives that also contain extra vitamins. These include plant-based milk options like soy, oat, rice, coconut, cashew, and almond.
How do you know if your milk is fortified? You should be able to tell that from the label. And for those who don’t like either of those dairy options, Dunn recommends kefir — a “drinkable yogurt” packed with probiotics.
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If you don’t like your milk “neat,” don’t worry, there are other ways to mix it into your diet. Dunn points out that adding dairy to your smoothie is a great way to keep bones healthy.
Options like reduced-fat milk, yogurt, and even fortified soy milk are great sources of calcium, vitamin D, and protein—all great for developing strong bones!
According to the magazine nutrition todayProtein makes up about 50 percent of bone volume and about a third of bone mass. And since dietary protein is a key nutrient for bone health, it may help prevent osteoporosis.
Fortunately, if dairy is off the table for you, there are other ways to maintain your calcium intake.
“Spinach and other leafy greens are a good source of calcium,” Dunn says, adding that spinach is a particularly good leafy green to add to your smoothie, since you might not even taste it when it’s mixed with other ingredients , but you’ll still reap the nutritional benefits.
However, she warns that spinach is high in oxalate — a naturally occurring compound that binds to calcium, potentially leading to the formation of kidney stones.
As an alternative to spinach, kale is another great leafy green to add to your diet. It is recommended that most people consume 2,500 mg of calcium per day. Half a cup (100 mg) of kale contains 254 mg of calcium, or 10 percent of your daily intake, making it another excellent source of calcium that’s also great for smoothies.
According to Dunn, fruits act as great digestive balancers, helping to balance pH, which in turn helps maintain calcium levels.
A particularly useful fruit for improving bone health is plums. According to a study published by the Integrative and Biomedical Physiology Program and the Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Kinesiology at Pennsylvania State University, eating about 6 to 12 prunes a day may help reduce inflammatory disorders that contribute to bone loss in postmenopausal women be able . If the thought of prunes makes you wince, try drinking fortified orange juice, which provides 350 mg of calcium, or about 25% of your daily requirement. As a bonus, it’s chock-full of vitamin C, another important nutrient for maintaining bone health. You get 100% of your RDA in just one serving, which is a win-win situation. And once again, you can combine fruits in a smoothie to maximize the benefits of each ingredient. You won’t even taste the plums!
Kayla Garritano
Kayla Garritano is a contributor to Eat This, Not That! She graduated from Hofstra University, where she majored in Journalism and minored in Marketing and Creative Writing. Continue reading
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