Bone up on your diet and exercise to help prevent Osteoporosis

Our bones remain strong throughout young adulthood. As we hit middle age, they slowly begin to thin out. In women, this process speeds up after menopause, but there are ways to halt it. One line of defense is your diet and exercise, eating the right foods, exercising on a regular basis and eliminating certain risk factors that you can control, can give you the maximum peak bone mass and boost your bone density at any age.

Be sure to include these items in your daily arsenal in helping to prevent osteoporosis:

• Milk
• Yogurt and Cheese
• Greens (the greener the better…think collard greens, kale, spinach)
• Sardines
• Fortified Foods
• Calcium Supplements
• Soy Foods
• Salmon
• Nuts and Seeds
• Vitamin D Supplements (if you can’t get more sunshine like here in New England winters!)
• Weight Bearing Exercise (this is a biggy, perform exercises using your own body weight as well as exercises using external weight (dumbbells, med balls, kettlebells, etc.)

Here are two big NO NO’s.

Smoking

Using a lot of salt on your foods

Although osteoporosis can be hereditary, there are steps we can take to help raise your chances of not developing it.  If it does run in your family, tell your doctor you want to have a bone density scan and Vitamin D level testing done.  This can help catch it early and you can begin taking steps to stop it from worsening. Our mom has osteoporosis so we have to be diligent in trying to prevent it. By making mindful, daily choices and eliminating as many risk factors that we have control over, we can lower our risks as we age.

Every time you eat, instead of Bon Appétit, think BonE Appétit!