Growing old comes with many challenges, be it physical, mental, or social. It is for this reason that many opt for a senior living community instead of living independently in their golden years. A significant population of older adults suffers from a disease called osteoporosis. It occurs when the minerals in your bone decrease along with their mass and structure. This could lead to an increased risk for fractures. However, if you take care of your dietary and lifestyle habits, you need not succumb to this. It is not all doom and gloom as you can prevent osteoporosis with simple lifestyle changes.
What Are the Symptoms of Osteoporosis?
Unfortunately, osteoporosis is known as a silent disease because it has no noticeable symptoms until it is arguably too late. It is usually only detected when your bone breaks or your vertebral column collapses. You may have felt severe back pain and have trouble keeping from hunching your back. Daily activities like bending and minor falls may cause the fragile bones in the body to break.
Incorporate Vegetables in Your Meals
Vegetables are vital for the health of your bones. They are a good source of vitamin C thereby increasing the production of cells that form bones. They also play a part in boosting the bone mineral density commonly found lacking in osteoporosis. Vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and even onions contain antioxidants that protect bones. Thus, it is a good idea to incorporate vegetables in all your meals whether in the form of salads, sandwiches or even as sides to meats like steak.
Consume Enough Protein
Are you aware that nearly half of your bone is made of protein? In fact, it has been reported that a low protein intake also reduces the amount of calcium that is absorbed by your bones. Surprisingly, too much protein is harmful for the very same reason! The best course of action is to consume about 100 grams of protein per day along with vegetables.
Engage in Strength Training Exercises
Many of you may already know that exercise can help one maintain healthy bones. However, strength-based exercises are more useful for bone health. For example, weight-bearing exercises like push-ups and high-impact exercises helped increase the growth of new bone. Bone inflammation has also been found to decrease with such exercises in women, those at a higher risk for osteoporosis than men. In general, maintaining a health and fitness program can benefit bone health.
Be Wary of a Low-Calorie Diet
People engage in a low-calorie diet to drop a few pounds for health reasons. However, if not done carefully or without the supervision of your health provider, it can have the opposite effect. It may end up causing muscle mass loss. Consuming fewer than 1000 calories per day can have deleterious effects on bone health even in overweight and obese individuals.
With a few tweaks in your lifestyle, including the kind of exercises that you do and the kind of diet that you partake in, can enormously improve your health, and prevent diseases like osteoporosis.
