Improving Bone Health to Reduce the Risk of Fracture

Most people learn as children that drinking milk is the ideal way of getting strong and healthy bones. While this is true during childhood, to improve bone health during adulthood, you need to think beyond milk and other dairy products. As you age, lifestyle and dietary habits leach calcium from the bones, making them weak. As bones weaken, the risk of fractures increases. Improving health of your bones is a lifelong process that you can never neglect.

Nutrient-rich Diet

Even in adulthood, bones require calcium and Vitamin D to stay healthy. You should be looking to make milk, dairy products, green leafy veggies, tofu, beans, soy milk and legumes a part of your daily diet, so that your body gets sufficient calcium. You also should make sure you get adequate amounts of Vitamin D, which you can by spending 15 to 20 minutes in the sun or eating foods rich in the vitamin. Foods that contain Vitamin D include egg yolks, ocean fish and fortified milk and orange juice. You should also be looking to include Omega-3 essential fatty acids in your diet, as it helps to increase bone mineral density. Fatty fish, such as salmon and herring; flaxseeds and walnuts are rich in Omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Make Exercise Your Friend

You should take this seriously if you want to improve bone health and reduce the risk of fractures. One of the risk factors of osteoporosis is sedentary lifestyle. Not only does exercise strengthen your bones, it also strengthens and tones muscles that support your bones. You should be looking at walking, climbing stairs, skiing, running and jumping rope to keep your bones strong. If you are a senior, you will benefit from clubbing weights after exercising, as it improves balance that prevent you from falling and breaking your bones.

Reduce Your Coffee Consumption

As much as you need your cups of coffee in the morning to wake up and feel normal, too much coffee is not good for bone health. It interferes in the absorption of calcium, thereby making your bones weak. While you can drink coffee in moderation, make sure you also supplement calcium, so that the health of your bones is not compromised.

Go Easy with Alcohol

If you enjoy drinking alcohol, it is time to ease it a bit. Alcohol does not allow Vitamin D to do its work. The good news is you do not have to stop drinking completely. Instead, reduce your intake of those beers and wines. If you are a man, you should not be drinking more than two drinks a day, while women should stick to one drink a day.

Quit Smoking

Smoking has never been considered a healthy habit, so it is not surprising that it also has an adverse effect on your bone health. Cigarette smoke contains thousands of compounds and toxins that prevent your body from properly absorbing calcium. When this happens, your bone mass reduces, leading to weak bones that are more prone to fracture.

If you are worried about your bone health, you should consider speaking to a professional. There are a range of exercises and nutritional plans that you can adopt to maintain healthy bone and reduce the risk of fracture. You should consult the professionals at Chiro-Med Rehab Centre in Richmond Hill and Newmarket, Ontario. Call for an appointment or get your questions answered at (905) 918-0419 for our Richmond Hill Centre or (905) 235-2620 to reach our Newmarket Rehab Centre.