Osteoporosis causes brittle and fragile bones that often happen to women after menopause. Healthy bones require a healthy lifestyle, a lot of physical activities and consumption of foods rich in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, strontium, boron, vitamin D, potassium, collagen, sodium, vitamin K and B-vitamins.
WHICH FOODS COULD HARM THE BONES?
Consumption of dried meat (cold cuts), processed sugar and bleached flour depletes the body of vitamins and minerals, which are necessary for maintaining good bone health and for proper functioning of many bodily operations.
Cold cuts contain preservative called sodium nitrate, which can damage the bones. Too much sodium in the body can in fact exhaust supplies of calcium and nitrates, which the body needs for normal operation, and is converted to nitrites, which increase the risk of cancer and methemoglobinemia (a blood disease when hemoglobin is no longer able to carry oxygen around the body).
Sugar (in whatever form) reduces the vitamins and minerals in the body, so we recommend that you replace it with natural sugar substitutes or fruits. The fruits are particularly good due to a healthy fiber content, which contributes to a healthy intestinal flora – and thus the optimal absorption of nutrients.
Bleached flour, white flour, comes from wholemeal (whole-wheat) flour, by depleting its essential nutrients and in the process of bleaching, toxic chemicals are added that can affect the occurrence of certain diseases. Better option than white flour is whole-wheat flour, but if you avoid flour in general, and avoid gluten, it will improve the absorption of nutrients and improve the health completely – even in people who do not have celiac disease.
FOOD FOR HEALTHY BONES
Bones can become brittle over night. In addition to the diet that influence the bone’s fragility it is also influenced by hormonal imbalance, typical for postmenopausal period, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, thyroid problems, digestive problems, certain medications, autoimmune diseases, and alcohol consumption.
As for the food, which supports bone health, onion is one of the best foods, containing peptide, which helps to prevent the breaking of bones. The foods that improve bone density are those containing a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, chia seeds, walnuts, hemp seeds and egg yolk. These foods also improve the cardiovascular health, mood disorders, skin problems, immune system, health of the joints and intestines etc.
HERBS FOR HEALTHY BONES
Red clover contains phytoestrogens that act like estrogen and thus helps women in menopause. It also has isoflavones, which contribute to the formation of good cholesterol and strong bones.
Horsetail contains a lot of silica, which is important for bone density, and one of the most important minerals that are found in the bones. Silicon helps the body absorb and optimally use the calcium. In addition it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
WHAT ABOUT THE LIFESTYLE?
You can help your bone health by regular physical activities or smoking cessation, and enough vitamin D, which can be obtained from sunlight. This vitamin is responsible for the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, which indirectly also affect bone density.
Remember: a positive change in lifestyle and diet not only reduces the risk of osteoporosis, but also of many other diseases.
