WHAT SHOULD YOU EAT TO PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS?

Disclaimer: I have osteoporosis but I just do not take osteoporosis medications. Perhaps I should but I have tried several and I just decided against them. After several colon surgeries, a bowel resection, colon cancer, etc, osteoporosis drugs are not good for my digestive system. My worst osteoporosis spot is one of my hips. When I take osteoporosis drugs, that hip hurts me. In studying the drugs I discovered most of them leach nutrients from the hips and move them elsewhere. If you are on osteoporosis drugs and they are working for you this post is not to discourage you from that course of treatment! Having said all that, this post is about eating to prevent or slow down osteoporosis. Knowing what to eat (or not eat) is important in fighting any health problem. Here are some tips for eating to prevent or slow down osteoporoisis:

• You need calcium. That is probably the number one thing everyone knows about osteoporosis. It is best to get said calcium from the foods you eat and here are some good examples - fat-free plain Greek yogurt, fat-free milk and cheese, white beans, kale, collard greens, broccoli, almonds, and soybeans. Include some of these in your diet everyday.
• Get plenty of lean protein. Examples are lean meats such as turkey, chicken, pork tenderloin, lean beef, legumes, peanut butter, beans, low-fat milk and cheeses. Avoid too many protein bars and shakes. That is not the best way to get healthy protein.
• Vitamin D is important, too. Actually calcium needs vitamin D to help it travel to the bones and where it is needed. Sunshine helps the body to produce vitamin D but that requires too much time in the sun so supplement with the following foods: Fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon, sardines and herring. Soy milk, yogurt, and egg yolks also contain vitamin D. Since the list of foods rich in vitamin D is slim you may need to discuss a vitamin D supplement with your doctor.
• Magnesium is also beneficial in preventing and fighting osteoporosis. Magnesium helps the body absorb calcium to help maintain a strong bone structure. Magnesium is found in seeds such as pumpkin, sesame, and flax, brown rice, Swiss chard, spinach, sweet potatoes, beans, wheat germ, etc.

This is a short list of foods that will help you prevent or slow down osteoporosis. There are more but if you make a point of including several of the above foods in your daily diet you will be well on your way to preventing this bone disease.