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Did you know at least one in three women and one in five men will suffer an osteoporotic fracture at some point in their lives?
No single cause has been found, but health care professionals do know that a diet rich in certain nutrients can help lower one’s risk of bone loss, thus preventing bone fractures.
“Physical activity and genetics also play a role, but diet can make or break our bone health,” registered dietitian Tristica Curley of Fueling with Food says. “The impact of diet on our bone health begins at birth and continues until we die. While we are growing, up until about our early 20s, diet will impact how dense our bones grow. Adequate nutrient intake will ensure our bones reach peak bone mass or become as dense and as strong as possible. From our early 20s on, diet can prevent bone losses and maintain the bone mass we have.”
In order to have good bone health, a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D is what you’ll need, along with protein, vitamin A, magnesium and vitamin K, Curley adds.
So what are some of the best foods for you to include in your diet to strengthen your bones? Curley, along with registered dietitian Andrea D’Ambrosio of Dietetic Directions and spokesperson for Dietitians of Canada, reveal their list in support of Osteoporosis Awareness this November.
“Interestingly, almost all of the calcium in our body is found in our bones,” D’Ambrosio says. “Therefore, if we don’t achieve adequate calcium intake through our diet (or supplements), our body will pull calcium out of our bones and use this to maintain constant calcium amounts in our blood and in our muscles. This makes our bones weaker and puts us at a higher risk for fracture.”
And because our bones are living tissue, they are constantly breaking down and releasing minerals and depositing calcium to make new bones, D’Ambrosio adds. This is why she encourages people to ensure they’re meeting their dietary calcium requirements, and one of the top sources of calcium is cow’s milk or calcium-fortified soy milk.
“Milk contains magnesium, vitamin D and phosphorus which support calcium absorption,” she says. “One cup of milk contains approximately 300 milligrams of calcium.”
If you can’t tolerate dairy, Curley says non-dairy sources like almond or coconut milk will provide some calcium and vitamin D, but will lack the protein and vitamin A found in dairy milk.
Choose plain yogurt over Greek yogurt, D’Ambrosio says, because of the higher calcium content.
“Straining out the extra whey in yogurt makes Greek yogurt thick, creamy and higher in protein but lower in calcium” she explains. “Regular yogurt delivers almost twice the bone-strengthening mineral calcium.”
Plain yogurt contains 263-275 milligrams of calcium, and Greek yogurt contains only 180-212 milligrams, she adds.
“Fatty fish such as salmon is a good source of vitamin D, which increases calcium absorption and the amount of calcium deposited into our bones,” Curley says. “Aim to get two servings per week of salmon. A supplement may be recommended for the winter. Salmon is also a rich source of protein, which is responsible for making collagen, which maintains bone strength and helps repair bone injury.”
