close
You

That’s Osteoporosis

By Z. K
Tue, 10, 19

Osteoporosis, just what exactly is it? You probably have heard it as the reason why your elderly grandmother or other relative began to walk with a more stooped posture....

health

Osteoporosis, just what exactly is it? You probably have heard it as the reason why your elderly grandmother or other relative began to walk with a more stooped posture. The word osteoporosis is from the Greek terms for ‘porous bones’. Osteoporosis is a condition where your bones become weak and fragile. In this condition, your joints and its surrounding tissues are highly affected due to low bone density, which can increase the risk of bone fractures. Half of all women will have osteoporosis by age 60. One in five women will have a hip fracture in her lifetime, and 50% of them will never walk again.

However, certain diet and lifestyle changes can ensure healthy bones and prevent the risk of osteoporosis or even help in managing the symptoms if you are suffering from it. One of them is to ensure a healthy diet which is rich in bone healthy nutrients like calcium, vitamin D and protein. Here are eight foods you must include in your diet for strong and healthy bones.

Best foods to prevent Osteoporosis:

Milk: It’s no surprise that the superstar of foods for osteoporosis is milk. Milk is brimming with bone-strengthening calcium - a crucial nutrient for building healthy bones. Go for low-fat or skim milk. Other foods to eat to get more calcium: yogurt and cheese. Aim to eat 3 servings of dairy daily.

Plain yogurt: Choose plain yogurt over Greek yogurt, 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. 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.

Salmon: Fatty fish rich in Omega-3 fatty acids is really for your bones as these healthy fats help in reducing inflammation. Fatty fish like salmon and tuna also contain naturally occurring Vitamin D. Salmon packs a healthy dose of vitamin D, which increases calcium absorption and the amount of calcium deposited into our bones. 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.

Almonds: Almonds support bone health in multiple ways. Not only do almonds contain nearly 200 mg of the recommended daily dose of calcium, they also deliver a whole host of nutrients-fiber, manganese, vitamin E, to name a few - that help build strong, healthy bones. Eat a handful of nuts a day (that’s about 23 almonds). If you’re not into eating almonds, try pistachios or sunflower seeds - they have similar benefits.

Green leafy vegetables: Green leafy vegetables contain lots of Vitamin K and calcium that your bones need to stay strong. Try winter greens like spinach, mustard leaves and methi. One cup of spinach will provide you with nearly 30 mg of calcium. These super foods will also provide you with fiber, iron and Vitamin A - all of which help in keeping your energy levels up.

Eggs: Eggs are not only one of the few sources of Vitamin D but they also contain lots of good quality proteins. Don’t just opt for egg whites, the yolk contains Vitamin D.

Sweet potatoes: You may not have known this, but potassium and magnesium are two essential nutrients required for healthy bones. Magnesium maintains Vitamin D levels in your body and potassium neutralizes the acid in your body that can leach the calcium from your bones. You can get these nutrients by enjoying some baked sweet potatoes.

White beans: White beans, a low glycemic food, contain 191 mg of calcium per cup, which is more than 10% of your recommended daily amount. Even more, they’re rich in protein and fiber. So as with almonds, white beans contribute to a healthy diet, which when sustained ensures that your body can maintain bone density. You can easily toss white beans into a salad, stir a handful into soups and stews, or add it to a side dish.

World Osteoporosis Day

Osteoporosis affects over half of population of our planet aged 50 and above, mostly of whom are women. This condition is responsible for millions of fractures of hips, wrists, lumbar vertebrae and ribs. Aging of bones is a preventable process and World Osteoporosis Day campaign helps people remind about the disease.

World Osteoporosis Day (WOD) takes place every year on October 20, launching a year-long campaign dedicated to raising global awareness of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease. Organized by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) every year, World Osteoporosis Day involves campaigns by national osteoporosis patient societies from around the world with activities in over 90 countries. Events and campaigns take place throughout the months leading up to and following WOD. World Osteoporosis Day was launched on 20 October 1996 by the United Kingdom’s National Osteoporosis Society and supported by the European Commission.

The goal of World Osteoporosis Day is to make bone health a global health priority by reaching out to health-care professionals, the media, policy makers, patients, and the public at large.

Every year a different theme is chosen to organize observance. The theme of the day helps draw attention to the problematic issues that need urgent actions. The theme of the observance also helps determinate the focus of a year-long campaign.

This year’s World Osteoporosis Day campaign theme, ‘That’s Osteoporosis’, highlights emotionally impactful stories and images of real people who are living with osteoporosis. For the first time, it will highlight emotionally impactful visuals and stories of real people living with osteoporosis in all regions of the world.

The campaign will emphasise the direct link between osteoporosis (the silent, underlying disease) and broken bones, which have a serious, life-changing impact in terms of pain, disability, lost independence and inability to carry out tasks of everyday life.