Strong, Healthy Bones Need More Than Just Calcium

Are you one of the millions of Americans not getting enough calcium in your diet? Are you suffering from Osteoporosis, or think you could be in the future, and are looking for tips to strengthen your bones?

If so, you've come to the right place.

Strong bones can help prevent fractures and bone breakage, saving you from the pain of having a busted body part as well as keeping your hospital bills to a minimum low. Most Americans don't get enough calcium in their diet, and suffer the consequences for it by breaking bones and suffering from Osteoporosis later in life.

Don't make the same mistake. Your bones deserve better. Listed below are some useful tips to keep your bones healthy and strong.

Eat Fruits and Vegetables Along With Your Milk

Cow's milk is one of the most common ways that we intake calcium, but it can't do it alone. Fruits and vegetables combined with daily products can vastly improve the strength of your bones, as they add much more calcium to your diet than cow's milk alone. Vegetables contain proteins that are much more effective at strengthening bones than animal proteins and are much more effective at building bone mass than meat, poultry, or dairy products.

Get a Proper Amount of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a substance that promotes absorption of calcium in your bones, and humans receive it by being exposed to sunlight. But, as fears of getting skin cancer are at an all-time high, vitamin D deficiency is also reaching record numbers. Doctors recommend you get 15 minutes of direct sunlight per day in order to avoid becoming deficient. If direct sunlight isn't possible, eating fish such as sardines, salmon, cod, and mackerel can help you reach your recommended amount of vitamin D. Even tuna straight out of a can will help. However, if eating fish doesn't fit your taste buds, taking cod liver oil supplements is a quick and easy way of giving your body the amount of vitamin D it needs.

Avoid Coffee and Soda

Drinks that are high in phosphoric acid, usually fizzy drinks such as soda and coffee, suck large amounts of calcium from your body. Acids in the body are neutralized by calcium, and too much acid can lead to the elimination of most of your calcium supply. Prolonged soda drinking can even lead to osteoporosis later in life, so switch to natural drinks like water or tea to save your bones!

Eat Nuts and Beans

Many chopped nuts are high in calcium, and can help you meet your daily calcium needs. Nuts such as chestnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts are extremely high in calcium and available at most any grocery store. Adding them to your daily meals or eating them as a snack can add a valuable amount of calcium to your diet. You can also work a good amount of seeds, such as sesame, into your diet, as they are full of calcium and can be easily added to salad, yogurt, and snacks of any kind. Beans and grains are also good sources of calcium, and including them into your food schedule will strengthen your bones tremendously.

Calcium Tablets

Calcium tablets, commonly used to treat heartburn and acid reflux, are a great source of calcium that is inexpensive and convenient. Popping a tablet once a day is easy for anyone who is on-the-go, and they're available in any grocery store (and even convenience stores) for a low price. They come in a variety of flavors and taste great, so much so that I used to eat them as candy when my mom wasn't looking when I was a young kid. Calcium supplements contain anywhere from 200-400 milligrams of calcium in each tablet, and one or two a day can help your reach your daily calcium intake needs. It's a cheap and convenient way to get extra calcium, and it's so easy that it has become a daily ritual for me and a personal health favorite.

Multivitamins

Most multivitamins provide less than half of your daily calcium need, but something is always better than nothing. When combined with a calcium-rich diet, a multivitamin can mean the difference between being calcium deficient and getting just enough. Also, multivitamins provide a good amount of vitamin D, which, as stated above, helps your bones better absorb the calcium your body takes in. Also, multivitamins provide large amounts of other nutrients that are vital in building bone mass , including zinc, boron, magnesium, and copper.

Get Enough Calcium!

Calcium is still the main building block for healthy bones. Adults need anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium every day to maintain a strong bone structure, and as you have read, the body can reach this level by any number of ways.