What foods to eat for bone health

When people think of bone health – calcium is the first mineral that might spring to mind. However, there are more minerals that are needed for bone health than just calcium. Many trace minerals such as copper, manganese, zinc and boron are also important, as is vitamin K2 and vitamin D. Bone is a dynamic, living tissue that is constantly being broken down and rebuilt, even in adults. Not many people think about looking after their bones until they start to break down as in arthritis or osteoporosis. However, there is lots you can do to ward off osteoporosis, which is where there is more bone breaking down than being formed.

Osteoporosis is most common in postmenopausal Asian and white women and increases the risk of bone fractures which occur in one in three women and one in twelve men by the age of 70. Bones do far more than just provide a skeleton to hang the rest of our body on. They are living tissues that help enable us to move, protect our internal organs, make blood cells and store minerals and fats.

Green leafy vegetables

Green leafy vegetables, especially those from the cabbage family such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale offer significant protection against osteoporosis. These foods are rich sources of a broad range of vitamins and minerals that are important to maintaining healthy bones. In particular they contain vitamin K1 a function of which is to turn osteocalcin to its active form, which is an important protein in bones.

Our Quinoa, kale and black bean salad is packed with kale.

Protein

Getting enough protein is essential for healthy bones. A low protein diet will mean less calcium is absorbed and can also affect bone formation - 50% of bone is made from protein. There are some concerns that a high protein diet will cause an increase in calcium loss - but the evidence seems to suggest that as long as the protein is consumed with lots of vegetables and calcium-rich foods this doesn’t seem to happen.

Our Immune boosting chicken soup is perfect for bone health. It’s packed with protein from the chicken and collagen from the stock.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is best absorbed from the sun during the summer months - but it’s also important to make sure that you eat foods rich in vitamin D - eggs, mushrooms, salmon and sardines are all good sources. It might also be worth getting your vitamin D levels checked and supplementing accordingly, especially during the winter months.

Our Sardine pate is a great way to include this oily fish in your diet and don’t forget to also use the bones for added calcium!

Calcium-rich foods

Post-menopausal and teenagers needs more calcium than at other times in their life and so it’s worth understanding which foods contain calcium. Foods high in calcium are kelp and other seaweeds, cheddar cheese and dark green leafy vegetables. Other good sources include nuts and seeds such as sesame seeds, almonds, yoghurt, tofu and apricots.

These yummy Sweet and salty almond balls are packed with almonds which is a great source of calcium.

Green tea

There is much evidence that green tea contains many bioactive ingredients that support some protection against osteoporosis. Drinking 2 cups a day may be beneficial in mitigating bone loss and decreasing the risk of osteoporotic fractures.

Prunes

Eating 2-5 prunes a day has been shown to help with bone health. It may be due to the mineral Boron or the high vitamin K content, but studies have been shown that it can help slow down bone loss and it’s an easy addition to your diet.

Lifestyle factors

It is also worth bearing in mind lifestyle factors that can affect bone health. Physical fitness is the main determinant of bone health. One hour of moderate activity three times a week has been shown to prevent bone loss and in post-menopausal women has been shown to increase bone mass. Walking is an excellent place to start as is body strength exercises.

Coffee, alcohol, fizzy drinks and smoking all have a negative influence on bone health and are associated with an increased risk of developing oesteoporosis.

For more information on the importance of exercise for bone health see our blog post on Exercising for the menopause

What next?

If you are concerned about your bone health then you might want to consider a DEXA scan which looks at how dense your bones are. We have both had our DEXA scan done in London with My Vital Metrics. They have kindly given us a discount code HEALTHBOOST10 for 10% off their services. We only ever recommend companies that we like and use ourselves.

If you would like a meal plan to support your bone health then do get in touch with us or purchase a personalised meal plan here.