Have you had some issues with your bones?
I do.
And I guess each and everyone of us would love to have healthy bones.
And I guess each and everyone of us would love to have healthy bones.
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| Let's build healthy, strong bones! picture: Pixabay |
Building healthy, strong bones needs two key nutrients, which are vitamin D and calcium. While calcium supports the teeth and bone structure, vitamin D helps improve the absorption of calcium and bone growth. Most of us know about what to eat for healthy, strong bones – anything that is full of calcium and vitamin D. However, just as important, but less regularly discussed, are foods and beverages that weaken your bones. This article will show you 9 unexpected foods that are bad for healthy bones.
1. Coffee
Similar
to soda, coffee could reduce the ability of your body to absorb calcium,
thereby hurting your bone health. Therefore, you had better reduce your intake
of coffee to less than 3 cups per day. In the morning, instead of having
several shots of espresso, you can reach for an apple as an alternative. Apples
can provide you with more energy than a cup of coffee thanks to its high
content of simple carbs.
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| picture: pixabay |
2. Sodium-Rich
Foods
Before
reaching for the bag of potato chips, think again. It is said that sodium-rich
foods may cause our bodies to lose calcium and result in bone less. The more
salty you consume, the more calcium you lose. In essence, salt causes excessive
calcium excretion via kidneys. Nutrition experts recommended taking under
2,300mg of salt per day and you will be fine. This intake amount should be
reduced further if you have other health conditions like high blood pressure.
3. Iron-Rich Foods
Iron is
beneficial for our health, we all know that. Nonetheless, the time you take it
matters. Most foods that are bad for healthy bones are a direct result of
interfering with the absorption of calcium, thereby causing bone loss. If you
are eating calcium-rich foods, you had better avoid iron-rich ones to maximize
the amount of calcium absorbed.
4. Soy Products
Soy
products are also in the list of foods that are bad for healthy bones because
they may interfere with calcium absorption. Actually, soy products like tofu,
tempeh, edamame and soy beverages are rich in the bone-building protein, but
they also have plant compounds which may hamper the absorption of calcium.
5. Alcohol
Is
drinking alcohol bad for your bones?
The answer is yes.
When drinking alcohol,
it acts like a calcium-blocker, which prevents the important bone-building
minerals from being absorbed into your body through the foods you eat.
Heavy
drinking also disrupts the process of bone remodeling by preventing the
bone-building cells (osteoblasts) from doing their job. As a result, your bone
will become weaker and your healing is also interfered.
Instead
of drinking alcohol, you can choose beverages that are lower in alcohol. They
may taste as good as alcohol, but are not hard on your bones.
6. Sugary
Snacks
Do not go
overboard on sugar, especially if you have a sweet tooth. Despite there is no
proven link between sugary snacks and their negative impacts on bones, the harm
to bone health might be resulted from consuming too much added sugar while not
getting enough essential nutrient-rich foods. If you want to indulge your sweet
tooth, choose cranberries, prunes and other antioxidant-rich fruits.
Antioxidants are healthy nutrients for bone health.
7. Hydrogenated Oils
Hydrogenation
process that turns liquid vegetable oil into the solid oils used in baking,
damages vitamin K found naturally in oils. Vitamin K is necessary for strong,
healthy bones, and vegetable oils like olive oil and canola oil are the 2nd
best source (dietary) of such key nutrient.
Instead
of eating pastries and bread bought from bakeries or baking your bake goods
(because they contain hydrogenated fats, you ought to eat more dark green leafy
veggies like spinach, collard, Swiss chard, etc. They are rich sources of vitamin
K, an important bone-boosting nutrient.
8. Vitamin
A-Rich Foods
Vitamin
A-rich foods include eggs, liver, dairy products, and vitamin-fortified foods.
They are rich sources of animal-derived vitamin A, also known as retinol.
Despite vitamin A can improve eye health, clear acne, amp up your immune
system, taking too much of it may weaken your bones. For example, if you take
more than 3 ounces of beef liver, you may stimulate bone breakdown or
osteoclast activity. To control your risk of over intake of vitamin A through
foods, you should switch to non-fat or low-fat dairy product and consume egg
whites instead of whole eggs.
9. High- Protein Foods
Taking
too much protein, particularly animal protein, may take the bone-building
nutrient – calcium – from your bones, causing weakened and brittle bones and a
higher risk of pain and injury.
In fact,
diets that are high in protein may interfere with calcium absorption. For
example, if you eat red meat excessively, you may hurt your bones.
Conclusion
Knowing
what to eat and what not to eat for healthy, strong bones are important because
it helps protect your bones in the old age. It also enhances your life quality
and boasts your longevity, and reduces the risk of falls, injury, osteoporosis,
arthritis, brittle bones and joints. Avoidance
of the foods that are bad for healthy bones above will help improve your bone
health.
Stay healthy, everyone!
About the author:
John
Hughes is a Health and Beauty expert who has more than 5 years of experience in
Health Care industry. For more health care tips on
healthy living, visit him at the website TrueRemedies.com. There, you will find posts on natural
treatments, recipes, healthy foods, and so much more.
