Vitamin D, Calcium and Kids: Are They Building Strong bones? According to an article by Patti Neighmond (“Recipe For Strong Teen Bones: Exercise, Calcium And Vitamin D”), there’s a relatively small window of time during which our bones do most of their growing. In fact, she claims that between the ages of 9 – 15, 90% of our bone mass develops. And yet, she points out, only 15% of teenagers drink milk, with girls accounting for only 9%. The reasons for this lack of milk drinking seem to be simply that drinking milk is not considered ‘cool’ and the fear of weight gain. The ‘uncool’ness of drinking milk has been addressed by the “Got Milk?” ads for many years.Read More >
How To Make Your Bones Stronger & Keep Them Strong As You Age
How do you make your bones stronger and keep them strong as you age? Bones are important to the body because they provide support and shape. When it comes to strengthening your bones, one of the best ways to do it and maintain good bone health is to exercise. Exercise, especially as you age, reduces the risk of developing bone-thinning diseases like osteoporosis. If you implement a minimal 30 minutes of weight-bearing exercises (i.e. walking, jogging, tennis and dancing) into your daily routine, it will help make your bones both stronger and denser. Bone health can also be affected by certain medications, smoking and too much alcohol consumption.Read More >
Maintaining Healthy Bones & Strong Joints As You Get Older
As you get older your joints and bones can remind you of the Rice Crispy cartoon mascots, because they tend to SNAP, CRACKLE and POP a lot more! There are several factors that can affect the health of bones, including age, family history of osteoporosis, medications that affect bone health, smoking and even consuming too much alcohol. If you take medications, talk to your doctor to make sure they are not bone-sappers. Some of the worst offenders include corticosteroids like Prednisone and diabetes drugs such as Pioglitazone (Actos) and Rosiglitazone (Avandia).
Aches and pains may also plague your body, however achieving and maintaining optimum healthy bones and strong joints is possible. According to Consumer Reports, “Studies have found that people with heart disease have a higher risk of breaking a hip. Researchers think that’s partly because people who have suffered a severe cardiovascular event such as a stroke might be more prone to falls.” Implementing at least 30 minutes of physical activity into your day can be the start of making them stronger and denser. Performing weight-bearing exercises (i.e. walking, jogging, tennis and dancing) puts pressure on bones to make this happen. So make sure to add weight-bearing exercises a few times a week to achieve this.
Diet is another essential way to help promote strong bones, and you can start by consuming calcium and vitamin D. The recommended daily intake for women 50 and younger, and men younger than 71 is 1,000 milligrams; men older than 71 will need 1,200 milligrams. Calcium can be consumed in vitamin form or with at least three daily servings of dairy or calcium-fortified foods, such as orange juice or soy milk. Vitamin D, a key nutrient in protecting bones can be consumed in vitamin form, food and even sunlight. You only need 600 milligrams daily, or 800 if you are older than 70. Consuming lots of fatty fish like salmon, tuna or mackerel, mushrooms, milk and some cereals fortified with Vitamin D are also great sources.
Take care of yourself and work a little harder to maintain good health through exercise, a diet with fresh fruits and vegetables, and supplements. Your body will work for you if you work for it.
Reference:
Consumer Reports (2014, March 31). 7 steps to keeping your bones strong and healthy as you grow older. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/7-steps-to-keeping-your-bones-strong-and-healthy-as-you-grow-older/2014/03/31/8423683e-61cf-11e3-8beb-3f9a9942850f_story.html
Written by: Jamacia Magee, Rust Built, Marketing Services
6 Foods To Keep Bones Strong
We don’t usually concern ourselves with having strong bones until we hit middle age, when bone loss becomes a health-related issue. When our bones do begin to lose density, brittleness and osteoporosis can become dangerous risks.
Osteoporosis has no symptoms and is a concern for all mature adults. Brittle bones can break during what might seem to be a “little” fall. But the lack of mobility causes other health problems. It’s best to prevent by eating the best vitamin-packed foods.
Eating foods rich in vitamins, such as calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K, and magnesium, build and maintain strong, dense bones. Here are seven foods containing these bone-building vitamins, that we can incorporate into our daily diet easily, to ensure that our bones keep us strong at any age.
- Fish, salmon, tuna and sardines
- Eggs
- Almonds
- Dark green leafy vegetables, kale and spinach
- Soybeans, soybean milk and tofu
- Lowfat milk, yogurt and cheese
In addition, avoid carbonated drinks and reduce salt and caffeine. Bone up and be strong!
Written by: Ruby Moseley, Rust Built, Marketing Services
A Diet For Champions (With Strong Bones)
Question time: How do you get stronger bones? Answer: Getting two of the right nutrients, namely, vitamin D and calcium.
You will need both of these nutrients if you want to stay healthy and strong. Calcium, which is the mineral that’s necessary for proper body function and healthy teeth, is stored in your bones which is why they say to drink your milk. However, calcium can only be absorbed by the body with vitamin D. So, no vitamin D means no absorption of calcium which means no strong bones. So in order to have the body of a superhero, you’ll need a diet chock full of both. Today we’ll give you some ideas for food choices that have healthy levels of vitamin D and calcium.
Sardines, Salmon, Catfish, & Tuna
Sardines, salmon, catfish, and tuna are all fish that have high levels of vitamin D. Some fish like salmon and tuna also have other healthy nutrients such omega 3 fatty acids. Sardines are actually your super food on this list; this type of fish not only contains vitamin D but also has a good amount of calcium as well. You’ll learn to love them. A 3 ounce serving of salmon contains 100% of your vitamin D while a 3 ounce serving of tuna has about 40%.
Milk
There’s a reason they say to drink your milk. One cup of milk provides about 30 percent of the calcium you need on a daily basis. But get this, you can also buy milk fortified with vitamin D, so you’re basically killing two birds with one stone here.
Yogurt
Yogurt is another great source of calcium that’s often also fortified with vitamin D. Include some yogurt into your daily routine and you can get up to 30% of your daily calcium and 20% of your vitamin D in just one serving. There’s also many brands of fat free yogurt out there, which is just another perk of eating yogurt.
Cheese
Cheese is made from milk, which means you’ll be getting your daily dose of calcium with a good serving of cheese in your diet. An ounce and a half of cheddar cheese has more than 30% of the calcium you need, but remember you still need vitamin D as well, which cheese lacks.
Fortified foods
You can find many kinds of fortified foods in your supermarket, especially breakfast foods. Look for certain cereals that contain vitamin D and other nutrients. Orange juice with calcium and vitamin D can also be purchased.
Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds also help to build strong bones. Half a cup of almonds gives you around 12% of your calcium needs, while other kinds of nuts have lots of protein which helps to bulk up your bones. You can also try brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds.
Eggs
The key to getting vitamin D from eggs is in the yolk. One egg has about 6% of your daily vitamin D needs, so eat a couple to get the right amount.
Written by: Luu Chang, Dental Assistant Salary
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Luu is a writer at Dental Assistant Salary, which provides all the info you need to get started as a dental assistant. Learn more about the occupation at http://dental-assistant-salary.net