When a person is younger, their body builds new bone faster, which increases bone mass. But with age, bone mass is lost faster than the body can build it, which can lead to weak bones.
Age is not the only factor, but gender, race, family history, and body size also influence bone health. The good news is that while a person cannot completely prevent some degree of bone loss over time, there are ways to strengthen bones and slow their aging.
According to Eat This Not That, what a person eats and drinks can be a major factor in bone health, including incorporating more bone-healthy minerals into the diet. Dietitian Brittany Dunn says there are drinking habits that can help maintain bone health and prevent aging as follows:
1. Drink fortified milk
Drinking milk is a good way to deliver important bone nutrients, Dunn says, adding that “fortified milk and milk alternatives contain vitamin D, calcium and protein to support bone health.”
Fortified cow’s milk contains additional vitamins and minerals that are not found naturally or in significant amounts in regular milk. If a person is lactose intolerant or does not like cow’s milk, they can turn to milk alternatives that also contain additional vitamins, including options such as plant milks such as soy, oats, rice, coconut, cashews and almonds.
You can distinguish between regular and fortified milk by reading the contents on the label.
Dunn advises those who don’t like milk or its alternatives to eat probiotic-rich Greek yogurt.
2. Dairy products in smoothies
Dietitian Dunn explains that there are many ways to mix milk into the diet, by adding a type of dairy product to natural juice to help the bones stay healthy.
According to Nutrition Today, protein makes up regarding 50% of bone volume and regarding a third of bone mass. Since dietary protein is a key nutrient for bone health, it can help prevent osteoporosis.
3. Leafy greens drink
If dairy is completely off the table, fortunately there are other ways to get your daily calcium intake.
“Spinach and other leafy greens are a good source of calcium,” Dan says, explaining that spinach in particular can be added to smoothies, because its taste is indistinguishable just by mixing it with other ingredients, but what remains are the “nutrition benefits.”
Meanwhile, Dunn warns that spinach is high in oxalate, a natural compound that binds to calcium, which can lead to kidney stones. In this context, turnip can be used as a substitute for spinach.
4. Plum juice and other fruits
According to Dunn, fruits act as great digestive neutralizers that support balanced pH levels, which in turn helps maintain calcium levels.
Plums are particularly beneficial for improving bone health. According to a study published by the Integrative Physiology and Biomedicine Program and the Departments of Nutrition and Kinesiology at Penn State University, eating approximately 6 to 12 prunes daily can help reduce inflammatory disorders, which cause bone loss in postmenopausal women.
You can also drink fortified orange juice, which provides 350 mg of calcium, or approximately 25% of the recommended daily value. Dunn says that a combination of prunes and oranges when preparing a glass of juice is wonderfully beneficial for bone health.
