Home Remedies for Healthy Bones After 30 Years, Tips for Healthy Bones

Home Remedies For Healthy Bones

Your bones do such a good job supporting your every move, it's easy to take them for granted. But your skeleton is a living tissue in constant need of replenishment: As early as age 25, you can start to lose more bone than you build, leading to progressively thinner, weaker bones as you grow older and raising your risk for osteoporosis (literally "porous bone") or debilitating fractures and breaks.

1.Focus on fruits, and vary your veggies
Several studies have linked high intakes of fruits and vegetables with better bone health. We're still learning how produce helps protect your skeleton: "Some evidence suggests fruits and vegetables create an environment that reduces calcium loss from bone,” explains Nieves. "Or, it may be that plant phenols and flavonoids provide compounds that bolster bone. Produce is also rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which can help fortify bones and maintain the muscles that support them."
Eat: At least 1 1/2 cups of fruits and 2 cups of vegetables every day; more is even better. Choose a rainbow of produce, including greens, reds, oranges, blues and yellows. Satisfying your taste buds isn't the only motivation. Each kind of fruit and vegetable offers its own particular concentration and mix of nutrients, according to Nieves.

2.Exercise
If you haven't started a regular weight-bearing exercise program, it’s not too late, and it becomes even more important as you age. You’ll get the most benefit if you vary the activities — this will make it more interesting, too.

3.Get your vitamins and minerals
Fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that research suggests are beneficial for bones. Here's a short list from the National Osteoporosis Foundation of nutrients you should get in addition to calcium:
Magnesium: spinach, beet greens, okra, tomato products, artichokes, plantains, potatoes, sweet potatoes, collard greens and raisins
Potassium: tomato products, raisins, potatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes, papaya, oranges, orange juice, bananas, plantains and prunes
Vitamin C: red peppers, green peppers, oranges, grapefruits, broccoli, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, papaya and pineapples
Vitamin K: certain dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, collard greens, spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens and Brussels sprouts.

4.Consider a supplement
 Your calcium needs increase with age, making it a challenge to take in enough calcium through food alone. The U.S. recommended daily allowance for calcium is 1,000 mg a day during your 20s, 30s and 40s.
After menopause, most women need 1,000 to 1,500 mg a day unless they take hormone therapy, says Jeffers. Men between 50 and 70 years old need 1,000 mg a day; men over 70 need 1,200 mg.
“And since your body absorbs only 500 mg of calcium at a time, divide your dosages out over the course of the day,” Jeffers says. Check with your doctor before starting supplements to find out what amount is right for you. 

5.Don’t forget the vitamin D!
Where there’s calcium, there must be vitamin D: The two work together to help the body absorb the bone-boosting calcium. Boost vitamin D consumption by munching on shrimp, fortified foods like cereal and orange juice, sardines, eggs (in the yolks), and tuna, or opt for a vitamin D supplement. Greatist Expert Eugene Babenko suggests getting your vitamin D (specifically vitamin D3) levels checked at your next doctor’s appointment, and to discuss the use of supplements with your doctor.
The body also produces vitamin D when exposed to the sun — 10 to 15 minutes of exposure three times per week will do. Vitamin D’s importance to bone health has been proven in studies on “seasonal bone loss” — elderly people can lose more bone mass during the winter because of lack of sun exposure  . Though these and many other studies on bone loss looked at elderly people specifically, bone health is all about prevention, so younger folks should catch a few rays to stock up on D.