Calcium

Foods To Get Strong and Healthy Bones

Getting proper nutrients are vital for the growth of young, strong, and healthy bones. Ideally, all of our foods would contain the proper nutrients and vitamins needed to support healthy bone growth but unfortunately, they do not.  Important minerals such as calcium, nutrients such as Protein, and vitamins like Vitamin D and K are vital  in assisting in the support humans need for younger, healthier, and stronger bones.
Healthy bones need huge amounts of calcium to be healthy and strong. Sources of calcium from natural foods such as dairy, fish, and milk is usually the best.  A healthy human being who wants healthy bones should consume nine full servings of fruits and vegetables in order to insure that they get ample amounts of calcium and other vital nutrients. Obtaining these important vitamins and minerals are the basic foundation for building young, healthy, and strong bones.

Your Bones also require routine exercise to be as strong and healthy as humanly possible.  Simply activities such as running, jogging, walking and other basic physical activities are crucial in keeping your bones as healthy and young as possible.

Here is a list of Foods that Build Young, Healthy, and Strong Bones:

Calcium is most important factor when it comes to healthy and strong bones and is featured heavily in these foods

• Milk:  An 8 ounce cup contains 300 milligrams of calcium necessary for healthy bones
• Yogurt:  One cup contains about as much calcium as a cup of milk
• Cheese:  A single slice of SWISS cheese is also equal to a cup of milk or yogurt
• Tip:  Reducing the amount of lactose in dairy products does not reduce the amount of calcium
• Sardines: Fish bones contain a good amount of vital calcium
• Salmon:  Rich in calcium, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids
• Vegetables that have loads of calcium include:

•  Kale
• Collard Greens
• Turnip greens
• Nuts:  Sunflower seeds, almonds, and pistachos
• Breakfast foods:  Orange Juice and Cereal

As you can see there are a lot of foods you can eat to get calcium in your diet.  All of these foods when consumed in the proper amount will lead to healthy and strong bones.  If you are still unable to get the required amount of calcium for healthy bones you can try taking one of these calcium supplements:

Nature Made Calcium, Magnesium, and Zinc with Vitamin D

Nature’s Bounty Calcium 1200 Mg. Plus Vitamin D3

Rainbow Light Just Once Food-Based Calcium Tablets

Vitafusion Calcium 500 mg with Vitamin D3, Bone Support

Spring Valley – Calcium 600 mg with Vitamin D 600 mg

What To Take For Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

What to take for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis?

If you are at risk for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis or are looking for ways to prevent or reversePostmenopausal Osteoporosis, we recommend the following foods and supplements.  Taking one or all of these for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis will help prevent it as well as lead to younger, healthier, and stronger bones.  So, if you are wondering what to take for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis please keep reading.

Calcium

Natural Source:

The easiest and most readily available source is milk and other daily products.  You can also find calcium in sardines, salmon, tofu, orange juice, and dark leafy green.

Recommend Supplement:

Nature Made Calcium 600mg with Vitamin D

Vitamin D

Natural Source:

The easiest way to get a healthy does of vitamin D is through sun exposure.  Other natural sources include tuna, eggs, milk, and breakfast cereals.  Most people do not get enough Vitamin D in their diet and it is recommend they take a daily supplement.  See below:

Recommend Supplement:

Kirkland Signature Maximum Strength Vitamin D3

Magnesium

Natural Source:

Most calcium supplements come with magnesium already added in but it does not hurt to take a second form.  Recommend sources include daily multi-vitamins which will be beneficial to bone health

Recommend Supplement:

Nature Made Magnesium 250mg
 

Vitamin K

Natural Source:

Vitamin K is the vitamin that is found is most dark and leafy vegetables.  Having a low level of vitamin K or a low intake of vitamin K can lead to a low bone density.  Recommend foods to take to increase vitamin K levels include brussels sprouts, kale, dark lettuce, spinach, and broccoli.

Recommend Supplement:

Carlson Vitamin K 5mg

Things To Avoid:

Here are a few tips of things to avoid.  Although having a balanced diet can help in the absorption of calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium having high levels of caffeine, salt, tobacco, and alcohol can hinder bone development.  It has also been suggested that drinking soda which is high in both sugar and caffeine can lead to lower bone density especially in women.

Other Recommended Supplements

If you haven’t already, take a few minutes to visit our online store where we have the best deals on bone related supplements.  To get you started, here are a few popular items:

Rainbow Light, Everyday Calcium

Passion 4 Life Liquid Vitamins and Minerals

Rainbow Light, Calcium Citrate Chocolate Chewable

What Is A Bone?

What is a bone?

A bone is living and growing tissue that is made up of calcium phosphate, a composite mineral that adds hardens the bone and adds strength and of course, collagen. This unique combination of the two minerals yields strong yet flexible material to cope with intense stress. More than 99% of the body’s calcium is contained in your teeth and bones. The remaining 1% of calcium deposits is found sparingly in your muscles, organs, and blood stream.

As people age, their old bones are detached from their body by osteoclast cells and newer bones are added to their bodily skeleton. For young children and teenagers, new bone is added quicker than the old bone is removed. As a result of this imbalance, children’s bones become bigger, denser, and weigh more. Bone formation will continue at a pace faster than deterioration until an adult achieves peak bone mass sometime in their mid to late 30’s. After age 30, the deterioration of bones slowly begin to exceed bone formation and bones become weaker.
A Bone is an organ that makes up the endoskeleton system. Bones help protect and support the bodies organs. Bones also store minerals and produce white and red blood cells. Bones come in a all shapes and sizes and they all have a complex external and internal make up. Some bones are lightweight yet sturdy while others are small and weak. Some important types of tissues originating in bones include cartilage, blood vessels, nerves, periosteum, and marrow.
Bones serve 10 fucntions in the body:
Mechanical

• Protection — bones protect the bodys vital organs like the heart, lungs, and brain
• Structure — bones support the body through the skeletal system
• Movement — bones along with tendons and joints help the body move
• Sound transduction — bones aid with hearing

Synthetic

• Blood production — the marrow inside of bones produce new blood cells in a process referred to as hematopoiesis.

Metabolic

• Mineral storage — bones preserve important minerals like calcium and vitamin D
• Growth factor storage — mineralized bones store important growth factors
• Fat storage — bone marrow stores fatty acids
• Acid-base balance — bone help absorb alkaline salts.
• Detoxification — bone tissues stores heavy metals which keeps them out of the blood system

What Is Bone Remodeling?

Bone remodeling is the process where tissue from old bones is removed from the skeleton and new tissue is formed on the bones. Bone remodeling is the nonstop process of bone reformation and development for the intention of growing young, healthy, and strong bone mass. Bones with normal bone mass typically indicate osteoporosis free bones and also strong and healthy bones

During the early years of a persons life, the longest bones in the body grow at the ends. The flat bones of the body like the skull have different remodeling patters. . In a normal human being, nearly 100% of the skeletal system is replaced during their first year of life through bone remodeling. From then on, bone remodeling happens at about 10% per year.

Bone remodeling permits old bones to perform their normal functions, like support of the body and the storage of calcium. Bone remodeling also helps the body repair fractures in bones that happen from strenuous activity. Typically, a person’s old and overly developed bones are replaced by new bones during the process of bone remodeling. The typical bone remodeling cycle for an adult is roughly 10% of bone mass each year.

The continuous cycle of bone remodeling typically starts when a fracture or other injury starts in old or weak bones. The bodies natural hormones start to stimulate the production of osteoclasts. These osteoclasts then lead to a release of enzymes which dissolve inside the old matrix of the bone. When the bone matrix begins to thicken, the osteoblasts begin to incorporate vital minerals like magnesium and calcium which help to increase growth. The osteoblasts that are not used during the bone remodeling phase are release in the cell lining of the body and act as calcium releasers in the future. Others, die naturally in the body. This is the method that the body uses to maintain the correct levels of calcium required by the body.

Best Sources of Calcium

We share a lot of important information about the importance of getting sufficient amounts of calcium in your daily diet.  A lot of people believe that getting the correct amount of  required calcium from their diet alone is very hard and that proper calcium supplements are vital.  However, it’s really not very hard to get the required amount of calcium from natural foods.

Calcium is an important nutrient to building healthy bones.  We have discussed before the recommend levels of calcium to take every day as well as the benefits of taking calcium.  Below you will find 3 charts which outline the high, medium, and low forms of calcium that you can take in order to get healthy bones.

High Calcium Foods

• 1 cup of milk
• low fat chocolate milk
• low fat buttermilk
• low fat cheese
• whole milk
• milkshake
• hot chocolate with milk instead of water
• regular cheese
• custard
• flan
• sardines with bones

Medium Calcium Foods

• Non-fat or low-fat cottage cheese
• Cream soups
• Ice cream
• Ice milk or frozen yogurt
• Non-fat cream cheese

Non-Dairy Calcium Sources

• Dried bean or peas
• Refried beans
• Canned fish
• Tofu processed with calcium
• Almonds
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Kale
• Mustard Greens
• Turnip Greens
• Figs
• Corn Tortillas
• Black Strap Molasses

How Much Calcium Should I Take?

How Much Calcium Should I Take?

Calcium is an vital nutrient that our body needs to have everyday. Calcium, as I’m sure you know by now,  helps build and strengthen healthy bones and teeth.  But thats not everything calcium does.  Calcium has also been known to keep your heart beating steadily and your nerves, muscles, and blood working properly.

Calcium is one of the major factors in keeping your body running in top shape.  Because your bones are made of calcium, if you do not get enough from your daily diet, your body will start to leech pure calcium from your bones to use in other parts of your body. Over several years this can reduce your bone strength and lead to an unfortunate onset of osteoporosis which is a harmful disease that makes thin and fragile bones.  Intense osteoporosis can lead to such weak and brittle bones that they can simply break with a strong handshake.

So, how much calcium should you take?

Dietary Calcium

The NAS (National Academy of Sciences) recommends the following chart for how much calcium is needed to maintain young, healthy, and strong bones.

• Young children – 1 to 3 years of age –  700 mg a day.
• Children – 4 to 8 years of age – 1,000 mg per day.
• Teenagers –  1,300 mg of calcium a day.
• Adults – age 70 and younger –  1,000 mg per day.
• Women – over 51 – 1,200 mg/day.
• Women and men – over 71 – 1,200 mg per day.

Milk and dairy products are the quickest and easiest sources of dietary calcium.  Other high quality non-dairy foods include orange juice, tofu, salmon and sardines, and dark leafy greens like spinach.

Supplemental Calcium

You can also achieve your daily calcium intake by taking a daily supplement.  These supplements offer a full daily dose of calcium in one easy to swallow (or chew) tablet.  Some of the most popular calcium supplements include the following:

Nature Made Calcium, Magnesium, and Zinc with Vitamin D

Nature’s Bounty Calcium 1200 Mg. Plus Vitamin D3

Rainbow Light Just Once Food-Based Calcium Tablets

Vitafusion Calcium 500 mg with Vitamin D3, Bone Support

Spring Valley – Calcium 600 mg with Vitamin D 600 mg

For more information about calicum supplements be sure to visit our online store 

How To Prevent or Reverse Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a critical health problem that currently affects nearly 28 million people in the United States.  It is known to cause around 1.5 million bone fractures every year. Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle and to fracture with even the slightest bit of trauma. Osteoporosis generally occurs in women who have already gone through menopause, but it can also occur men, and in rare examples, children.

50 percent of women and 20 percent of men after the age of 65 will maintain at least one bone fracture related to an onset of osteoporosis.  Preventing or reversing osteoporosis is very easy and the seven steps feature below should help anyone combat these terrible disease.

Steps On How To Prevent or Reverse Osteoporosis

Step 1:  See a Doctor

Schedule an appointment with a qualified doctor for a bone  density test.  A bone density test is often the first step to preventing osteoporosis.   A bone density test measures a person’s current bone health and weather or not advanced steps need to be taken in order to increase bone health.

Step 2: Review your Results

Deciphering a bone mineral density test often requires professional medical insight into what the results mean.  Review results with a doctor and see what steps they recommend you take in order to prevent or reverse osteoporosis.

Step 3:  Add Calcium

Add calcium to the diet. Adding calcium in the form of pills or foods high in calcium such as milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products helps maintain bone strength in later years and helps build bone in early years. People older than age 50 require 1,500 mg of calcium every day.

Step 4:  Take Vitamind D

Take vitamin D supplements if blood levels are low. If vitamin D levels are low, calcium can’t be absorbed into the bone. Most people require 200 to 600 International Units of vitamin D each day.

Step 5:  Exercise

Increase exercise levels. Weight-bearing exercise plays an essential part in keeping or building bone strength. Exercise three to four times a week by walking, weightlifting or other exercises.

Step 6: Take Medication

Take prescription medications that prevent bone loss (see a list here) . Discuss with your doctor whether certain medications  will help prevent or reverse bone loss.

Step 7: Don’t Smoke or Drink in excess

 Refrain from smoking at all costs and only drink in moderation.

Bonus Tips and Warnings

• The majority of bone density is built before a person reaches age 35. After age 35, bone growth begins to slow down.  It is important to start building strong and healthy bones at a young age.  Simple steps include basic exercise and an easy to follow nutrition plan.
• Take a calcium supplement to decrease the risk of osteoporosis: