Diet if You Already Have Osteoporosis
Although diet alone will not cure osteoporosis, it can help halt progression of the disease. If you suffer from osteoporosis, talk to your doctor about a meal plan that ensures you get enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet. Since calcium and vitamin D deficiency in the bones cause them to attenuate over time, adequate mineral levels may help prevent further bone damage. Osteoporosis sufferers should seek therapy in addition to diet changes. Medications such as bisphosphonates and raloxifene seek to retain your current bone mass and, in some cases, even promote additional bone density.
In addition to increases in calcium and vitamin D, your diet should aim to eliminate factors that contribute to and worsen osteoporosis such as alcohol consumption and too much caffeine. A soy-rich diet may also have benefits for osteoporosis. Before you begin any specific diet, talk to your doctor about your current medical history. Since many women and men get osteoporosis even with adequate calcium and vitamin D levels, you may need to take medicine or undergo hormone therapy to maintain bone density.
Osteoporosis Prevention
The best way to cure osteoporosis is to prevent its development in the first place. Often, people wait until it's too late before they begin to increase their calcium and vitamin D levels. To protect yourself from osteoporosis, begin a calcium-rich diet at an early age. Bones require the most calcium in childhood and adolescence. Thus, do not miss out on this vital opportunity to build bone density. Pregnant and nursing women must also remain especially vigilant, as the body requires additional calcium during this time.
Ways to Get Vitamin D and Calcium
Many people associate calcium with dairy. While dairy does have plenty of calcium, you can eat many other products to get sufficient calcium. Delicious and nutritious foods high in calcium include almonds, broccoli, kale and salmon. To ensure that you get enough calcium (defined by the Mayo Clinic as between 1,000 and 1,500 mg a day depending on whether you receive hormone therapy or not), you may want to consider calcium supplements. Calcium supplements exist in many varieties, such as pills and even chocolates. Multivitamins also often contain additional calcium. If you take a multivitamin, note that calcium may inhibit the absorption of iron, so you should take a separate iron supplement at another time of the day if you require extra iron.
Vitamin D also helps ward off osteoporosis. The most immediate way to get vitamin D is through sunlight. However, due to the sun's potentially dangerous UV rays, you should not lie out in the sun all day. Foods naturally high in vitamin D include fish (especially oily fish like salmon and anchovies) and egg yolks. Many multivitamins also contain vitamin D. For an added bonus, look for calcium supplements that also contain vitamin D.
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