World Osteoporosis Day: Foods to Keep Your Bones Healthy

In a world full of “keto diets” and “vegan lifestyle” we often forget the main purpose of food - our health. Many of us go with the flow and follow whatever is trending. But how many of us actually sit and analyse the value of such diets and more importantly how many of us care about our body as a whole, outside as well as inside, before starting a new diet?

One of the “neglected” parts of our body, while eating or even exercising is our bones. Our perception for them is - they are there, they grow, sometimes break and in Munna Bhai terms - “206 type ka haddi hai”. But is this information enough? Bone health is as important as your heart or skin.

What is Osteoporosis?

Bone is living tissue that is constantly being broken down and replaced. But when a condition named Osteoporosis develops it can cause bones to become weak and brittle, so much so that a fall or even mild stresses such as bending over or coughing, can cause a fracture.

Causes: Low calcium intake, eating disorder, restricting food intake & being underweight.

Osteoporosis is avoidable if a healthy lifestyle which is not influenced by the latest diet trends or foods is followed. Adults need 700mg of calcium every day. So, here are the foods you can include in your daily diet to improve your bone health -

Milk: Right from the ancient times' elders have gone on and on about the benefits of drinking milk and we have seen advertisements boosting the power of milk, here is the secret, its true! Milk contains vitamins, calcium and everything in between and those following a vegan lifestyle, there is always an option of soy milk or other.

Leafy Vegetables: In many of us the instant reaction when reading ‘leafy vegetables’ is scrunching our noses. But here is the good news you can skip spinach! So, load on with other green leafy vegetables and keep your bones healthy.

Cabbage and Okra: The speciality of cabbage is you can add it in salads, sandwiches, rice, savoury dishes and much more. And when you get tired of eating so much cabbage, go for okra and try fried bhindi, aloo bhindi or bharwa bhindi!

Nuts: Eating dry fruits never go wrong and the tip to get the maximum benefit from them is to soak them overnight in the water!

Cheese: Yup! You read that right! Cheese doesn’t just come under the ‘yummy food’ category it has health benefits too! So, next time you are worried about your calory intake you can console yourself with all the benefits your bones are getting from it!

Osteoporosis is a silent, underlying disease with serious consequences. But luckily, a healthy lifestyle is a choice we can make every day. So, make your future safe, start caring for your bones today!