Having strong, healthy bones is important whether you are four or 64. After all, our bones are the support system of the body, and looking after them now by investing in the ‘bone bank’ will pay dividends years down the track.
“No matter what your age, if you want to lead a long and active life you need to take care of your bones,” says Melbourne dietitian Melanie McGrice.
By making some basic lifestyle and dietary changes, you will be on your way to achieving healthy bones. McGrice says there are a number of simple steps everyone can make on a daily basis to improve bone health – from consuming more calcium-rich foods and drinks to taking regular exercise and soaking up some vitamin D. Here’s our top eight.
1. Eat calcium-rich foods
Calcium is essential for healthy bones, and dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt are the greatest contributors to calcium in the Australian diet. Adults should aim to include at least 2.5 serves of these foods a day. Try these easy fixes to increase your dairy intake: make that short black a café latte, add yoghurt to a bowl of fruit for breakfast or post-workout snack, add cheese to your lunch salad or sandwich and try adding a dollop of yoghurt to a baked potato or as a condiment for vegetables at dinner.
McGrice also recommends a glass of milk or milky hot chai before bed – no matter what your age.
2. Stay active
Regular weight-bearing exercise (exercise done while on your feet so you bear your own weight) is an important way to help bones grow stronger and harder. It includes anything from walking and dancing to training with weights. “Exercises like swimming might be good for your health in other ways, but they aren’t weight-bearing and therefore don’t help build bone density,” McGrice says.
Her advice is to aim for 30 minutes of physical activity a day, ensuring some, if not all days, include weight-bearing exercises. An easy way to include this in your daily routine is to park the car a little further away from work – or if you catch public transport, get off a stop or two earlier than usual – and walk the rest of the way.
3. Spend time outdoors
For most Australians, sunshine is the main source of vitamin D. And vitamin D, along with calcium and exercise, is one of the three essential keys to maintaining healthy bones. The amount of sun exposure required to produce adequate levels of vitamin D is relatively low, from about 10 to 30 minutes on most days, avoiding the peak UV times in the middle of the day. Increase your sun exposure safely by having breakfast or afternoon tea outside.
4. Bone-friendly snacks
There are plenty of snacks that are not only quick and easy to prepare, but loaded with calcium. Think homemade tzatziki: simply mix some Greek yoghurt with a little bit of garlic, some finely diced cucumber and a dash of olive oil. Use the tzatziki as a spread, or dip with some vegetable sticks. For an energising fruit smoothie that you can drink on the go, blend together your favourite fruit, yoghurt and milk.
5. Smart substitutes
There are also plenty of non-dairy food options that contain calcium, including leafy green vegetables, almonds and tofu. However, McGrice says to “You need to eat almost a whole head of broccoli to be able to get the same amount of calcium that’s in a glass of milk. Probably the best choice other than dairy is canned fish with soft edible bones, such as sardines or salmon.”
Plant-based beverages such as soy and almond beverages can also provide a source of calcium. To be considered suitable dairy milk substitutes, they must contain similar levels of calcium to milk (100mg of calcium per 100ml).
6. Limit your caffeine intake
Too much caffeine will reduce your body’s ability to absorb calcium effectively, so don’t overdo it. McGrice says that while coffee is recognised as offering some health benefits, caffeinated soft drinks offer none. “Soft drinks that contain caffeine are also very acidic and have a negative impact on our teeth as well as bones, so it’s best to cut them out of your diet.”
7. What to avoid
Smoking has been associated with increased risk of osteoporosis (a disease making bones weak and brittle) and bone fractures, along with many other health issues. The simple message is to give up cigarettes for good. Excess alcohol can also substantially raise your risk of fractures.
“Excess alcohol intake has an impact on calcium absorption, so it’s recommended to stick to the Australian Alcohol Guidelines of less than two standard drinks per day,” McGrice says.
8. Don’t wait!
Don’t be fooled into thinking the risk of osteoporosis is something you don’t need to worry about until you’re old. By then it could be too late, as the effects of bone density loss are irreversible. “One of the reasons our bones are so important to our overall health is to prevent osteoporosis later in life,” McGrice says. “It’s sometimes hard for people to worry about things that might happen in the future, but osteoporosis is just so debilitating for some of the older members of our community.”
Avoid it by looking after your bones now – not in 10 years’ time – and enjoy a long and active life.
Learn more about the actions you can take for healthy bones.
