Building healthy bones is extremely essential. Once we reach 30 years of age, we achieve peak bone mass. If adequate bone mass is not created during this time or bone loss occurs later in life, we have a high risk of developing fragile bones that break easily. Minerals are integrated into our bones during childhood and early adulthood. Fortunately, various nutrients from multiple foods and supplements can help us build strong bones and maintain them as we age.
List of Top Foods to Enhance Bone Health and Feel Energetic Everyday
1. Sweet Potato
Two lesser-known nutrients that maintain bone health are magnesium and potassium. If you’re low on magnesium, you can have issues with your vitamin D balance, which may impact your bone health. Potassium balances acid in our body that can leach calcium out of our bones. A mouth-watering way to get some of both of those nutrients is by eating a baked medium-size sweet potato with no salt, which has 30 mg of magnesium and 540 mg of potassium.
2. Citrus Fruit
By adding grapefruit to our breakfast, we can wake up our taste buds and add some essential nutrients for bone health. Citrus fruits consist of vitamin C, which has been shown according to research to prevent bone loss. One whole red or pink grapefruit has about 90 milligrams of vitamin C, giving us the amount we require for the entire day. But what about the sourness of a grapefruit? opt for an orange that comes in close with 83 milligrams of vitamin C.
3. Figs
When it comes to bone-strengthening fruits, figs should be somewhere at the top of your shopping list. Six medium fresh figs have over 100 milligrams of calcium and other nutrients like potassium and magnesium.
Be it fresh figs or dried ones, both are extremely delicious and full of nutrition to help you support healthy living. When it comes to the amount of calcium in dried figs, a half-cup has around 121 milligrams of calcium.
4. Tofu
Tofu is a popular food in Asian cooking, both for its versatility and the fact that it’s an amazing nutritional powerhouse. Half a cup of calcium-enriched tofu holds over 860 mg of calcium. Tofu has other bone-building advantages, too. Studies indicate that isoflavones, which are plentiful in tofu, may make soy valuable in warding off bone disease in women after menopause.
5. Orange Juice
It may go flawlessly with pancakes, but orange juice doesn’t naturally contain much calcium. But still, it can be a wonderful way to raise your intake. Confused how? Well, manufacturers often sell versions that have been strengthened with calcium. You can look for the same in the ingredients part on a pack. Do you know that fortified orange juice has about the exact amount of bone-building calcium as dairy milk? Just add this wonderful drink to your daily routine and see wonders.
