strong and healthy bones don’t come out of nowhere; a series of lifestyle choices build them day by day. Exercising with weights, not smoking, supplementing with certain vitamins and mineralsand choosing the right foods and beverages (most famously, milk) contribute to strong, shatterproof bones.
Still, the connection between bones and beverages goes way beyond dairy (although, of course, it’s a great option). Numerous other beverages can help prevent bone loss by loading you up with calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus, vitamin C, and other bone-building nutrients.
If you’re working on curing your diet to combat osteoporosis, try these five healthy drinks. So don’t miss the The #1 Best Fruit to Prevent Aging Bones.
No surprise here! Milk it’s a classic for bone health for good reason. Dairy products are some of the highest dietary sources of calcium, the mineral that serves as a building block of the skeleton. While the jury is still out on exactly how much calcium to ingest daily to prevent bone loss, one thing is certain: Getting adequate vitamin D increases calcium absorption. Consuming the two together, as in a glass of vitamin D-fortified milk, offers a synergistic effect to strengthen bones.
Meanwhile, milk provides plenty of protein (an impressive 8 grams per 8 ounces). Investigate shows that protein is a key nutrient for bone health throughout life and even helps prevent osteoporosis.
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Can’t drink milk due to lactose intolerance or taste aversion? Don’t be discouraged, there are other dairy options available. AN study 2021 recommended that people who need to consume less milk choose fermented milk beverages as an alternative to promote bone health.
kefir is an excellent example. This probiotic-rich bottled dairy product (which you can think of as a drinking yogurt) is lactose-free but still packed with plenty of calcium. Full-fat dairy kefir also packs a punch of vitamin K2, another major player in bone health. AN 2015 study in patients with osteoporosis found that supplementing their diet with kefir for six months was associated with increased bone turnover and hip bone mineral density.
Dairy products top everyone’s list calcium rich foodsbut dark green leafy vegetables they are not far behind. Spinach and kale contain considerable amounts of calcium (although spinach contains oxalates, which inhibit the body’s ability to absorb its calcium). For building bones, kale is a better choice for popping green smoothies or juices.
Blend some fresh kale in the blender with fortified milk, kefir, or yogurt to maximize the calcium and vitamin D content, then sweeten things up with the addition of banana or orange segments. Its potassium content can help improve bone mineral density.
Grapefruit juice already has a reputation as a wellness drink. (What else do healthy nuts drink with breakfast?) It turns out that juice may have even more to offer beyond its Weight loss and skin health benefits.. Grapefruit juice can also help maintain strong and sturdy bones.
The cool, fruity drink contains extremely high amounts of vitamin C, which helps the production of collagen in the bone matrix and eliminates free radicals that are harmful to bone health. Animal research on the effects of grapefruit juice on bones is especially promising.
In A studygrapefruit pulp improved bone quality in rats, while in other, grapefruit juice increased bone quality, bone mineral content, and bone turnover. More research is needed to pin down the juice’s impact on humans, but we say go ahead and drink rosé for bone health.
alternatives to milk They don’t always offer all the protein of cow’s milk, but they are much more than just nutty-flavored water. In fact, “milks” such as soybeans, almond, cashew and macadamia deserve a place in your fridge to strengthen the bones. These beverages are typically fortified with several nutrients that prevent bone loss, especially calcium and vitamin D. Check the Nutrition Facts label on an alternative milk and you may be surprised to find that it actually contains more of these nutrients than cow’s milk.
Of the many types of non-dairy milk on the market, soy milk is an especially good choice for bone health because of its high protein content, as well as calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus, and magnesium. eight ounces of silk original soy milkfor example, it comes with 8 grams of protein (same as cow’s milk), 30% of the Daily Value (DV) for calcium, and 15% of the DV for vitamin D.
Along with the drinks, here are the Top 5 foods to keep your bones from aging, says a dietitian.
