What will strengthen bones and muscles in older women?

Useful and harmful foods for the spine

Essential vitamins and microelements

Food should not just go into the stomach. It must be well absorbed, dissolve, enter the blood and reach the bones of the spinal column. The comprehensive use of certain vitamins will help to significantly facilitate this process.

1. So, most people know that vitamin D helps calcium absorption.
2. Vitamin A is an essential element of the calcium cycle. It is listed as fat soluble and cannot be absorbed in the absence of fat.
3. The B group of vitamins is important for the breakdown of proteins and carbohydrates.
4. C (ascorbic acid) – necessary for collagen synthesis. This vitamin converts calcium from an inorganic compound to an organic one.

The supply of certain microelements and vitamins to the structure of the spine is very important. Among microelements, the presence of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese .

Enemies of the spine and joints - foods that need to be limited in the diet

• Table salt Contained in any canned food, semi-finished products, fried potatoes, frozen foods, cheeses. Salt does not allow calcium to integrate normally into the bone tissue of the spine and corrodes it, forming holes. Moreover, it creates its excessive extraction from the bones. Osteoporosis occurs.
• Alcohol What effect does alcohol have on our spine? Calcium is found in human blood in two forms. 50 percent is ionized active calcium, which is well absorbed into the blood, and calcium bound to transport proteins that move it. This calcium, no matter how much it is, will never get into the bones of the spine. Alcohol blocks the conversion of calcium into an active form and all calcium in our blood becomes inactive. Osteoporosis sets in and bones begin to break.
• Margarine Margarine is an artificially created hydrogenated fat in a semi-solid form. Our body processes them with great difficulty. Trans fat, which is margarine, when it enters the stomach, blocks the actions of vitamins K and D. Bones become fragile and can break even with light stress.
• Refined sugar and grains after industrial processing These products contribute to excess weight gain, which has a harmful effect on the spine and the entire musculoskeletal system. You should see as little as possible in your diet of confectionery, creams, chocolate, white rice and semolina porridge, white bread and buns.
• Coffee This common and beloved product by many interferes with the normal absorption of calcium in the body, and therefore large quantities of this drink are a direct threat to the health of the spine and joints.
• All canned foods , pickles, smoked meats, sausages, fast food, sweet soda.
• Nitrates, vinegar, glutamate, salt, sugar substitutes, dyes and food additives with the symbol E found in these foods help wash calcium out of the bones and interfere with its absorption from food in the intestines.

How to create a menu to strengthen the spine and joints correctly?

In order for bone and cartilage tissue, as well as the muscular and ligamentous apparatus of a person to be healthy, the body needs certain vitamins and microelements.

Of course, a person should mainly “take” these substances from the food he eats daily. Therefore, it is necessary to pay very close attention to the preparation of your daily diet.

Most often, the following products should be found in a healthy menu for the spine:

• Milk, a number of fermented milk products, and other milk products. This is the best source of calcium. To replenish the norm of this substance in the body, a person needs to drink at least a liter of milk or kefir per day. The same amount of calcium is contained in 200 grams of cottage cheese or 120 grams of hard cheese.
• Greens and all leafy vegetables This group includes spinach, cabbage, green lettuce, parsley, celery, etc. These foods are rich in calcium. In addition, they also contain many vitamins and microelements that are beneficial for bones - iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium.
• Fatty fish, fish liver, caviar. Attention should be paid to salmon, trout, sardines, tuna. Vitamin D, which is contained in these products, is very useful and necessary for bones. It is worth noting that only fresh fish prepared by baking or steaming will benefit. Do not eat overcooked, salted, smoked fish or canned fish. It is enough to consume 50 grams of fish daily to replenish the daily reserve of vitamin D in the body; cod caviar and liver - 20 grams each.
• Other varieties of fish and seafood This group of products includes flounder, squid, seaweed, capelin, mackerel, cuttlefish, mussels, pollock, herring, and shrimp. All of them contain a lot of phosphorus of organic origin, which makes it easy to absorb in the human body and enrich the diet aimed at strengthening bones and joints.
• Animal liver It is better to choose beef or lamb liver. This product is rich in copper, vitamins A and D3. The latter vitamin significantly improves the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the body, which is simply necessary for a person of any age.
• Seeds, cereals, nuts In this group, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and buckwheat are especially useful for the spine. All of these foods contain large amounts of zinc, which helps the body absorb vitamin D and bone-healthy calcium.
• Apricot Contains potassium, which contributes to the normal functioning of the muscular system, which should form a strong corset around the bones and support the spine. Apricots can be consumed in the form of apricots - 7-10 pieces daily are enough.
• Beetroot, porcini mushroom, spinach These foods are rich in manganese, which promotes normal growth and regeneration of bones and cartilage tissue in the body.
• Pumpkin, persimmon, tomatoes, bell peppers This group of products contains beta-carotene, which is very important for bone and muscle tissue.
• All citrus fruits are an inexhaustible source of vitamin C, which is very beneficial for bones.
• Vegetable oils All vegetable oils contain unsaturated fatty acids, which have an anti-inflammatory effect.
• Gelatin, agar-agar, lean meats and chicken. All these products are a source of protein, which is a “building material” for cartilage tissue, bones, and muscle fibers. It is known that aspic, strong broths and jellies are very useful for fractures and bone pathologies.

An approximate diagram of a healthy nutrition menu to strengthen the spine and joints:

It is divided into 5 meals:

Breakfast (first)

• Freshly squeezed carrot juice (can be apple or citrus).
• Curd pudding with candied dried fruits (on other days you can prepare an omelet from 1 egg, boiled chicken breast (150-200 grams), lazy dumplings, oatmeal with milk (it is better to take cereal, not rolled oats)).

Breakfast (second)

• “Greek” salad (On other days - a sandwich with black bread and cheese without butter, a baked apple with pumpkin seeds or nuts, a boiled egg, kozinak from various grains with candied fruits and honey, cottage cheese soufflé, protein pancakes with fresh berries).
• Green tea with a spoon of honey.

Dinner

• Puree soup with grated vegetables in meat broth (on other days - soup with lentils and spinach, borscht, cabbage soup with carrots, cabbage and spinach, fish soup with egg dumplings).
• A slice of black bread (or grain bread).
• Pieces of boiled chicken fillet in creamy sauce (or lean beef, chicken or beef jellied meat, vegetable stew).
• Tea with herbs.

Afternoon snack

• Light yogurt (cottage cheese with nuts).
• 150 gr. protein biscuit (curd mousse, baked cheesecakes, cheese cookies, jelly with fresh berries and fruits).
• Herbal tea or green tea with honey and lemon.

Dinner

• Boiled or baked fish with vegetables (brown rice porridge with nuts and dried fruits, buckwheat porridge with a piece of chicken, vegetable stew with lean beef).
• Kefir (green tea with honey).

Strengthening bones: what you need to know?

Calcium and vitamin D are of particular importance for the skeletal system in the body. This means that a person of any age must monitor the amount of these microelements in his own body and take care of their timely replenishment. Also, bones constantly need phosphorus, magnesium and iron, which contribute to the production and participate in the absorption of calcium.

Calcium for strengthening bone tissue

The main building block for bone tissue is calcium. It is what promotes density and rapid regeneration of bone tissue. With a low intake of calcium from food, the body has to start using calcium, which is localized in the bones themselves.

A decrease in the level of the mineral is usually provoked by long-term diets or fasting, the absence of foods containing a large supply of calcium in the daily menu, pregnancy, stress, various pathologies, digestion begins to suffer and mechanisms of changes in the endocrine system are triggered. The cause may also be a decrease in the level of vitamin D in the body. Mostly at risk for calcium deficiency are children and middle-aged people, as well as the elderly, due to the way the body works.

A lack of calcium is dangerous and can trigger irreversible negative changes in the body as a whole, therefore, when making a diagnosis, data on the amount of the mineral in the cells of the body is often used.

Vitamin D and its help in strengthening

Vitamin D is responsible for the entry of calcium and phosphorus into cells and maintains the balance of elements. The “sunshine” vitamin is synthesized independently and to produce it you need to take more frequent walks in the sun. Vitamin deficiency leads to pathologies such as rickets and poor posture

in children, weakening of bone tissue and the risk of fractures in older people.

How to strengthen bones if fractures cannot be avoided

Due to bone damage, regardless of the underlying cause, the bone tissue's need for sufficient calcium increases greatly. If it is not possible to restore the required level of the mineral by introducing foods fortified with calcium, then the doctor may prescribe medications that will help cope with this task.

There are also a lot of folk remedies that compensate for the lack of calcium in the human body. It is advisable to use eggshells crushed into powder, rosehip infusion, fir oil, and birch sap. Shilajit, nettle, horsetail, burdock roots, clover, and coltsfoot infusion also contain calcium.

What to do to keep your bones strong and healthy

You can make your bones strong and dense by following a few rules:

1. Watch your weight – extra grams put excessive stress on the knee joints;
2. It is especially important to include physical activity in your daily routine - 30 minutes should be devoted to exercise every day. You can give preference to anything: walking, dancing, fitness, swimming, yoga, running, cycling;
3. Ensure that bones and joints are always protected;
4. Take a long rest every 6-7 days;
5. Monitor your diet: it must contain foods containing beneficial microelements for bone tissue;
6. Reduce the amount of salt in dishes, as salts directly affect bone density levels;
7. Reduce the number of cups of coffee, or better find a replacement with less caffeine;
8. Avoid drinking alcohol, as it blocks the process of absorption of vitamins and microelements in the tissues of the body;
9. Stop smoking.

The optimal diet to help bones maintain strength and density

Nutrition is the most important criterion to consider when talking about health and life in general. How balanced it is directly affects a person’s general condition and well-being. A diet containing calcium-containing foods will be healthy and tasty, and will also play a major role in strengthening bone tissue and maintaining its strength. It is important to know how much calcium your body gets from your diet every day.

In pursuit of the goal of strengthening bone tissue, when creating a menu, it is worth giving preference to the following products:

1. Soybeans, green peas, beans;
2. Milk with a fat content index of 1%. For people suffering from lactose intolerance, the option of replacing dairy products with almond milk may also be suitable; soy milk may also be suitable;
3. Sesame oil;
4. Lemon, kiwi, raspberries, red and black currants, persimmon, orange;
5. Natural yoghurts with a low fat content, hard cheese, kefir, cottage cheese, feta cheese, sour cream with a fat content index of 10%, acidophilus;
6. Broccoli, spinach, beet tops, sauerkraut, seaweed;
7. Young beef, poultry;
8. Dried apricots, dates, figs, raisins;
9. Pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds;
10. Sesame, sunflower seeds, flax, pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds;
11. Greenery;
12. Wheat bran, cereals;
13. Egg yolks;
14. Radishes, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots;
15. Whole wheat bread;
16. Oysters, as well as shrimp and crabs;
17. Fatty fish.

How much calcium does a person need per day?

A growing child's body requires 1300 mg of calcium, and adults up to 50 years of age need 1000 mg. The same indicators are normal for women during pregnancy and lactation.

If a person is over 50 years old, then the norms for mineral consumption will vary significantly depending on gender.
Women need more calcium - about 1200 mg, while men over 50 need only 1000 mg. Author: K.M.N., Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences M.A. Bobyr