Filling your plate with the best foods for strong bones becomes more important every day. And there’s one eat, in particular, that experts recommend for boosting bones.
According to the National Council on Aging, once you hit age 50, you start to lose bone density faster than you can build new bone, which increases your risk for developing osteopenia (low bone density) or osteoporosis (loss of bone density that increases your risk of fractures). This bone loss accelerates after menopause, per the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation, with women losing up to 20% of their bone density in the seven years following the transition.
Meet the experts: Amy Davis, R.D., L.D.N., a registered dietitian based in New Orleans; Daniel Wiznia, M.D., an associate professor of orthopaedics at Yale School of Medicine.
But first, what sorts of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals does a bone-healthy diet contain? “There are certain nutrients that work together to support bone density, formation, and strength,” says Amy Davis, R.D., L.D.N., a registered dietitian based in New Orleans. “Those nutrients include calcium, Vitamin D, magnesium, and Vitamin K, plus protein to maintain bone structure and muscle mass.” As such, the best foods for bone health will contain as many of those nutrients as possible.
One that scores highly based on those measures is cottage cheese. “Cottage cheese is an excellent source of protein and calcium,” Daniel Wiznia, M.D., an associate professor of orthopaedics at Yale School of Medicine, told Prevention. These two nutrients are “important for bone maintenance,” Davis has explained. “Calcium provides the raw material for bone tissue, whereas protein helps protect the existing bones,” she said.
Cottage cheese also contains selenium, a trace mineral that plays a role in maintaining bone mineral density, per research in the journal Molecules, and magnesium, which is important for bone development and mineralization and may slow the progression of osteoporosis, according to a Frontiers in Endocrinology study.
Consider adding this tasty and filling food to your menu and enjoy the bone health-boosting benefits.
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