Bone and Joint Health: A Woman’s Diet
Bone And Joint Health Articles > A Woman’s Diet
Bone and joint health is of particular importance to women since they are targeted more than men when it comes to osteoporosis. Many times women have a very difficult time getting the calcium that they need to maintain strong, healthy bones and joints. Women should get at least 1,200 mg of calcium each day and most women are only getting half that amount. It is this lack of calcium that can be the cause of problems for women when it comes to their bone and joint health.
To maintain bone and joint health women need to have a healthy lifestyle as well as eat a healthy, well balanced diet. Women should stop smoking and reduce their alcohol intake since both smoking and alcohol can weaken the bones. Women should add some type of weight training exercises to their exercise routine since this also helps to maintain bone and joint health. The diet that women eat is of particular importance to strong bones and joints. They should eat a diet that is rich in calcium and other vitamins and nutrients. If they are lactose intolerant they will have to find alternative choices to dairy products so that they are getting the recommended calcium amount each day. There are many calcium-fortified soy products on the market that women can use in their cereal or in their coffee. For women who have allergies to dairy products there are calcium-fortified foods that they can choose from that include orange juice and cereals. Other calcium rich foods include legumes, broccoli, beet greens, and artichoke hearts. Calcium rich foods that also include significant amounts of protein are tofu and salmon.
Maintaining bone and joint health is not only important to prevent osteoporosis, it is also important to ensure that as a woman ages she will not suffer fractures to her bones. Fractures in older women are slow to heal and can often cause joint problems as the woman ages. Women should talk to their doctor about their bone and joint health and find out what they can do to improve their chances of avoiding bone and joint problems.