Episode 111: Nutrition for Bone Health

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As I often do with solo podcasts, I’m coming to you to answer a question I’m frequently asked: what should I be eating to protect my bones?</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bone health is a topic that comes up a lot in my work and for good reason; bone health is super important at all stages of our life. Whether we are thinking about protecting our bones against fractures (especially as we age), or how to best support healthy bones throughout our life, there are some very actionable suggestions and tips which can help you healthfully nourish your bones. These tips fall under two main categories: lifestyle and diet.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Lifestyle factors:</strong></p> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Incorporate weight bearing and flexibility exercises into your daily life: these types of exercises can be really beneficial to bone health </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Take pilates classes: pilates trains your body to know how to use core muscles and encourages flexibility </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Avoid smoking</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Fall-proof your home: make sure your home is safe to be moving around in so that you can avoid bone injuries</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Eat a healthy diet rich in bone-health friendly foods (see below for more on this)</span></li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><strong>Dietary factors and key nutrients:</strong></p> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Calcium is stored in our bones and when levels are low, our body takes from the bones, so I recommend eating calcium rich foods like dairy products, leafy greens, chia seeds, white beans, almonds, and taking supplements w