How to ensure healthy Bones

By Nelly Obadha

The bone structure defines the form and shape of your body. It holds together every part of your body and without it, you would be a pile of meat. It anchors the flesh and muscles and protects your internal organs from harm.

Healthy bones are, therefore, important for the general wellbeing of the body. Healthy bones mean you are strong to walk, run or engage in other physical activities.

How to ensure you have healthy bones

The two important nutrients for healthy bones are calcium and vitamin D. The body uses calcium to regenerate and build up bones whereas Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium into the system.

It is, therefore, important to incorporate these important nutrients in your daily diet to ensure you have strong healthy bones.

Calcium is found in most dairy products and other foods such as fish, especially salmon and sardines. Eggs, though categorised as not-very-healthy food due to the calories in the whites, contain plenty of Vitamin D in the yolks.

Apart from these foods, your diet should also be fully balanced with all the other food groups such as fruits, vegetables, minerals and carbs.

Exercise

Any form of physical activity helps to build a strong and healthy bone structure. When you undergo physical exercise, your bones get strained and stressed, which leads to a buildup of healthier and stronger bone cells that can endure the strenuous exercise.

Exercise also improves one’s balance and stability, which ensures you don’t topple over or fall down unnecessarily. The best exercises for your bones include jogging, swimming and weight training.

Quit smoking and alcohol

Smoking and alcohol are toxic and interfere with cells responsible for bone reconstruction, which leaves the bones weak and susceptible to injuries and fractures.

The older a person gets, the weaker the bones become and smoking and alcohol worsen this. This leads to osteoporosis, a disease characterised by weak bones that can easily break or fracture.

It is important to go for general health check-ups to ensure the detection and cure of any health problems at an early stage.