Overview of Healthy Living
No matter how old you are, it is never too late to start. Building strong bones during childhood and adolescence is the best defense against getting
osteoporosis later. Building strong bones at a young age will lessen the effects of the natural bone loss that starts around age 30. As you get older, your bones don't make new bone quickly enough to keep up with the bone loss. And after
menopause, bone loss increases more quickly. But there are steps you can take to stop your bones from becoming weak and brittle. These steps include:
- Getting enough calcium
- Getting enough vitamin D
- Eating a healthy diet
- Exercising
- Not smoking
- Drinking in moderation or not at all
- Making your home safe
- Taking certain medications.
Bones are made of calcium. The best way to prevent osteoporosis is to get enough calcium in your diet. You need enough calcium each day for strong bones throughout life. You can get it through foods and/or calcium pills, which you can get at the drugstore. Talk with your doctor or nurse before taking calcium pills to see which kind is best for you.
Here's how much calcium you need each day:
|
Ages
|
Milligrams per day
|
|
9-18
|
1300
|
|
19-50
|
1000
|
|
51 and older
|
1200
|
Pregnant or nursing women need the same amount of calcium as other women of the same age.
Here are some foods to help you get the calcium you need. Check the food labels for more information.
|
Food
|
Portion
|
Milligrams
|
Percent of Recommended Daily Amount
|
|
Plain, fat-free (or low-fat) yogurt
|
1 cup
|
450
|
45
|
|
American cheese
|
2 ounces
|
348
|
35
|
|
Milk (fat-free or low-fat)
|
1 cup
|
300
|
30
|
|
Orange juice with added calcium
|
1 cup
|
300
|
30
|
|
Broccoli, cooked or fresh
|
1 cup
|
90
|
10
|
