Diet to Improve Your Quality of Life

Osteoporosis is defined by porous and fragile bones.
It happens when our bones lose their density, rendering them likely to develop fractures.
It also impacts on our life expectancy and quality of life.
A Medical Journal of Australia study discloses that osteoporosis impacts on around 1.2 million Australians and there are 5.4 million Australians who have low bone density.
Department of Health statistics show that it spent $304 million on the entire health expenditure for osteoporosis during 2004-05.
There is still a great deal of room for improvement and prevention is key.
In terms of nutrition, there are some steps which can be taken to improve bone health and prevent bone destruction as we get older.
Bone density is affected by calcium intake, absorption of calcium, exercise, lifestyle, genetics, hormones and gender.
Our levels of vitamin D, magnesium as well as other micronutrients affect our bone density too.
Calcium is a key micronutrient which helps bone growth, strength and density.
Good food sources for calcium are skimmed milk, fish with bones, natural yoghurt, green veg, tofu; tempeh, nuts, seeds, oysters and seaweed.
The recommended daily intake for calcium is 1000 milligrams.
Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, which helps grow denser, stronger bones. Food sources to aid in the production of vitamin D are fortified milk, eggs, oily fish such as sardines, herring and salmon and their oils. Sunlight is an excellent source of vitamin D.