Foods to Avoid to prevent Osteoporosis

Salt Is Bad for the Bone

Salt can pose a great obstacle to a sturdy skeleton. Research has found that postmenopausal women with a high-salt diet lose more bone minerals than other women of the same age. Studies shown that regular table salt, not simply sodium, causes calcium loss, weakening bones with time. Getting the recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D every day helps offset bone loss from salt.

• Adults up to age 50 require 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily -- the equivalent of three 8-ounce glasses of milk.
• Older adults need 1,200 milligrams of daily calcium – about half a glass more of milk.

Good sources of vitamin D are natural sunlight and from fortified milk, egg yolks, saltwater fish, liver, and supplements.
Of all the dangers to bone, salt is perhaps the hardest to curb. Salt shows up in nearly all processed foods, including whole grain breads, breakfast cereals, and fast foods. If you think you can’t lower your salt sufficiently, eat plenty of potassium-rich foods, such as bananas, tomatoes, and orange juice. Potassium may help decrease the loss of calcium.

Soft drinks

Many soft drinks and certain other carbonated soft drinks contain phosphoric acid, which can increase calcium excretion in your urine. And nearly all soft drinks lack calcium. That combination spells trouble for women at risk of osteoporosis.

Caffeine

Caffeine leaches calcium from bones, sapping their strength.
You lose about 6 milligrams of calcium for every 100 milligrams of caffeine ingested.

Although tea also contains caffeine, studies suggest it does not harm, and probably helps, bone density in older women, regardless of whether they add milk to the beverage. Researchers think that tea contains plant compounds that protect bone.