What should the elderly with osteoporosis eat?

There are three main causes of osteoporosis:

First, in terms of nutrition, there is too little calcium intake, low protein intake, lack of vitamin D, and too much phosphorus intake; second, disuse atrophy, which is caused by too little physical activity in old age, reluctance to move, fractures or bed rest; third, endocrine, lack of sex hormones, excessive secretion of parathyroid glands, and hyperthyroidism. Therefore, calcium intake should be increased in the diet. Calcium is an important component of bone, accounting for approximately 26% of bone.

According to our country’s standards, each adult consumes 600mg of calcium per day to meet the body’s needs. However, my country's current average daily calcium intake is only 400 to 500mg, and the quality of calcium is also poor, mostly from plant foods, such as rice, vegetables, etc. Middle-aged and elderly people, especially patients with osteoporosis, have reduced calcium absorption and are more likely to suffer from calcium deficiency. In addition to increasing calcium intake, attention should also be paid to improving the calcium quality of food. Milk, beans, bone meal, etc. are all high-quality calcium foods. They are not only rich in calcium, but also contain large amounts of lactose, vitamins C and D and other nutrients that help calcium absorption and utilization. Therefore, you should try to eat these foods.

In addition, you should also pay attention to eating fresh vegetables and fruits to supplement carotene and vitamin C. At the same time, you should also spend more time in the sun to increase vitamin D in the body to facilitate the absorption of calcium. Vegetables with dark green leaves are rich in calcium, except spinach, because the oxalic acid contained in spinach solidifies calcium, reducing the amount of calcium entering the body.

It is beneficial to eat dairy products and soy products regularly; you should also eat shrimps, fish, dried shrimps, etc. Domestic pigeons, sparrows, sparrow eggs, purple river powder (placenta powder), etc. can also be eaten; also used in combination with cordyceps, male silkworm moths, etc., can supplement some hormones and indirectly prevent osteoporosis. Manganese supplementation is also effective in preventing osteoporosis.

In order to prevent fractures in the elderly, in addition to paying attention to calcium supplementation during menopause, you must also exercise regularly, and the best exercise is walking. In addition to dietary therapy, if you walk for an average of 20 minutes after meals every day, you can basically avoid osteoporosis.