According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, there are approximately 8.9 million fractures every single year due to weakened bones from osteoporosis. This adds up to roughly one fracture every three seconds. Women start to be at a higher risk for developing osteoporosis starting at age 45 to 55, and men range between 45 and 50. This age is when your bones begin to thin, and you enter the first stage of the disease.
The Stages of Osteoporosis
There are three broad stages when it comes to osteoporosis and the disease’s progression. Some people advance faster than others due to lifestyle choices and genetics. However, the stages are:
- Healthy Bone – You start with healthy bone density. At this stage, your body builds up bone at the same rate your bone breaks down. You’ll have very dense bones at this stage, and there are no symptoms.
- Osteoporosis – This is the stage where your bone breakdown happens at a quicker pace than your body can build it. You may not have any visible symptoms at this stage, but you can detect a thinning of your bones with a bone density scan.
- Severe Osteoporosis – The final stage is severe osteoporosis. This is the stage where you receive a concrete diagnosis of osteoporosis, and your bones start to break from the pressure or stress that they could traditionally withstand without an issue.
Natural Calcium Sources to Build Bone Density
There are several natural sources of calcium that you can add to your diet to help prevent the onset of osteoporosis and build your bone density. Even adding one serving of the following five natural calcium sources can help. They include:
- Cheese – Adding a single ounce of cheese to your diet gives you 224 milligrams of calcium. This amount is over 22% of your recommended daily value.
- Kale (Cooked) – Eating one cup of cooked kale will give you 245 milligrams of calcium, and this works out to over 24% of your recommended daily value.
- Raw Milk – If you drink one cup of raw milk per day, you’ll get 207 micrograms of calcium. This amount is 30% of your recommended daily value.
- Sardines (Bone-In) – Eating two-ounces of sardines with the bones in gives you 217 milligrams of calcium per two-ounce serving. This amount is 21% of your recommended daily value.
- Yogurt or Kefir – Adding one cup of yogurt per day to your diet gives you 300 milligrams of calcium while one cup of kefir gives you 112 micrograms of calcium. Both of these amounts are roughly 30% of your recommended daily value.