Diets for Osteopenia

Osteopenia is a thinning of the bones that is milder than that found in osteoporosis. The condition is a step toward osteoporosis, and nutrition plays an important role in slowing the progression of decreasing bone density. Diet is not the only treatment option for osteopenia. Exercise and supplements can also be used to slow bone thinning when diagnosed with this condition.

Calcium

Include at least 1,000 mg of calcium a day if you are between 19 and 50. Add another 200 mg after age 50. Dairy products are good sources of calcium, but you can also use vegetables to increase your calcium. Use green leafy vegetables such as collard greens and kale as an alternative to dairy sources of calcium.

Add a little variety to your diet with tofu and legumes, which are sources of protein and calcium. A diet that has plenty of variety is much easier to stick to than one that uses the same foods over and over. Keep track of the milligrams of calcium that you get from food sources every day.

Acidic Foods

An acidic diet causes the body to take calcium from the bones to bring the PH balance of the body to a normal state. A diet that includes more meats and less green leafy vegetables causes this condition to occur. A natural menu with vegetables and fruits is more alkaline and does not cause the body to take calcium from bones. Leaching calcium from bones leads to the thinning that is present in osteopenia. Eventually, this continued thinning leads to bone loss and osteoporosis.
A diet that contains more vegetables than meat prevents the acidic condition in the body, which leads to calcium loss. Choose soy protein for your diet a couple of times a week, which will also increase your calcium intake at the same time.

Supplements

Supplements are an important part of an osteopenia diet. It can be difficult to get enough calcium in the diet through food sources alone. Food is the best way to get calcium, but supplements ensure that you are getting enough.

Read your supplement labels carefully so that you understand how much calcium you are actually getting. The number that you should pay attention to on the label is the elemental calcium. This number may differ from the total weight of the supplement. The total weight includes the fillers and other ingredients in the tablet. Look at the percent of daily value to find out how much elemental calcium is in the supplement. This is based on 1,000 mg of calcium per day as the daily requirement. You may have to make some adjustments based on your own requirements.