Bone well being tends to be taken with no consideration till it turns into a priority. At some point you’re trucking alongside, dwelling your life, and the following, you’ll be able to, sadly, take care of a bone fracture with out warning—and bone fractures are not any enjoyable to take care of.
As a registered dietitian and an individual with many members of the family who’ve osteoporosis (a medical situation characterised by the weakening of bones, making them fragile and extra liable to fractures), I’ve seen first-hand how dietary selections can affect an individual.
What’s extra, I’ve seen how bone well being can affect so many different facets of our total well being. Not solely is ready for a damaged hip or femur to heal painful, but it surely additionally makes it very arduous to train and socialize through the restoration interval. Plus, an absence of train and socialization can lead to detrimental results on psychological and cardiovascular well being, which might result in an entire different boatload of challenges.
For sure, I’m very motivated to help my bone well being earlier than I run into challenges.
This is the reason, together with doing the tried-and-true issues that help bone well being, like taking part in weight-bearing train, avoiding cigarette smoke, and together with dairy meals in my weight loss program, I’ve began snacking on Sunsweet Probiotic+ Prunes ($6) to maintain my bone well being in-check.
Whereas this selection could also be shocking to some, there are some compelling the explanation why I lean on prunes for bone well being that is probably not on everybody’s radar (however they need to!).
Why it’s price consuming prunes for bone well being
Whereas it’s true that there are elements past dietary selections that may affect bone well being, like genetics, smoking habits, and train habits, dietary selections can have a big impact on bone well being, and shouldn’t be ignored.
In relation to meals that help bone well being, there isn’t a doubt that dairy meals get the highlight—and rightfully so. Dairy meals are full of bone health-supporting vitamins, like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. And knowledge exhibits that day by day consumption of low or non-fat dairy merchandise as a part of a wholesome dietary sample could also be related to improved bone mineral density and fewer bone fractures.
However whereas dairy can help bone well being in an impactful approach, they aren’t the solely meals that we ought to be consuming to maintain our bone well being in verify. Like dairy, prunes comprise many bone health-supporting vitamins, together with calcium, magnesium, and potassium. However, these naturally candy dried fruits additionally comprise bone health-supporting vitamins that dairy doesn’t comprise, like vitamin Okay, copper, boron, and a few bioactive plant compounds, serving to gasoline the physique with bone health-supporting vitamins that dairy drinkers could also be lacking.
The superb factor is that there’s precise knowledge exhibiting that day by day consumption of prunes could end in enhancements in bone well being. When particularly specializing in postmenopausal ladies (who’re at a larger threat of creating osteoporosis, due to these pesky hormonal adjustments), knowledge printed from Penn State confirmed that consuming 4 to 6 prunes daily for six months could stop lack of whole hip bone mineral density, and this impact persevered for the entire12 months of the examine. Different knowledge printed in Osteoporosis Worldwide demonstrated comparable optimistic results on bone well being when postmenopausal ladies consumed 5 to 6 prunes daily for six months.
PS: Related results had been discovered when older males got 4 to 6 prunes daily. Backside line? Prunes have turn out to be my go-to snack for bone well being due to this and different very cool knowledge. Plus, you shouldn’t wait till you’re older to begin prioritizing bone well being.
Why Sunsweet Probiotic+ Prunes are my go-to bone-health snack
After I want a candy deal with (which is, like, daily), as an alternative of reaching for sweet or ice cream, I’ve began leaning on prunes to tame my candy tooth. Not solely are they naturally candy with no added sugars, however they’re a decrease glycemic meals, they help my intestine well being, and naturally, they might assist maintain my bones wholesome and powerful.
All prunes will present essential vitamins that help each bone well being and digestive well being. However not all prunes present reside probiotics on prime of the entire superb different vitamins they comprise, so whereas most prunes on our grocery cabinets are nice selections, my prime choose is Sunsweet Probiotic+ Prunes. They’re made with a reside probiotic known as bacillus coagulans (particularly, BC30), a probiotic which will have anti-inflammatory advantages.
These prunes are naturally candy with some further juicy elderberry taste, completely moveable, and so they pair nicely with nuts, nut butter, and even darkish chocolate if you’re in search of some decadence. After all, they are often loved utterly on their very own too.
After dinnertime, when my snack assault strikes, I at all times take pleasure in 4 to 6 Sunsweet Probiotic+ Prunes as part of my night routine. After having fun with my nosh, I’m not craving sweets, I really feel happy, and I do know that I did one thing good for my bone well being, immune well being, and intestine well being just by the snack selection that I made.
