Living a healthy lifestyle includes many different factors. Exercise and nutrition are a big part of healthy living. While you’re probably familiar with how to exercise to support a healthy spine, you may not be as familiar with how to eat for a healthy spine. Your diet should contain essential nutrients to help your body function at its very best. Here are a few tips that will help you eat well to support a healthy spine.
Magnesium - Magnesium is a mineral that plays a very important role in the health of your spine. Your body needs it in order for the muscles to properly contract and relax. It also helps to maintain muscle mass right along with bone density. It also happens to be helpful to your body in order to help it use protein properly. You can find magnesium in
Whole grains – Magnesium is present in brown rice, whole-grain pasta, and whole wheat bread Seeds – Add sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds to your diet Beans – Pinto beans, black beans, and chickpeas are great sources of calcium Vegetables – Kale, spinach, and broccoli again Fruits – Add some kiwi, avocado, and bananas to your diet to get magnesiumCalcium - Healthy spine needs proper amounts of calcium. This mineral helps your body to maintain bone mass at every point in your life, which becomes even more important as you age since bones tend to become more brittle. Calcium also helps to prevent the bone disease osteoporosis, the cause of many cases of spinal fractures in the aging population.
Dairy – Milk, yogurt, and cheese are great sources of calcium Legumes – Black beans, tofu, peanuts, and baked beans Leafy vegetables – Broccoli, collard greens, kale, and spinach will give your calcium levels a boost Fish – Sardines and salmonVitamin D - Vitamin D and calcium go together because your body needs Vitamin D in order to absorb calcium properly. So, make sure to prioritize Vitamin D along with calcium in your healthy diet. Sources of vitamin D are
Eating eggs (and yolks) Spending a little time in the sun each day Drink milk fortified with Vitamin D