Bone Health: Coffee and other caffeine-rich foods increase calcium excretion
How do you take care of the bones in your body? Difficult question, isn't it? Well, honestly, you don't give too much thought about some of the most vital components of your system including bones. It's extremely important that your bones remain healthy. Sometimes, your day-to-day habits may be affecting your bones without your knowledge. Nutritionist Anjali Mukerjee has something to tell you more about it. She dedicates a post on Instagram listing things that are harmful to your bones. In the caption, she writes, “Calcium is quite a fussy mineral and doesn't get absorbed easily. With only 20-30% being absorbed of the total ingested calcium, there are certain foods that actually prevent absorption and eventually promote bone loss.”
Anjali Mukerjee mentions the following seven things that you need to stay away from in order to keep your bones healthy:
1. Soft drinks
Do you like soft drinks? Well, before you go and grab a bottle of your favourite drink, let us tell you that it's bad for your health. Yes, soft drinks are rich in sugar and caffeine, and they contain phosphoric acid as a preservative. This can straight away result in loss of calcium from bones.
2. Animal protein
Beware of too much animal protein intake. Excessive consumption may cause urinary loss of calcium.
3. Caffeine
Sometimes, you may not realise this but the caffeine in popular beverages like tea, cocoa, chocolates and coffee increases calcium excretion.
4. Smoking and tobacco
If you are addicted to smoking or tobacco, stop right there. Smoking and chewing tobacco also rob the body of its calcium stores as nicotine affects the absorption of calcium.
5. Excessive salt and sugar
Do you eat a lot of sugar or salt in your meals? Overconsumption of these two boosts calcium excretion.
6. Less muscle mass
It is said that a person with a small frame or less muscle mass also tends to store less calcium.
7. Sedentary lifestyle
The nutritionist says a sedentary lifestyle robs your body of its calcium stores. When you begin any physical activity like walking, running, or jogging, it helps you prevent bone loss.
In the post, Anjali Mukerjee states that calcium must be accompanied by magnesium, phosphorous, vitamin A, C and vitamin D in your food, along with supplements. And exercising regularly for at least 30 minutes 6 days a week ensures better adsorption of the mineral.
So, there's an easy calcium-rich recipe – green bhaji, that can be extremely helpful for those who don't drink milk or dairy products.
You must savour two servings of this delicious green bhaji. For the recipe, refer to the details below:
Ingredients:
1. Spinach (chopped) – 2 ½ cups
2) Methi leaves (chopped) – ¾ cups
3) Chana dal – ½ cup
4) Paneer – ½ cup
5) Onions (chopped) – 2
6) Tomatoes (chopped) – 2
7) Garlic paste – 2 tablespoons
8) Green chillies – 2
9) Red chilli powder (optional) – ½ tablespoon
10) Haldi – ½ tablespoon
11) Oil – 2 tablespoons
12) Salt to taste
How to make this green bhaji?
Step 1: First, fry the onions lightly until they turn light brown. Put garlic paste and green chillies into it. Now, add the soaked chana dal and tomatoes until soft.
Step 2: Add spinach and methi leaves, followed by salt, haldi and a pinch of red chilli powder. Put some water and pressure cook it for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Mix everything together until it looks like a healthy blend. Serve hot. You can garnish it with fresh chopped paneer.
Do try out this recipe at home if you are worried about your bone health.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.