3 Foods and Drinks to Avoid If You Have Osteopenia

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If you have osteopenia, you may be concerned about how to keep your bones strong. People with osteopenia have lower-than-normal mineral density in their bones. As bones lose their minerals, they become weaker.

Osteopenia means your bones have weakened, but it's not osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is when the bones lose enough of their mass that they become more likely to break. Osteopenia can lead to osteoporosis. So, it's important to think about what you can do to maintain the bone density that you have.

Your diet plays an important role in your bone health. Certain foods can help you build bone mass and keep your bones strong. These foods are rich in calcium and vitamin D. There are other foods, however, that can make it harder for your body to absorb these nutrients.

Here, we'll look at the nutrients your bones need to stay strong - and what foods and drinks to limit if you have osteopenia.

How can diet keep your bones strong?

Your body needs a steady supply of calcium to keep your bones strong. Calcium is the main mineral in bones. It makes up 40% of the mass of your bones. In fact, you can think of your bones as a holding tank for calcium. That's because your body needs calcium to support many other functions.

If you have too little calcium in your blood, your body signals your bones to release calcium into your bloodstream. Over time, this may weaken your bones. Having enough calcium in your bloodstream helps bones maintain their density.

What you eat can affect how much calcium you have in your body. The first step is to try to eat a diet rich in calcium.

But calcium needs to be absorbed from your digestive tract into your bloodstream. And that's where other foods come in. There are foods and nutrients that can help your body absorb calcium into your bloodstream. And there are foods that can reduce the amount of calcium you absorb from your diet. For example, your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium.

The goal is to have a nutritious diet that's rich in calcium and foods that help your body absorb it.

Foods and drinks to avoid with osteopenia

If you have osteopenia, you can help keep your bones healthy by getting enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet. It's also important to limit the following foods that can affect how your body uses these nutrients.

1. Salt

If you eat too much salt, it may cause your body to lose calcium. Some studies have found that people who eat high levels of salt (sodium) have an increased risk of osteoporosis. It's not clear how much sodium is too much. But experts recommend limiting salt intake to 2,000 mg per day. The average person, though, takes in more than this: 3,400 mg daily.

Salt is in many of the foods you eat. It can be hard to avoid completely. But here are some steps you can take to lower how much salt you eat:

• Try to shake less salt on your food. Experiment with pepper, red pepper, and other spices instead.

• When cooking, replace salt with herbs, garlic, and onions. Try using less salt than recipes recommend.

• Pre-packaged foods like frozen meals contain high amounts of "hidden" salt. When shopping, look at the nutrition fact labels of pre-packaged food. Look for low-sodium options.

• Cut back on chips and salty snacks.

• Watch for high-salt condiments (ketchup, soy sauce, dressings).

2. Sugar

Sugar can be bad for your bones. That's because foods with a lot of sugar can be low in calcium and vitamin D.

For example, drinking a sweetened soda means you've chosen it over calcium-rich drinks like milk or soy milk. Studies show that people with a diet high in sugar tend to have low levels of calcium and vitamin D.

Try to cut back on some high sources of sugar in your diet. These include:

• Sodas, energy drinks, and other sweetened beverages

• Cakes and cookies

• Sweet snacks

• Candy and chocolate

If you want to aim for even less sugar in your diet, look for hidden sugars. Sugar, like salt, is added to pre-packaged foods. Read the nutrition facts labels on packaged foods to see how much added sugar they contain.

For overall health, aim for the following amount of sugar per day:

• Women: no more than 25 g

• Men: no more than 36 g

Hidden sources of sugar include:

• Bread

• Soup

• Sweetened breakfast cereals

• Marinara sauce

• Barbecue sauce

• Cured meat

• Ketchup

3. Alcohol

Alcohol can affect your bone density. But it may depend on how much you drink. In studies, people who had more than 2 alcoholic drinks per day were more likely to have osteoporosis. But the research is less clear in people who have 1 to 2 drinks per day.

Some studies show that people who have up to 2 drinks per day had a lower risk of osteoporosis compared to non-drinkers.

It's not recommended that you start drinking alcohol to support bone health. But if you do drink alcohol, limit your intake:

• Women: 1 alcoholic drink a day

• Men: 2 drinks a day

Eating a healthy diet for osteopenia

You can help keep your bones healthy by eating a balanced diet. Many foods that are good for your bones are also the basis of a nutritious diet.

Try to include these foods in your diet:

• Fruits and vegetables

• Poultry

• Fish

• Nuts and legumes

• Low-fat dairy products

It's especially important to get enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet.

Good sources of calcium include:

• Low-fat milk

• Yogurt

• Cheese

• Orange juice fortified with calcium (and vitamin D)

• Dark, leafy greens (collard greens, kale, spinach)

• Bok choy

• Broccoli

It's a little harder to get enough vitamin D from your diet, since it's not found in many foods. But some good sources include:

• Eggs

• Oily fish (trout and salmon)

• Beef liver

• Foods fortified with vitamin D, like milk, soy milk, and orange juice.

You can also get vitamin D from sunlight (about 5 to 30 minutes of sun exposure a day). If you can't get enough calcium or vitamin D, your primary care provider may recommend taking a supplement.

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