Osteoporosis is a bone disease that causes the bones to become weak, prorus, fragile and brittle, which leaves them prone to easy fractures from a simple fall or even a sneeze. While we all suffer bone loss with age, you can support the health and strength of your bones with regular exercise and by making changes in your diet.

For instance, you can incorporate foods that support bone and joint health (i.e., calcium rich foods and healthy fats) while avoiding foods that contribute to bone loss, such as:

1. High-salt foods
When you eat too much salt, your body releases more calcium than it should. That is why it is a good idea to watch your salt intake. Keep in mind that even if you never put salt on your food, you may still be consuming more than what you should. Read the labels before you buy any food to inspect for hidden sodium and try to keep your sodium intake below 2,300 mg per day.

2. Alcohol
You probably won’t do much harm to your health if you only consume moderate amounts of alcohol. However, if you drink too much over the long term, you can greatly increase your risk of osteoporosis. For instance, adult women shouldn’t consume more than two alcoholic beverages per day.

3. Beans and legumes
While beans and legumes are good for you, they can increase your risk of osteoporosis because they contain phytates within. Phytates make it harder for your body to absorb calcium. You don’t have to completely get rid of legumes and beans, but you can reduce phylate levels by soaking legumes or beans for two or three hours before you cook them. After that, you will need to drain them and put fresh water in a pot before you cook them.

4. Wheat bran
Like beans and legumes, wheat bran is also high in phytates. While eating wheat bran in moderation is totally fine, eating excessive amounts of wheat bran may impede your body from absorbing adequate calcium for bone health.

5. Foods rich in vitamin A
Vitamin A is found in foods like eggs, cod liver oil, fortified skim milk and breakfast cereals. In addition to watching your intake of foods with a lot of vitamin A, you also need to be careful of the supplements that you use. You are more likely to get too much vitamin A from a supplement than you are from food. Vitamin A supplements should be avoided unless they are recommended by a doctor.

6. Nightshade vegetables
White potatoes, eggplant, and peppers are examples of nightshade vegetables. These vegetables can trigger inflammation in the bones. However, these foods do contain other nutrients that are good for you, so just eat them in moderation.

7. Caffeine
Caffeine is found in sodas, teas, coffee and chocolate. It can cause bone loss by decreasing calcium absorption. That is why the consumption of caffeinated foods and beverages should be limited.

If you suffer from osteoporosis, there are bone density supplements that you can take to help protect your bones and stop further deterioration such as vitamin D, calcium, protein, magnesium, vitamin K, and zinc. You can also use doctor-prescribed Evinity to treat osteoporosis. You can save money by using an osteoporosis Evinity medicine coupon. Talk to your doctor to learn more about osteoporosis today.