Essentials to Bone Health
Learn how calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K and weight-bearing exercise—as part of a healthy diet—work together to help you maintain your healthy bones.
Calcium
We all know that calcium helps maintain strong bones. However, more than 87% of women and 64% of men do not meet the minimum recommendations of 1,000–1,300 mg/day. Find out how much calcium is in the food you eat and start making healthier choices for your bones and your body.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D may play a vital role in the absorption of calcium, but you don’t need to take them both at the same time. Your body naturally produces vitamin D when the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays hit your skin. Many people get enough vitamin D from sun exposure for approximately 15 minutes a few times per week. However, UV ray exposure is affected by season, geographic latitude, cloud cover and sunscreen, which means some Americans are not getting enough vitamin D. Dietary sources of vitamin D include egg yolks and fatty fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel and sardines. Additionally, you can get some vitamin D from a daily multi-vitamin or certain fortified foods.
Propel Calcium does not contain vitamin D.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K helps maintain bone mass by stimulating production of osteocalcin, the major noncollagen protein in bone. Green, leafy vegetables like Brussels sprouts, spinach, Swiss chard and parsley are great sources of vitamin K. Other good sources include eggs, strawberries, carrots, green string beans, asparagus and red bell peppers.
Propel Calcium does not contain vitamin K.
Reading Labels for Nutrient Content
Nutrition labels list nutrient content as a percentage of your Daily Value (% DV) per serving rather than in milligrams (mg) per serving. Remember, the % DV listed on food labels are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
To convert from % DV to milligrams simply add a zero to the % DV. For example, if a label says it has 10% DV for calcium, just remove the % DV and add a “0” to the end of the 10. Now you’ll see that the item contains 100 mg of calcium per serving.
Weight-Bearing Exercise
With regular weight-bearing exercise, your bones work harder and become stronger in response to the stress. Don’t let the name confuse you—you don’t have to lift weights to engage in weight-bearing exercise. In fact, weight-bearing exercise is any type of activity that requires your bones and muscles to work against gravity while they bear your own weight, such as jogging, stair climbing, racquet sports, step aerobics and yes, strength or weight training. Remember, weight-bearing exercise needs to be site-specific so it’s important to target both your upper and lower body for optimal bone health.
For more information, please visit www.propelfitnesswater.com.