How to make bones and muscles strong?

Guru Krishna

1 year ago

How to make bones and muscles strong?

Nutrition Digestive issues Lifestyle Physical activity

Happy Tummy Expert

1 year ago

Dear Guru Krishna, Thank you for the question

Strong and healthy bones determine the overall health of an individual. It is important to take care of calcium and vitamin D requirements for muscle and bone health, to maintain Bone mineral density and prevent the risks of osteoporosis, osteoarthritis.

Gaining muscle mass, toning of muscles, and increasing muscle strength requires specific exercise regimen followed by appropriate dietary changes, especially in terms of good quality proteins balanced with appropriate calories, which should be done under professional guidance. For specific exercise regimen please contact a fitness expert.

Some of the nutrients that support healthy muscles and bone include protein, calcium, vitamin D, magnesium etc. Some of the food sources rich in these nutrients include milk and milk products, green leafy vegetables, lentils, soybean, nuts, etc. Sunlight is the one of best sources of vitamin D, exposing yourself to the sun or sunbathing for 10-15 minutes can help maintain bone health and vitamin D increases the absorption of calcium in the bones. Other sources of Vitamin D include eggs, fatty fish, fortified cereals etc. Include these foods in your daily balanced diet.

Recommended daily allowance for calcium is 1000mg per day for both men and women and for Vitamin D is 15mcg per day for men and women.

As a general dietary guideline, for an apparently healthy individual/ with no specific health or nutrition needs and/or metabolic condition it is recommended to consume 2000kcal/d and the RDA for protein requirement is 54g/d for men.

Here are few guidelines for healthy balanced diet that can be considered:

Have a Diversified Balanced Diet that includes all the food groups in the right quantity which thereby provides you with all the essential macro and micro nutrients that your body requires daily for proper functioning.
Try to incorporate the My plate Concept by dividing your plate into 4 quadrants, fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, the other two quadrants with cereals and protein. A small quantity of dairy intake is recommended.
Some of the good sources of protein include pulses, lentils, milk, paneer, soybean, eggs, lean meat, nuts & seeds, etc.
Begin your day with a well-balanced breakfast as it is an important meal of the day.
Avoid skipping meals. Also, try to avoid fasting and feasting too often.
Consume small frequent meals, with healthy snacking options.
Consume minimum 5 servings of vegetables and 1 serving of fruit as they are rich in Fiber, essential minerals & Vitamins as well as they give you a feeling of satiety.
Try to consume more of Whole grains, Millets and Multigrain foods as they are a good source of fiber.
Limit intake of deep-fried foods. Method of cooking like baking, grilling, boiling, steaming is preferable over deep frying with excess fat/ oil.
Have your last meal at least 2-3 hours before sleep time.
Drink adequate amount of water (minimum 8 glasses) of water daily to keep yourself well hydrated
Engage in at least 30-45 minutes brisk walk/physical activity of moderate intensity at least 5 days a week.
Try and follow a good sleep regimen in terms of both quantity and Quality.