What are the dietary taboos for osteoporosis?

There are no absolute dietary taboos for osteoporosis. The core principle is to reduce the intake of foods that will accelerate calcium loss and hinder calcium absorption. You don’t have to completely quit certain foods, just control the intake and consumption pattern. I met the 62-year-old Aunt Zhang when I was doing health education in the orthopedics department. She drank 2 cups of high-calcium milk and took one calcium tablet every day. However, a year later, her bone density dropped by 0.03. After careful questioning, I found out that she drank 3 large cups of green tea that was so strong that it was bitter. She also had pickled radish with every meal. All the calcium supplements were quietly "stolen".

Many people think that calcium supplementation is enough. In fact, the big problem is that the calcium we eat is taken away quietly. For example, the sodium in the pickles, sauced meats, and processed snacks we usually eat. For every 1 gram more sodium eaten, more than 20 mg of calcium will be taken away. Don’t underestimate this amount. If you eat twice the recommended amount of salt every day (that is, more than 12 grams), it is equivalent to losing more than 30 grams of calcium in a year, which is almost 3% of an adult’s total body calcium. I once met an old man who couldn't live without pickles. He couldn't bear to throw away the leftovers after three or four meals. He ate twice as much salt as the recommended amount. Even though he took calcium tablets every day, he still suffered a hip fracture last year.

In addition to high salt content, you don’t need to completely quit the strong tea and coffee that everyone often drinks, as long as they don’t exceed the amount. For example, it is perfectly fine to drink 1-2 small cups of Americano or light tea every day. If you drink three or four cups of bitter tea or large iced Americano every day, the tannic acid and caffeine in them will not only hinder the intestinal absorption of calcium, but also increase the excretion of calcium in the urine. The added calcium will not be lost enough, so it will naturally be useless.

There is another topic that everyone has been arguing about for a long time-can we drink bone soup? Many elders think that you can drink whatever you drink to replenish your body, and milky white bone soup is the most calcium-replenishing. Many people also say that bone soup is full of fat, and drinking it will make you gain weight. In fact, both opinions are a bit extreme. There is indeed very little calcium in bone soup, and it is bound calcium that is difficult for the human body to absorb. If the soup you make has a thick layer of oil floating on it, drinking it every day will indeed make you gain weight and increase blood lipids, which is detrimental to bone health. But if you really like to drink it, add half a spoonful of vinegar when boiling it to promote calcium precipitation, skim off the upper layer of oil, and drink it 1-2 times a week to satisfy your cravings. There is no problem at all, and you don’t need to completely avoid it.

Similarly, there are vegetables with high oxalic acid such as spinach, amaranth, and bamboo shoots. It has been said before that people with osteoporosis cannot eat them at all. This is not true. The potassium and magnesium in these vegetables can actually help the body use calcium. Just blanch them in boiling water for 1 hour before eating. In minutes, more than 80% of the oxalic acid will dissolve into the water. Eating it normally will not affect calcium absorption at all. If you mix it raw or stir-fry it without blanching, a large amount of oxalic acid will combine with the calcium you eat to form calcium oxalate that is not absorbed, and the supplement will be in vain.

There are also carbonated drinks and sparkling water that young people love to drink. It’s okay to drink a can of them occasionally to relieve tiredness. If you drink these as water every day, the excessive phosphorus in them will disrupt the body’s calcium and phosphorus balance, which is equivalent to “replacing” the calcium in the bones and throwing it away. Over time, bone density will decrease much faster than that of peers.

To put it bluntly, the diet for osteoporosis is never a "one-size-fits-all" taboo. The core is a balance. Don't focus on a certain food that may affect calcium. Instead, usually eat more high-calcium foods such as milk, dark green vegetables, and soy products. You will make up more than you lose, and your bones will naturally be stabilized.