Alternative to Fosamax

Fosamax is a prescription medication used to treat and prevent bone loss and to increase bone mass. For people who wish to avoid this prescription medication and any side effects, many mineral-rich foods and herbal alternatives can be used for bone health. Adding weight-bearing exercise to your daily regimen can also aid in keeping bones strong and healthy.

Bone Healthy Diet

• Consuming plenty of leafy green vegetables, such as kale and collard greens, is one of the most important things that you can do to get the minerals needed for healthy bones. The minerals in leafy greens are more readily available to be absorbed by the body than some supplements.

  Calcium and Vitamin D are also an important pair to include in your diet. Broccoli and dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt are an important source of calcium. To get the needed Vitamin D you can eat more oily fish and spend at least 15 minutes in direct sunlight each day.

Herbal Infusions

• Another way to incorporate the needed minerals into your diet is by drinking nourishing herbal infusions. These make a wonderful addition to your daily diet. Use a handful of one of the following herbs to make an herbal infusion: oatstraw, nettle, comfrey leaves or red clover. Put the plant material into a quart-sized canning jar. Pour boiling water over the herbs to the top of the jar. Place the lid and seal on the jar and allow this to steep overnight. In the morning strain the liquid from the plant material and you have a wonderfully nourishing drink that contains a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals that feed healthy bones. This may be kept refrigerated if it will not be consumed that day, but should be discarded after about 36 hours because the infusion will spoil.

Weight-Bearing Exercises

• Getting weight-bearing exercise into your daily activity regimen is very important. This can be accomplished by taking up the exercise disciplines of yoga or tai chi, for example. Such activity can strengthen bones and increase bone mass in individuals who are already experiencing bone loss.

  You don't have to join the gym to get in this type of exercise. Carrying buckets of water and working around the yard and garden can count for weight-bearing exercise too. Try chopping your own wood if you have a fireplace. Use the weed eater on your own yard and then offer to do the neighbor's yard too. Taking a brisk walk is exercise that can also be considered weight-bearing.