By Leslie Bonci, MPH,RDN,CSSD,LDN
As a registered dietitian and sports dietitian who works with active individuals and professional athletes, I am an advocate for food choices and eating patterns that support bone health. Too often, I work with clients who have a diagnosis of osteopenia or osteoporosis or who have experienced stress fractures or stress reactions. Being in preventative and proactive mode with behavior that is constructive, not destructive to bones is a must.
So to take care of our bones we need to minimize the bone robbers such as:
- Being sedentary
- Drinking alcohol to excess
- Smoking
- Crash diets
- Carrying excess body fat
- Not consuming enough protein
- Being under fueled
- And potentially the keto diet which may have adverse effects on bone health
So what can we do to preserve bone health and be more in build than breakdown mode?
Here are the nutrients that are involved in optimizing bone health.
KEY NUTRIENTS FOR BONE HEALTH
Bones are composed of several nutrients. To keep your bones healthy, you need much more than calcium. What you eat can help to build and maintain bones, so be sure to include some of the following foods every day. It takes a plate to make bones great.
| NUTRIENT | FUNCTION | AMOUNT | FOOD SOURCES |
| Protein | Bone formation, skeletal muscle strength | 0.4-0.9 grams protein/lb BW/d
Distribute protein evenly across all meals |
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, soy foods, legumes, nuts, seeds |
| Calcium | Confers bone strength and structure, skeleton mineralization, bone development and metabolism | 14-18: 1300 mg
19-50: 1000 mg 51-70: F 1200 mg, M 1000 mg 71+ 1200 mg |
Dairy foods, fish with bones, fortified cereals, fortified juices |
| Phosphorus | Skeletal development and bone integrity | 14-18: 1250 mg
19+ 700 mg |
Meats, dairy foods, beans |
| Magnesium | Helps the body to better use calcium, improves bone strength | 14-18: F 360 mg/M 410 mg
19-30: F 310 mg/M 400 mg 31 + F: 320 mg/M 420 mg |
Leafy greens, nuts/seeds, whole grains, tomato products, chocolate |
| Potassium | Maintain acid/alkaline balance
Neutralize acid load and minimize calcium loss from bone. May suppress calcium resorption and bone mineral dissolution |
14-18: F 2300 mg/M 3000 mg
19+ 4700 mg/d |
Beans, lentils, squash, prunes, beef, poultry potatoes, bananas, kiwi, citrus, tomatoes, dairy |
| Zinc | Important for bone metabolism and mineralization | 114-18: F 9 mg/M 11 mg
19+ F 8 mg/M 11 mg |
Shellfish, beef, pork, poultry, beans. Pumpkin seeds, fortified cereal, dairy |
| Manganese | Bone development and maintenance | 14-18: F 1.6 mg/M 2.2 mg
19+ F: 1.8 mg/M 2.3 mg |
Whole grains, nuts, leafy vegetables, prunes, tea, soybeans, oats, rice |
| Vitamin D | Maintain adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal bone mineralization. Involved in bone growth and bone remodeling | 14-18: 600 IU
19-70: 600 IU 70+: 800 IU |
Dairy foods, some plant milks, fortified cereals, cod liver oil, rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, egg yolk |
| Vitamin K | Necessary for bone formation and mineralization | 14-18: 75 mcg
19 + F 90 mcg, M 120 mcg |
Leafy greens, cabbage family vegetables, fish, liver, meat, eggs, soy foods esp natto, prunes, green tea, vegetable oils |
| Boron | Important for bone health and development and the metabolism of calcium, magnesium and Vitamin D | No established RDA | Prunes/juice, coffee, milk, beans, peanuts, apples, peaches |
| Vitamin C | Necessary for collagen synthesis (collagen is the main protein in bone), may increase bone mineral density | 14-18 F: 65 mg, M 75 mg
19-50: F 75 mg, M 90 mg |
Citrus fruits and juice, strawberries, peppers, potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, cantaloupe |
| Copper | Helps to prevent low bone mineral density | 14-18: 890 mcg
19+ 900 mcg |
Beef liver, oysters, potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, sunflower seeds, cashews, crab, tofu , cocoa |
In addition to our chews, we need to think about our moves. Bones need daily movement!
EXERCISE GUIDELINES
Children
- Build strong bone and achieve peak bone mass
- Decrease risk of overweight, Type II diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol
- 60 minutes/day
- Walking, stop and go sports, biking, running, skating
- Strength exercises such as pull-ups, push-ups
Adolescents
- To achieve peak bone mass and lean mass
- To lower the risk of chronic disease
- To achieve/maintain a healthy body composition
- For cognitive function
- 60 minutes/day
- Aerobic exercise: stop and go sports, endurance exercise
- Strength exercises: weights, body weight, machines
- Flexibility: stretching, yoga, Pila
Cardio exercise such as:
- Brisk walking/hiking
- Jogging/running
- Dancing
- Jumping rope
- Tennis
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Stair climbing
- Swimming is not an impact exercise; however, it does positively impact muscle strength, so a combo of swimming + weight training provides the best of both!
Strength training
- Resistance
- Isometrics: Own body weight
- Free weights
- Machines
Core training/Flexibility
- Strengthens the spine to provide more support
- Improves balance
- Tai chi
- Yoga
- Pilates
MAKE MOVEMENT FUN AND FUNCTIONAL
- Dance
- Use an iron skillet to cook and do bicep curls
- Play with your kids/grandkids
- Off the couch and on the floor- move your bod a little more
SIMPLE TIPS
Include a bone-building food at every meal and snack
Bone up breakfast by:
- Adding chopped prunes to your cereal, oatmeal or pancakes
- Making oatmeal with milk instead of water
- Swapping cereal to pick one fortified with bone-building micronutrients
- Making a smoothie with milk, yogurt, fruit and spinach
Bone up Lunch by:
- Adding canned salmon or sardines to a salad
- Throwing some beans into a wrap
- Add ingcanned tomatoes to a vegetable soup
- Using a chopped potato instead of rice for a bowl or make the potato the base of lunch
- Throwing prunes into a salad
Bone up Dinner by
- Adding chopped prunes to Brussel sprouts, or other roasted veggies
- Tossing pasta with broccoli, ricotta and pesto
- Adding more produce to the plate with roasted, sauteed, stir-fried or grilled veggies
- Pureeing cannellini beans and add to a soup or sauce
Snack Hacks
Instead of a bento box, try a bone-to box with:
- Cubes of cheese, almonds, prunes, shelled edamame
- Turkey jerky, roasted chickpeas and prunes
- Peanut butter, apple slices, Greek yogurt
Or
- Try a Trail mix with chopped prunes, Cheerios, walnuts
Or
- Make a smoothie with milk, yogurt, cocoa, nut butter and banana
Or
- Hummus with bean chips and veggies as the dippers
Or
- Stuff a cored apple with ricotta and almonds
Or
- Make a dip with plain Greek yogurt as the base to add more protein
YOUR YOU- DOS TO SUPPORT YOUR SUPPORTING STRUCTURE
- Create a bone-building food list
- Support bone-supporting behaviors
- Create active lifestyles—tone up and bone up
- Get out of the medicine cabinet and into the kitchen
- Use supplements as a complement to, rather than a replacement for food
Leslie Bonci is a registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics with expertise in sports nutrition, digestive health, and communication. She works with clients and also the industry as well as professional athletes through her companies: Active Eating Advice and Performance365. She is a blogger, author and presenter as well as educator.
