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Eating Right

Tips on Eating Right (Calcium & Vitamin D)

We've all been taught that proper nutrition is essential to building stronger bones. Fortunately, there are many calcium-rich foods and beverages you can incorporate into your daily diet. An added benefit is that while you improve your bone health, you'll also improve your overall health.

Calcium
A significant percentage of your bone density is made up of calcium. This mineral is not produced naturally by your body, so it must be consumed through calcium-rich foods, beverages, or supplements.

Calcium consumption and bone health are directly related. Just as children need calcium to build bone, older adults need calcium to preserve bone density. How much calcium you need depends on your age. The National Academy of Science recommends that people between the ages of 19 and 50 get at least 1,000 mg of calcium a day, while people 51 and older get at least 1,200 mg a day. To give you an idea of how you can meet your daily calcium requirement, one cup of yogurt contains 300 mg of calcium, while a cup of broccoli contains 90 mg.

There are a variety of foods and beverages rich in calcium, with milk being the most well-known. If you can't tolerate milk or other dairy products like yogurt and cheese, there are many other foods that are excellent sources of calcium, including:

Soybeans
Tofu
Kidney beans
Chickpeas
Green beans
Almonds
Brazil nuts
Calcium-fortified orange juice, breakfast cereal, granola bars and soy beverages.

Spinach
Kale
Broccoli
Collards
Oranges
Prunes
Raisins

Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential in helping your body absorb calcium, so it plays a very important role in your bone health as well. The older you are, the more vitamin D your body needs. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends that adults 50 and under get 400 IU to 800 IU of vitamin D daily, and that adults 50 and over get 800 IU to 1000 IU of vitamin D daily.

Ways to get additional vitamin D include:
- Sunshine-before applying sunscreen, get 10 to 15 minutes of direct sunshine 3 times a week
- Milk and fish-not many foods naturally contain significant amounts of vitamin D, but vitamin D-fortified milk and oily fish like salmon are good sources
- Daily supplements
Other vitamins and minerals that can help improve bone density include:
- Magnesium-Found in dark green vegetables such as spinach, kale, and romaine lettuce, and also in bananas, oranges and tomatoes.
- Potassium-Found in green, leafy vegetables and fruits, like oranges, and bananas.
- Vitamin K-Found in broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, spinach, soy products, strawberries, and liver. Best to consume with a little fat or oil to help absorption.
- Vitamin C-Found in oranges, grapefruit, lemons, cantaloupe, strawberries, peppers, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, tomatoes, and potatoes.
Please consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet. Changes in diet alone may be inadequate for the treatment of osteoporosis.

You can submit your bone health tips for gardening, exercising, and cooking, and they could be posted on BoneHealth.com!

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The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and does not take the place of talking to your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment.

Rally With Sally for Bone Health and the Rally With Sally for Bone Health Logo are registered trademarks of Roche Therapeutics Inc.

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This site is intended for U.S. residents only.

This site was last updated on 7/13/2010 .