How To Build Bones And Support Your Structure

Leslie Bonci, MPH, RDN, CSSD, LDN, Owner- Active Eating Advice

As a sports dietitian who works with both male and female active individuals and professional athletes, I am an advocate for food choices and eating patterns that support bone health. Too often, I have clients who are diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis or who have experienced stress fractures or stress reactions. Therefore, it is important to be preventative, impactful, and proactive with food choices and eating behaviors that are constructive – not destructive – to bones.

Let’s discuss a few actions you can take to preserve your bones. These recommendations are important for men as well as for women.

HOW TO BUILD BONES: SUPPORT YOUR SUPPORTING STRUCTURE

Minimize actions that contribute to bone breakdown
Know your bone-building foods
Take up an active lifestyle
Get creative with bone-healthy foods in the kitchen

Minimize actions that contribute to bone breakdown, which include:

Being sedentary
Drinking alcohol to excess
Smoking
Crash diets
Carrying excess body fat
Not consuming enough protein
Not consuming enough vitamins and minerals
Being under-fueled

Know your bone-building foods. What nutrients help build and maintain bone? There are quite a few worth noting. Here are the nutrients that are involved in optimizing bone health and some foods that you can include in your daily meals and snacks to be sure you’re getting enough of each.

person holding Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel's stuffed french toast on a white plate

NUTRIENT	FUNCTION	DAILY AMOUNT	FOOD SOURCES
Protein	Bone formation, skeletal muscle strength	0.4-0.9 grams protein/lb BW 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 mg19-50: 1000 mg 51-70: F 1200 mg M 1000 mg 71+ 1200 mg	Dairy foods, fish with bones, fortified cereals, fortified juices, fortified plant “milk”
Phosphorus	Skeletal development and bone integrity	14-18: 1250 mg19+ 700 mg	Meats, dairy foods, beans
Magnesium	Helps the body to better use calcium, improves bone strength	14-18: F 360 mgM 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 mgM 3000 mg 19+: F 2600 mg M 3400 mg	Beans, lentils, squash, prunes, beef, poultry potatoes, bananas, kiwi, citrus, tomatoes, dairy
Zinc	Important for bone metabolism and mineralization	14-18: F 9 mgM 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 mg19+ 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: 15 mcg (600 IU)19-70: 15 mcg (600 IU) 70+: 20 mcg (800 IU)	Dairy foods, some plant milk, fortified cereals, cod liver oil, rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, egg yolk
Vitamin K	Necessary for bone formation and mineralization	14-18: 75 mcg19 + F 90 mcg, M 120 mcg	Leafy greens, cabbage family vegetables, prunes, fish, liver, meat, eggs, soy foods esp. natto, green tea, vegetable oils
Boron	Important for bone health and development and the metabolism of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D	No established RDA or AI	Prunes/prune 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 mg19-50: F 75 mg, M 90 mg	Citrus fruits and juices, strawberries, peppers, potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, cantaloupe
Copper	Helps to prevent low bone mineral density	14-18: 890 mcg19+ 900 mcg	Beef liver, oysters, prunes, potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, sunflower seeds, cashews, crab, tofu, cocoa

Couple sitting and eating prunes after a work out

3. Take up an active lifestyle. Incorporate a variety of exercises to strengthen your bones and maintain your overall health. An ideal exercise regimen includes cardio, strength training, and flexibility. Examples of these exercises can be seen below:

Cardio

Strength Training

Flexibility

Brisk walking/hikingJogging/running

Dancing

Jumping rope

Stair climbing

ResistanceIsometrics: Own body weight

Free weights

Weight machines

Tai chi

Yoga

Pilates

Bowl of Prune and Farro Salad Recipe with Zesty Herb Vinaigrette with wooden spoon

Get creative with bone-healthy foods in the kitchen. Make a point to use different bone-supporting ingredients to add flavor, texture, and color to all of your meals and snacks.

Breakfast Ideas:

Add chopped prunes to your cereal, oatmeal, or pancakes
Make oatmeal with milk instead of water
Swap cereal to pick one fortified with bone-building micronutrients
Make a smoothie with milk, yogurt, fruits, and spinach

Lunch Ideas:

Add canned salmon or sardines to a salad
Throw some beans into a wrap
Add canned tomatoes to a vegetable soup
Use a chopped potato instead of rice for a bowl or make the potato the base of lunch
Toss prunes into a salad

Dinner Ideas:

Add chopped prunes to Brussels sprouts, or other roasted veggies
Toss pasta with broccoli, ricotta, and pesto
Add more produce to the plate with roasted, sauteed, stir-fried, or grilled veggies
Puree cannellini beans and add to a soup or sauce

Snack Hacks:

Cubes of cheese, almonds, prunes, shelled edamame
Turkey jerky, roasted chickpeas, and prunes
Trail mix with chopped prunes, Cheerios, walnuts
A smoothie with milk, yogurt, cocoa, nut butter, and banana
Hummus with bean chips and veggies
Stuff a cored apple with ricotta and almonds

Your bones support you every day. They are important for everything you do, so it is critical that you take care of them. Try one or all of these tips to keep your bones healthy for now and for your lifetime.