Osteoporosis and the broken bones it can cause are not part of normal aging. There is a lot you can do to protect your bones throughout your life. You’re never too young or too old to improve the health of your bones. Osteoporosis prevention should begin in childhood. But it shouldn’t stop there. Whatever your age, the habits you adopt now can affect your bone health for the rest of your life. Now is the time to take action.
What can you do to protect your bones?
- Get enough calcium and vitamin D and eat a well balanced diet
- Engage in regular exercise.
- Eat foods that are good for bone health, such as fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid smoking and limit alcohol to 2-3 drinks per day.
Calcium and Vitamin D: What You Need to Know
Getting enough calcium and vitamin D is essential to building strong, dense bones when you’re young and to keeping them strong and healthy as you age. Find out what you need to know about the two most important nutrients for bone health.
Read more about Calcium and Vitamin D
Food and Your Bones
The food that you eat can affect your bones. Learning about the foods that are rich in calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients that are important for your bone health and overall health will help you make healthier food choices every day.
Read more about how food affects your bones
Exercise for Strong Bones
There are two types of exercises that are important for building and maintaining bone density: weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises. Learn about each type of exercise and how you can incorporate both into your exercise routine.
Learn about exercise and building strong bones
A Guide to Calcium-Rich Foods
Looking for more ways to get calcium in your diet? Use our guide for a comprehensive list of calcium-rich foods to add to your weekly shopping list.
How to get more calcium in your diet
Bone Healthy Recipes
Diet and exercise play critical roles in building and maintaining good bone health for people at every life stage – from infancy through adulthood. To help you work bone healthy ingredients into your meals, we partnered with some of America’s best chefs to create recipes that are good for your bones.
Find recipes for bone health
Facts about Bone Health in Children and Adolescents
Building strong bones begins in childhood and is essential to the prevention of osteoporosis. Care for our bones is important throughout our lives, but we reach our peak bone mass by early adulthood. Here you’ll find facts about the importance of building strong bone and tips for helping your child build and protect his/her bones.
Learn more about bone health for children and adolescents
Get the Facts on Calcium and Vitamin D
If you’re confused by the recent reports and studies on calcium supplements and their effect on the heart, read our summary for a refreseher on the facts about calcium and vitamin D.
Facts about Calcium and Vitamin D
Steps to Estimate Your Calcium Intake
We’ve created a chart to help you estimate the amount of calcium you get from food on a typical day. It will also help you figure out how much more calcium you need to get each day from other food sources or supplements.
Find out your daily calcium intake