Your skeleton has a pretty important role to play in your body: it (literally) holds you up, stores minerals, and makes blood. Yet despite those objectively key functions, it feels to me like bone health is often overlooked in larger convos about healthy living. But we should all be paying a lot more attention—and earlier in our lives—to the strength of our bones and joints.
Experts in This Article
“We stop building bone mass around 30 years old, which shows just how important it is to incorporate plenty of calcium in our diets,” Laura Iu, RD, CDN, CNSC, a registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of Laura Iu Nutrition, previously shared with Well+Good. Even worse, bone loss speeds up after menopause, putting women at greater risk of osteoporosis (a disease that causes brittle and weak bones). So basically, taking good care of our bones is a prerogative as you age.
Generally speaking, experts say there are a few main nutrients to incorporate into your diet for bone and joint health:
- Calcium: This electrolyte helps build your bones and teeth. Your bones also store calcium for your body to use elsewhere to help move muscles and power your nerve networks. Adults should get at least 1,000 milligrams per day, although those needs change with age.
- Vitamin D: This vitamin helps your body absorb calcium (which you need for strong bones), and is also used to grow and repair bones. Some evidence suggests that vitamin D supplementation could also help reduce symptoms of knee osteoarthritis1. Adults should get at least 15 micrograms a day through diet, safe sun exposure, and supplementation.
- Magnesium: The electrolyte also plays a supporting role in making (and maintaining) your bones. Adult women should get 310 to 360 milligrams per day, depending on your age and whether you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Vitamin K: Vitamin K helps your blood clot properly, but it’s also essential for making proteins that support your bone structure2. Getting enough vitamin K is also associated with a lower risk of the joint disease osteoarthritis3. Adult women should eat about 90 micrograms per day.
Many foods are rich in these nutrients—even in some plant-based foods. (There’s a whole world of vegan recipes that are high in calcium, for example!) Check out some of the best food for strong bones and joints below.
What foods make your bones stronger?
1. Dairy milk
Got milk? If not, go get some! “Milk is an excellent source of bone-building nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D—a unique combination of nutrients that all work together to support bone health,” says Lauren Twigge, RDN, a registered dietitian. Indeed, one cup of reduced-fat milk will net you 309 milligrams of calcium—about a third of your recommended daily intake!—and 2.77 micrograms of vitamin D.
It also contains protein, she adds, which helps preserve bone mass (key when you’re getting older). “Numerous studies support the benefits of milk for bone and muscle health, and even show that there is a reduced amount of bone deterioration and improved muscle mass4 in those who have adequate dairy intake.”
2. Firm tofu
Yep, tofu isn’t only for vegetarians! According to Josie Porter, a London-based dietitian, tofu contains lots of calcium, magnesium, zinc, fiber, and a small amount of potassium. “Higher intakes of these nutrients are associated with greater bone mineral density,” she says. “This means they are stronger and less likely to break.”
If you want to get the most bone-building bang for your buck, Porter recommends opting for firm tofu over soft. Firm tofu tends to have more calcium: 149 milligrams per 100-gram serving in one brand compared to just 78 milligrams in an equivalent serving of soft tofu from the same brand.
3. Sardines
While they may not be your favorite food, the benefits sardines offer for bone health can’t be ignored. “Sardines are a fantastic source of calcium and an excellent food to include if you want to protect and promote bone health,” Twigge says. “Beyond that, sardines are also a dietary source of vitamin D, which works together with calcium to build strong bones.” Specifically, you can get 91.7 milligrams of calcium and 1.15 micrograms of vitamin D from just two little sardines.
For a tastier way to get sardines into your daily intake, consider adding them to pizza or with crackers.
4. Potassium-rich fruit (like bananas)
Porter says fruits have been repeatedly associated with greater bone health and a lower risk of osteoporosis. “This is thought to be due to their high potassium content,” she explains. “Potassium helps to reduce calcium loss from bone, which in turn plays a part in keeping our bones strong.”
Examples of fruits that are high in potassium include bananas, cantaloupe, honeydew, nectarines, and more. Prunes are another dietitian-approved option.
5. Leafy green and cruciferous vegetables
More specifically, kale, spinach, and broccoli, according to Porter. The main nutrient in them that helps increase bone strength is vitamin K. “Vitamin K is thought to support the action of proteins that make up our bones, helping to keep them stronger,” Porter says. “Higher vitamin K intakes are also associated with lower risk of fractures5.”
But green veggies aren’t the only ones to reach for—orange veggies, like sweet potatoes, orange bell peppers, and carrots are, too. They’re all rich in carotenoids, which are bone-strengthening and anti-inflammatory.
Finally, after eating a meal rich in these bone-strengthening foods, get out in the sun for some resistance training for even more bone benefits!
—reviewed by Jennifer Gilbert, MD, MPH
Wang, Zhiqiang et al. “Long-term effects of vitamin D supplementation and maintaining sufficient vitamin D on knee osteoarthritis over 5 years.” Arthritis research & therapy vol. 25,1 178. 23 Sep. 2023, doi:10.1186/s13075-023-03167-8
↩︎Rodríguez-Olleros Rodríguez, Celia, and Manuel Díaz Curiel. “Vitamin K and Bone Health: A Review on the Effects of Vitamin K Deficiency and Supplementation and the Effect of Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants on Different Bone Parameters.” Journal of osteoporosis vol. 2019 2069176. 31 Dec. 2019, doi:10.1155/2019/2069176
↩︎Chin, Kok-Yong. “The Relationship between Vitamin K and Osteoarthritis: A Review of Current Evidence.” Nutrients vol. 12,5 1208. 25 Apr. 2020, doi:10.3390/nu12051208
↩︎Lee, Jun-Hyuk et al. “Association of milk consumption frequency on muscle mass and strength: an analysis of three representative Korean population studies.” European journal of nutrition vol. 59,7 (2020): 3257-3267. doi:10.1007/s00394-019-02164-5
↩︎Sim, Marc et al. “Dietary Vitamin K1 intake is associated with lower long-term fracture-related hospitalization risk: the Perth longitudinal study of ageing women.” Food & function vol. 13,20 10642-10650. 17 Oct. 2022, doi:10.1039/d2fo02494b
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