If you don't get enough calcium from your diet, your body will pull it right out of your bones, setting the stage for a thin, frail skeleton. You don't have to chug glass after glass of milk to protect your bones, however. Yogurt, beans, broccoli, calcium -fortified orange juice, turnip greens, Chinese cabbage, seeds, and nuts are all sources of calcium . But if you don't get enough calcium from your diet, you can make up the difference with a daily calcium supplement, says Patty Packard, R.D., a nutritionist at the Center for Osteoporosis Research at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Dr. Brown names vitamins D, C, and K, and a number of minerals as essential to bone health.
Vitamin D increases absorption of calcium in the intestine.
Vitamin K, found primarily in green leafy vegetables, helps make osteocalcin, a bone protein that is thought to assist in the bone-building process. When you are mining minerals for bone strength, take a good look at magnesium , zinc , manganese , copper , and boron , advises Dr. Brown. Magnesium , found in whole grains, wheat germ , and dark green leafy vegetables, stimulates the production of calcitonin, a bone-preserving hormone. Zinc , found in whole grains, milk, lean beef, and shellfish, may affect the bones' ability to make new bone. Manganese , abundant in whole-grain cereals , nuts, fruits, and green leafy vegetables, appears to help develop strong, healthy cartilage and bone.