NOF Tip for 5 May – Your Guide to a Bone Healthy Diet

A Bone Healthy Diet is the best way to maximize nutrition for bone health.  Dietary supplements taken with foods can often work, but nutrients in food are best.  Some nutrients, like calcium, should be spread over several meals to be properly absorbed, especially as we get older.

Start with a Bone Healthy Diet.  Quickly review your calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients at the end of your meal.  Add supplements if you need to. 

Taking full supplements at the beginning of each meal often results in more than you need, which is not better and is sometimes worse than the right amount.

Get a complete bone health evaluation and discuss your personal needs with your health care provider.

NOF has a printable guide at https://cdn.nof.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Healthy-Bone-Brochure_FINAL.pdf

The calcium and vitamin D intakes recommended in the guide are for maintenance of good bone health.  Those with fractures and/or osteoporosis by DXA/VFA/TBS often need to play catch-up and require higher doses.

Jay Ginther, MD

Categorised in: Bone Health, Evaluation and Screening, Nutrition