Joy Onuorah

Building healthy bones is extremely important. Fortunately, many nutrition and lifestyle habits can help you build strong bones and maintain them as you age.

Here are 10 natural ways to build healthy bones:

Eat lots of vegetables

Consuming a diet high in vegetables has been shown to help create healthy bones during childhood and protect bone mass in young adults and older women.

Perform strength training and weight bearing exercises

Performing weight-bearing and resistance training exercises can help increase bone formation during bone growth and protect bone health in older adults, including those with low bone density.

Consume enough protein

A low protein intake can lead to bone loss, while a high protein intake can help protect bone health during aging and weight loss.

Eat high calcium foods

Calcium is the main mineral found in bones and must be consumed every day to protect bone health. Spreading your calcium intake throughout the day will optimize absorption.

Eat plenty of Vitamin D and K

Getting adequate amounts of vitamins D and K2 from food or supplements may help protect bone health.

Avoid low calorie diet

Diets providing too few calories have been found to reduce bone density, even when combined with resistance exercise. Consume a balanced diet with at least 1,200 calories daily to preserve bone health.

Take collagen supplement

Emerging evidence suggests that supplementing with collagen may help preserve bone health by reducing collagen breakdown.

Maintain staple, healthy weight

Being too thin or too heavy can negatively affect bone health. Furthermore, maintaining a stable weight, rather than repeatedly losing and regaining it, can help preserve bone density.

Eat foods high in magnesium and zinc

Magnesium and zinc play key roles in achieving peak bone mass during childhood and maintaining bone density during aging.

Consume more Omega-3 fats food

Omega-3 fatty acids have been found to promote the formation of new bone and protect against bone loss in older adults.

Plant sources of omega-3 fats include chia seeds, flaxseeds and walnuts.