Essential nutrients for building healthy bones

The need to know on the key nutrients to help support healthy bones - what they are and where to get them.

Bone health is often overlooked until problems arise, such as osteoporosis or fractures later in life. The good news? Nutrition plays a powerful role in building and maintaining healthy bones at every stage of life. By understanding which nutrients matter most - like calcium, vitamin K, vitamin D and how to incorporate them into our daily diets, we can take proactive steps toward lifelong skeletal health.

3 essential nutrients for healthy bones

When you think of nutrients that help to keep your bones healthy the first that comes to mind is probably calcium - and you’d be right! But vitamin D and vitamin K2, shouldn’t be far behind.

Calcium

Calcium is essential for the growth, development and maintenance of normal healthy bones. Sufficient calcium intake throughout life is needed to achieve optimal bone mass. Unfortunately, less than half of all Australians get their daily recommended intake of calcium.

Where to get it: Dairy products, salmon & sardines – with bones, tofu, broccoli and bok choy

Vitamin K2

Vitamin K2 is a fat-soluble nutrient involved in the body’s ability to produce, and maintain normal healthy bones, through the formation of osteocalcin - a protein produced in bone matrix. Osteocalcin binds with calcium and results in calcium being deposited into bones and bone mineralisation.

Where to get it: Cheese, cheese curd, natto (a fermented soya bean product), meat and egg yolks

Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium (and phosphorus) during digestion from the intestines and promotes the production of osteocalcin - which plays a role in bone mineralisation.

Where to get it: Sun exposure (10 to 15 minutes a day outside peak UV times), fatty fish, beef, butter, eggs, and cod liver oil