By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern
Growing up, I was often told to drink milk so that I would have strong bones when I got older. As a kid, you often brush off advice like this, thinking it’s just something adults tell you so that they can get you to finish your food. There is truth to their statements. 
It is a well-known but also unfortunate fact that as we age, our bones begin to deteriorate. And to make matters worse, it also becomes much harder to build and replace bone loss with age. So, the best time to build bone to set yourself up for less bone loss later in life is during adolescence.
Sue Shapses, professor of nutritional science at Rutgers University says that eating enough calcium is crucial for bone health because whenever your diet is lacking in calcium, your body pulls calcium from your bones. Additionally, as you age, the ability for your body to absorb calcium begins to slow and decline, making it even more important to be getting enough through your diet.
While calcium is one of the most important nutrients needed for bone health, it is certainly not the only one. Your body also needs vitamin D, as it helps your body to absorb calcium better. Protein is another nutrient necessary for bone health, as it makes up about half of your bone’s volume and is responsible for replacing bone when it’s lost. Potassium and magnesium are other nutrients that are also bone health contributors.
With that being said, it’s important to make sure that children and adolescents are getting enough good nutrition to set them up for success in terms of bone health. It is best to get these bone health nutrients through our diets rather than supplementation.
Some bone-healthy foods include:
- Meats, such as chicken, beef, pork
- Dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, milk, butter
- Eggs
- Fish
Arizona farmers and ranchers produce all of those bone-healthy food products. In fact, our local grocery stores are often filled with these fresh and local products!
For more articles on health and Arizona-grown products, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!