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Healthy eating for healthy bones

Osteoporosis means thin bones and is one of the main risk factors for fractures particularly of the spine, wrist and hip. Osteoporosis occurs in men and women with advancing age but progresses more rapidly in women after the menopause.

Good bone health relies on:

• Taking regular weight bearing exercise such as brisk walking, skipping, dancing
• Maintaining a normal body weight - neither under or over weight
• Having an adequate intake of Calcium and Vitamin D in your diet
• You should aim to have 1,000 mg of calcium each day

The following list gives the Calcium content of various foods:

Getting enough Vitamin D

Vitamin D is needed for Calcium to be absorbed.

• Try to spend some time outside as sunshine is a natural source of Vitamin D.
• Include oily fish in your diet once or twice a week - sardines, pilchards, herring, salmon, trout and kippers are all types of oily fish.
• Use margarine which by law is fortified with Vitamin D.
• Include eggs once or twice a week.
• Some breakfast cereals have Vitamin D added.
• Liver and liver pate are good sources of Vitamin D.

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