We often don’t give much thought to our bones until something goes wrong. Quietly working behind the scenes, our bones form the framework that holds us upright, shields our vital organs, and keeps us moving. They even serve as storage for essential minerals like calcium.

While strong bones are built during childhood and adolescence, maintaining bone health is a lifelong commitment. As we age, the rate at which we rebuild bone slows down, making it even more important to support and protect our skeletal system. Whether you’re growing, fully grown, or growing older, your bones deserve care every step of the way.

Why Bone Health Matters

Your bones aren’t as static as they might seem—they’re constantly at work, breaking down old tissue and building new. This process, known as remodeling, happens more quickly when you’re young, which allows you to gain bone mass rapidly. Most people hit their highest bone mass, called peak bone mass, by about age 30. After that, remodeling still occurs, but the balance shifts—you begin to lose slightly more bone than you gain.

One of the biggest concerns with bone loss is osteoporosis, a condition that leaves bones fragile and more prone to fractures. Your risk of developing it later in life depends largely on how much bone you’ve built by your early adulthood and how quickly it’s lost afterward. Simply put—the stronger and denser your bones are when you’re young, the better protected you’ll be as you age.

What Influences Bone Health?

Many factors work together to determine how strong your bones are and how well they hold up over time. Some you can control, others you can’t, but understanding them can help you make better choices for your skeletal health.

• Calcium intake – Calcium is the building block of bones. A diet lacking in calcium can lead to weaker bones, lower bone density, and a greater chance of fractures.
• Physical activity – Movement is medicine for bones. Regular weight-bearing exercises like walking, running, or strength training help keep bones strong. Inactivity, on the other hand, increases the risk of osteoporosis.
• Tobacco and alcohol use – Smoking and vaping weaken bones, while heavy drinking (over one drink daily for women and over two for men) can speed up bone loss.
• Sex – Women are naturally at higher risk for osteoporosis because they generally have less bone tissue than men.
• Body size and age – People with smaller frames or a BMI below 19 often have less bone mass to start with, making them more vulnerable to bone loss as they age. Naturally, bones also become thinner and more fragile over time.
• Race and family history – White and Asian individuals tend to face a higher risk of osteoporosis, and having a parent with the condition—or a history of fractures—can further increase that risk.
• Hormone levels – Hormones have a direct impact on bone strength. Too much thyroid hormone can trigger bone loss. Women tend to lose bone rapidly around menopause due to a drop in estrogen, while missed menstrual cycles (amenorrhea) before menopause can also raise risk. In men, low testosterone levels can contribute to decreased bone mass.

Food for Strong, Healthy Bones

A balanced diet plays a vital role in building and maintaining strong bones from childhood through adulthood. Calcium provides the structural strength bones need, while vitamin D helps the body absorb and use calcium effectively.

Without enough of these nutrients, the risk of conditions like rickets, osteoporosis, and fractures later in life increases. In most cases, a varied, nutrient‑rich diet is enough to support bone health, but it should be paired with regular exercise and lifestyle choices that protect your skeletal system.

Calcium

Adults need around 700 mg of calcium daily, and this can usually be met with a balanced, varied diet. Calcium is essential for keeping bones strong and healthy. Good sources include:

• Milk, cheese, and other dairy products
• Green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and okra (but not spinach, as it contains oxalate, which reduces calcium absorption)
• Soya beans
• Tofu
• Calcium-fortified plant-based drinks (e.g., soya milk)
• Nuts
• Bread and foods made with fortified flour
• Fish with edible bones, such as sardines and pilchards

Vitamin D

Adults need 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D each day. While some vitamin D comes from food, most is produced by the skin when exposed to sunlight.

• Sunlight – From late March or early April until the end of September, short periods of sun exposure without sunscreen can help maintain healthy vitamin D levels.
• Supplements – During autumn and winter, when sunlight is limited, a daily vitamin D supplement is recommended.

Good food sources of vitamin D include:

• Oily fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel
• Egg yolks
• Fortified foods like certain fat spreads and breakfast cereals

Vegan and Bone Health

For many people, dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt are the main sources of calcium. Since these aren’t part of a vegan diet, vegans need to get calcium from other plant-based and fortified options to keep bones strong and healthy.

Good calcium sources for vegans include:

• Fortified plant-based drinks such as soya, rice, and oat milk
• Soya beans
• Calcium-set tofu
• Sesame seeds and tahini
• Pulses (beans, lentils, chickpeas)
• Brown and white bread (in the UK, white and brown flour are fortified with calcium by law)
• Dried fruit, such as raisins, prunes, figs, and dried apricots
• Green leafy vegetables like kale, cabbage, and broccoli

Vitamin D is also vital for bone health, but the vegan diet naturally contains little to none unless fortified foods or supplements are included. For everyone—vegan or not—sunlight is the main source of vitamin D in spring and summer. Safe sun exposure, without letting skin burn, helps the body produce enough vitamin D.

Vegan-friendly vitamin D sources include:

• Fortified fat spreads, breakfast cereals, and plant-based drinks (with added vitamin D)
• Vitamin D supplements

Conclusion

Strong bones are built over a lifetime, not overnight. With the right nutrients, regular exercise, and healthy habits, you can protect your skeleton and reduce the risk of bone problems as you age. Take care of your bones now—they’ll support you for years to come.