Eating well for your bones
How to get all the nutrients you need for your bones.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet can help you get all the nutrients you need to keep your bones strong and healthy. This includes calcium, vitamin D and other vitamins and minerals.
On this page, we explain how to have a healthy, balanced diet.
What is a healthy, balanced diet?
It is important to eat a wide variety of healthy foods. Try to eat meals that have foods from the four main food groups. These are:
fruit and vegetables
carbohydrates, like bread, potatoes, pasta and cereals
dairy and alternatives, like milk and cheese
protein, like beans, eggs, fish and meat.
A small amount of fat is important as part of a balanced diet. Fats are found in many foods. You should get the fat you need by eating foods from the four main food groups.
There are no specific foods that are bad for bones. But cutting down on caffeine and cola drinks may benefit your bones.
Try our healthy, balanced meal guide
Use this guide to help you get a balance of healthier foods. It gives you an overview of how much of each food group you should have, as part of a balanced diet.
You should drink six to eight glasses of fluid a day. Water, lower-fat milk, sugar-free drinks, including tea and coffee all count. Limit fruit juice and smoothies to a total of 150ml a day.
Visit the NHS website for more information about eating a healthy, balanced diet.
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