Healthy eating for strong bones

It's important to tuck into bone friendly foods to provide the proper nourishment our skeleton needs. The body contains 1kg of calcium, 99 percent of which is stored in our bones. It is important we eat plenty of calcium but lots of other vitamins and minerals are also important. If you enjoy a wide variety of food you will get a mix of all the vitamins and minerals you need.

It's a good idea to avoid:

· Too much protein - particularly animal protein such as meat and cheese. Excessive amounts of protein may upset the acid balance within the body which then takes calcium from the bones to neutralise it. Too many grain foods like cereal and bread may have the same effect, although how significant this is is unclear. Eating plenty of fruit and veg should keep your body's acid balance stable.

· Lots of salt - high levels of sodium can increase the amount of calcium the body gets rid of through urine. Watch out for 'hidden' levels of salt in processed foods

· Drinking lots of fizzy drinks - phosphate, in the form of phosphoric acid, is used to improve the flavour in a lot of fizzy drinks and too much can cause the body to use calcium to balance levels. While there is no hard scientific evidence about its effect on bone health it may be a good idea to only drink these in moderation, particularly for children who are still growing

· Drinking too much caffeine - again, a high consumption of caffeine could affect the balance of calcium in the body. Try adding milk to your coffee to counteract this effect or try to limit your intake to one or two cups a day.

· Letting your weight drop too low - being overweight is not good for general health but being underweight increases the risk of broken bones when you fall. In younger women severe weight loss may stop menstrual periods because hormone levels drop which can also increase your risk of breaking a bone.

Why is Vitamin D is important?

Vitamin D is vital to help the body absorb calcium. The main source is the sun through our skin which the body converts into Vitamin D and stores in our fat. In this way it can manufacture and store enough of the vitamin to see us through the winter months when the sun is not strong enough to have an effect. Most of us will get enough sun to help our bones if we get out and about in the summer without even thinking about it. But be careful not to burn.

Older people, those who do not go out much and people who cover up for religious or cultural reasons may become deficient and 400 iu (international units), or 10mg, a day is recommended.

Try to quit smoking

Smoking has a toxic effect on bone by inhibiting the construction cells from doing their work. It's another good reason to try to give up.

Drink moderately

Enjoying the odd glass of wine could actually help your bones. But drinking too much alcohol is damaging to our skeleton. It's always good for your general health to have alcohol free days as well. Be aware that drinking alcohol can make you unsteady and increase your risk of falling, and therefore breaking a bone.

Foods to eat to help support healthy bones

Star foods

Low fat dairy products such as semi skimmed milk , low fat yoghurt , low fat fromage frais & cottage cheese , leafy green vegetables , nuts , pulses , soya , wheatgerm , fish , wholegrains

Foods to choose :

Sources of calcium : low fat dairy produce , pulses , canned sardines , pilchards , prawns , seeds , nuts

Sources of magnesium : nuts , seeds , pulses , bulgar wheat , brown rice , lentils , pot barley . ryvita

Sources of Vitamin D : sunlight , cod liver oil , oily fish ( salmon , mackeral , herrings), eggs

Sources of zinc : wheatgerm . liver , fish , shellfish , seeds , nuts , lamb , beef

Sources of folate : yeast extract , chicken livers, pulses, musli, nuts , broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale , leafy greens

Sources of B6 : wheatgerm , fish , pulses, nuts, chicken, potatoes

Sources of potassium : soya beans , pulses, dried apricots, dried figs, tomatoes , potatoes

Sources of essential fatty acids : vegetable , seed, nut & grain oils , seeds, nuts , whole grains

Foods to avoid :

Those high in sodium or salt ( daily recommended allowance 6g)

Those high in alcohol

Excess animal protein

Caffeine

Fizzy drinks , processed foods

Excessive consumption of foods high in oxalic acid which inhibits absorption of calcium eg raw wheat bran , spinach , rhubarb , chocolate & tea