2. Phosphorus
Why phosphorus is important to bone health? Phosphorus is the second most common and abundant mineral in the body. When combined with calcium, it is a major component of bones in the form of calcium phosphate salts. Insufficient level of phosphorus inhibits the production of calcium salts and leads to weak bones.
However, excessive amount of phosphorus in the blood, usually due to an underlying disease, is equally dangerous as well as it can cause the hardening of arteries, which in turn can lead to heart attack or stroke.
Phosphorus-rich foods: There is no lack of phosphorus as it can be found in a great variety of food. Some notable ones are salmon, ricotta cheese, sardines, beef liver, sunflower seeds, lentils, bone broth, pumpkin seeds, beans, turkey, chicken, pork, lamb and brazil nuts.
3. Vitamin D
Why vitamin D is important to bone health? Vitamin D is required to absorb bone-boosting calcium properly in the intestines. It also plays an important role in regulating the levels of calcium and phosphorus for bone formation.
Vitamin-D-rich foods: Vitamin D, aptly called the sunlight vitamin, is best obtained by regular exposure of the skin to the sun without burning. Food sources of vitamin D are mainly fishes such as mackerel, salmon, trout, tuna, halibut, sardine, flounder and sole, as well as eggs, beef liver and shiitake mushrooms.
4. Magnesium
Why magnesium is important to bone health? Earlier, we read that vitamin D is required for proper calcium absorption. But that is only one part of the story. The reality is, in order for vitamin D to do its job, it first has to be converted into its active form with the help of magnesium.
On its own, magnesium also helps with calcium absorption by stimulating the hormone calcitonin, which draws calcium out of the blood and soft tissues back into the bones.
Magnesium-rich foods: Like phosphorus, magnesium is also easily found in many whole foods, as long as they are not overly processed and stripped of their nutrients. Some good examples of magnesium-rich foods are: spinach, beet greens, pumpkin seeds, beans (black beans, cowpeas, navy beans, baked beans, pinto beans and kidney beans), whole grains (oat bran, barley, buckwheat groats and brown rice), nuts (including brazil nuts, cashew nuts, almonds and pine nuts), okra, artichokes and peas.