What to eat for strong bones

What you eat is an important part of taking care of your bones for life—and the most basic step is eating a well-balanced diet.

“The healthier you are in general, you’re going to have healthier bones,” says orthopedic surgeon Joseph Assini, MD, with OrthoONE at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colorado. When it comes to diet, “calcium is really the building block of our bones," he says. "Calcium is what calcifies the cells that become bone.” Read on for his recommendations for foods that boost bone health.