Hi, I'm Charlotte Lawson, a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, here in Tampa Bay, Florida, and I'm here to give you a couple tips on how to maintain strong and healthy bones. Well, our bones are made of a couple different nutrients, your phosphorus and calcium, and you can get those through your diet. But, it's also very important to incorporate a good amount of Vitamin D, as Vitamin D is really proven to help utilize that calcium absorption. Calcium is also really affected by your Vitamin C content, which is possibly why you've seen maybe orange juice fortified with that calcium. So, a good combination of fruits and vegetables and low fat dairy, for instance, which has a high source of calcium, are excellent things to incorporate when looking for good bone health. Now, other things to think about are your exercise program. It's been proven that weight resistance or, sort of, weightlifting exercises, if you will, are again proven for strong bone density. The more weight exertion we put on our body, the more our frame has to work to carry that weight, and again, helps to minimize and densen those bones. So, between the combination of vitamins and minerals and a good exercise program, you should be looking at some strong and healthy bones. Keep in mind, about 1,200 milligrams of calcium are recommended for the average adult, about 1,000 to 1,200 depending on where you're at in your age level. If you're a little bit higher in age, you're probably at an increased risk for osteoporosis and would need some higher calcium levels, and if you're through adolescence, you're also going to need some higher levels, closer to 1,400 milligrams per day. Now again, like I mentioned before, vitamin C and vitamin D are excellent things to have in your diet with that calcium. So, hopefully between your well-rounded diet and a good exercise program, you'll stay strong and healthy. I'm Charlotte, and eat happy.
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