8 Bone-Building Nutrients

Vitamin D
Another critical nutrient for bone health is vitamin D. In fact, calcium relies on vitamin D to help it travel to the parts of the body that need it. Your body can make vitamin D with the help of sunlight, but in the interest of protecting your skin, you’ll want to get most of your vitamin D from food and supplements. The best sources are fatty fish including salmon, herring, mackerel, and sardines; milk (fat-free, 1% low-fat), soy milk, and yogurt; UV-treated mushrooms; and egg yolks. Because few foods are rich in vitamin D, you may need to take a supplement (or multivitamin that contains vitamin D) in order to take in 800 to 1000 IU of vitamin D daily, my personal recommendation for healthy adults.