How to Look After Your Bone Health

Home | Your Body | How to Look After Your Bone Health

Your bones are the foundation of your body, so you need to take good care of them. You might already know that calcium can play a role in maintaining bone health, but how can you look after yours if you’re following a plant-based lifestyle with limited calcium options?

From vegan-friendly calcium supplements to whole food vitamin D and exercises to support your bones, here’s everything you need to know about taking care of your bone health.

Why Bone Health Is So Important

Bone health is key for keeping your body moving and strong. Strong bones can help to reduce the risk of injury, especially if you have an active lifestyle – and staying active is key for reducing joint stiffness and maintaining flexibility.

woman stretching before exercise at sunrise

Our bones also store important minerals, such as calcium and phosphorus, releasing them when our bodies need them most.

Our bone density can decrease as we get older, particularly after the menopause, so it’s important to begin looking after your bones from early on in your life.

What’s more, some people and certain lifestyles are at greater risk of osteoporosis or brittle bones, which can increase the risk of breaks or fractures.

Low bone mineral density is a risk factor for osteoporotic bone fractures, while calcium and vitamin D can help to reduce the loss of bone minerals in post-menopausal women.

Consume More Calcium

Calcium helps to maintain bone strength, so it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough calcium in your diet to look after your bones.

Calcium Foods

Calcium-rich foods include:

Dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yoghurt
Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, okra and kale
Fish – primarily fish where the bones are also eaten, such as sardines and pilchards
Bread and other foods made with fortified flour

woman drinking glass of milk

Calcium Supplements

If you follow a plant-based diet, it can be harder to get enough calcium in your diet. This is where Organics Plant Calcium Tablets come in.

These tablets contain plant calcium sourced from organic plants, with the formula featuring 20 powdered fruits and vegetables in total. Designed to support healthy bones, these supplements combine calcium-rich foods to support an active lifestyle. They also contain vegan vitamin D3, vitamin K2 as MK-7 and magnesium.

You could also try our Vitamin Code Raw Calcium Capsules, which are vegetarian-friendly and dairy-free, containing whole food plant calcium, magnesium, 1,600 IU of vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 and MK-7.

Get Enough Vitamin D

Vitamin D also contributes to the maintenance of normal bones. Natural sunlight is a key source of vitamin D (that’s why it’s sometimes referred to as ‘the sunshine vitamin’).

Unfortunately, modern lifestyles mean we don’t all get as much natural sunlight exposure as we should, especially if we don’t live in particularly sunny climes. However, eating vitamin D-rich foods and trying vitamin D supplements can help you to boost your intake of this key vitamin.

Vitamin D Foods

Vitamin D-rich foods include:

Oily fish, such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel
Egg yolks
Red meat
Fortified foods, including some breakfast cereals and fat spreads

grilled salmon

Vitamin D Supplements

If you follow a vegan lifestyle, you won’t be consuming these vitamin D-rich foods, so you’ll need to increase your vitamin D intake from other sources.

Our vanilla-flavoured Organics Vitamin D3 Spray is 100% vegan and organic. It’s designed to support calcium absorption for healthy bones and to support immune system function.

We also have vitamin D capsules, including our raspberry and lemon-flavoured Organics Vegan D3 Chewables, which contain 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 from lichen per capsule. Another option that’s vegetarian-friendly, gluten-free and dairy-free are our Vitamin Code Raw D3 Capsules, which have 5,000 IU whole food vitamin D3 per capsule.

Weight Bearing & Muscle Strengthening Exercises

A mixture of weight bearing and muscle strengthening exercises can help you to look after your bones while you work out. If you have a history of osteoporosis in your family or believe you may be at risk, you should speak to your GP for advice on the best exercises for you.

women using climbing wall

Weight bearing exercises are those that force your body to work against gravity, such as walking uphill, jogging, climbing or playing tennis.

In contrast, muscle strengthening exercises include lifting weights, using resistance bands, dance workouts and exercises such as sit-ups and push-ups.

Look after your muscles while you work out as well as your bones by making sure your body is properly fuelled before you start. Garden of Life’s vegan protein powders can help you with this and are great for supporting an active lifestyle.