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Do you remember when your mother told you to drink your milk because it was good for your bones? Who doesn’t? All sorts of dairy products are great for your bones because they contain calcium, a mineral that is essential to good bone growth. Not many people, however, actually understand how calcium actually strengthens their bones. Here’s a brief description of what it is that calcium actually does and why it’s so good for your bones. To better understand how calcium affects your bones you must first understand what exactly your bones do besides provide your body with support and protection.

From the moment you are born your bones are constantly breaking down and rebuilding themselves. The two main components that make up your bone structure are calcium and phosphate. The two mix together and the basic structure of your bones are formed. These little cells called Osteoclasts break down this structural mix, and other little cells called Osteoblasts reform the mixture to replace what the Osteoclasts removed. Now that you understand what your bones are actually doing it should become apparent why calcium is so important.

Without calcium, the phosphate wouldn’t have anything effective to mix with. As a result, the Osteoblasts wouldn’t be able to perform their job of replacing this vital mixture to your bones. As such, the Osteoclasts would continue to remove the mix, it wouldn’t be replenished do to a lack of calcium, and your bones density would continue to decrease. This is because your bones will naturally respond to this lack of calcium by breaking down the existing calcium in your bones in order to use it, and over time your bones would become brittle, and more susceptible to breakage. This condition is commonly known as Osteoporosis. Not a good thing for either you or your bones.

Providing your bones with calcium is an essential part of keeping them healthy, and thus, strong. All dairy products contain calcium. However, your body can’t absorb calcium all by itself. It needs to have an ample supply of vitamin D in order to reap the benefits of calcium. When you choose dairy products such as milk, yogurt, pudding, and foods that contain dairy for their calcium-rich benefits, be sure they are fortified with vitamin D or you’ll be defeating the purpose. There are other foods that contain calcium also.

Sardines, rhubarb, spinach, broccoli, pinto beans, Chinese cabbage, kale wild salmon, almonds, figs and other foods are all great sources of calcium. There are others as well so look around and fit the ones you like the most into your daily diet. Consult with your doctor or a nutritionist as to how much of these foods would best suit your personal situation in order to get the most benefits from them.

Taking care of your bones early on in life is just as important as keeping them healthy in later years. This alone will go a long way in preventing the development of Osteoporosis.

Trudi Buck enjoys blogging about finding the best radiology technician schools.