4 Drinking Habits To Prevent Your Bones From Aging

When you’re younger, your body builds new bone faster than it breaks down old bone, increasing bone mass. But as you age, bone mass is lost faster than it’s created, which may lead to weakened bones. Age isn’t the only factor; gender, race, family history, and body frame size also affect bone health. The good news is that while you can’t completely prevent some degree of bone loss over time, there are ways to strengthen your bones and decelerate bone aging.

What you eat and drink can be a major factor in bone health, which includes incorporating more bone-healthy minerals into your diet. And it’s not just about what you eat—it’s also what you drink. We spoke with Brittany Dunn, MS, RDN, CD, and member of our Medical Expert Board, to learn more about drinking habits that can help keep your bones healthy and prevent aging.

Drink your fortified milk or milk alternatives.

According to Dunn (and honestly, your mother), drinking milk is one good way to deliver important nutrients to your bones.

“Fortified milk and milk alternatives contain vitamin D, calcium, and protein to support bone health,” says Dunn.

Fortified milk is cow’s milk that contains extra vitamins and minerals that are not naturally found in significant quantities in ordinary milk. If you’re lactose intolerant or just not a fan of cow’s milk, you can find milk alternatives that also contain extra vitamins. These include plant-based milk options like soy, oat, rice, coconut, cashew, and almond.

How do you know if your milk is fortified? You should be able to tell from the label. And for those who don’t like any of those milk options, Dunn recommends kefir—a “drinkable yogurt” full of probiotics.