Are you looking to strengthen your bones, either to try to heal faster from a fracture, or to prevent a fracture due to osteoporosis?
Have you heard about home remedies and natural treatments, and are wondering which ones are likely to be effective?
These are the questions I ask myself everyday as a radiographer, having seen so many fractured and osteoporotic bones over the years of my practice.
Here I will share results from research studies on the subject matter.
Please leave a comment or any additional remarks. Happy reading!😀 and feel free to ask questions in the comments or share your own experience.🙏
Last updated: June, 2026. Written by Juliet Semakula, a diagnostic radiographer.
▶️What do we mean by strengthening bones?
Strengthening bones means increasing or maintaining their mineral density and structural integrity to make them more resilient against breaks and fractures.
Because bone is a dynamic, living tissue, it constantly breaks down and rebuilds itself through a biological process called bone remodelling.
The graph below shows different steps how body takes to remodel new bones
For the above process to be fully activated we have to take action to strengthen our bones, by actively prompting the body to deposit more minerals into the bone matrix than it removes
▶️Why do we seek to strengthen bones? Main reasons are:
Strengthening bones refers to the process of increasing bone mineral density.
To help improve the overall structure of bone tissue to make it more resilient to fractures and osteoporosis.
Strengthening bones to prevent fractures (osteoporosis)
Our bones are living tissue, they constantly undergo a process called remodelling, where old bone is broken down and replaced by new bone.
As we age, our bones change and evolve. Bone density decreases this means there are fewer minerals in the bones. Making the bones more fragile and more likely to break.
Minerals such as calcium and phosphate make up bones plus, proteins and collagen give bones strength.
▶️There lots of benefits why we should strengthen our bones:
⚪Prevent fractures: Stronger bones are less likely to snap from minor falls or everyday movements.
⚪Prevention of Osteoporosis: Slowing bone loss helps prevent this condition, which makes bones brittle and “porous.
⚪Improved Mobility: Better bone health supports independent movement as you age.
▶️How to heal bone faster in case of a fracture?
Healing a bone fracture faster requires a combination of strict medical adherence, targeted nutrition, and specific lifestyle adjustments
When we break a bone, our body is well made without us doing anything special, the bone consolidation process allows the bone to repair.
While a typical break takes 6 to 12 weeks to heal, you can optimize this timeline by ensuring the bone has the right biological building blocks and a stable environment to heal faster.
Here is an article about tips that will help you understand how fractures heal.
Some people seek ways to accelerate this natural healing and bone consolidation process after a fracture. And again, if possible, naturally.
▶️What are some home common remedies suggested for bone healing?
Thousands of people search the internet every day for a home remedy to strengthen bones.
The number of people who type “Home remedy to strengthen bones” into Google every day.
Strengthening bones naturally involves a combination of dietary adjustments, specific nutrient intake, and lifestyle modifications designed to increase bone mineral density and reduce bone loss.
Here is a list of home remedies and lifestyle habits often suggested for strengthening bones:
Calcium rich foods:
♈Calcium is the primary building block of bone and consuming it through diet is often preferred to supplements.
♈Leafy Greens: Kale, collard greens, turnip greens, and broccoli are excellent sources.
♈Canned Fish with Bones: Sardines and canned salmon with bones provide high levels of calcium and phosphorus.
♈Dairy Products: Milk, cheese, and yogurt are traditional, high-calcium staples.
♈Plant-Based Alternatives: Calcium-fortified plant milks (soy, almond) and calcium-set tofu.
♈Sesame Seeds and Tahini: These are very rich in calcium and can be added to salads or smoothies.
Vitamin D
♈Vitamin D is essential for the body to absorb calcium. This can be obtained from short, daily exposure of skin to sunlight (without sunscreen) allows the body to make its own Vitamin D.
♈Dietary Sources: Oily fish (salmon, mackerel), egg yolks, and fortified cereals.
Source : Reid 2020
Nutrient-Dense Foods for Bone Structure
♈Foods High in Magnesium and Zinc: Magnesium activates Vitamin D, while Zinc is essential for bone growth. Sources include nuts (almonds), seeds, legumes (beans), and whole grains.
♈Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fish oil, flaxseed oil, and walnuts help reduce bone loss.
♈Bone Broth: Rich in collagen and minerals to support bone health
♈Prunes (Dried Plums): Studies suggest that eating five to six prunes daily can help protect against bone loss by reducing inflammatory chemicals.
Lifestyle & At-Home Exercises
♈Weight-Bearing Exercise: Activities that require you to move your own weight against gravity stimulate bone density, such as walking, dancing, hiking, or climbing stairs.
♈Yoga and Tai Chi: These gentle exercises improve balance, stability, and core strength, reducing the risk of falls—which is crucial for people with brittle bones.
♈Sleep: Getting 7+ hours of deep, restful sleep boosts growth hormone levels, which helps rebuild bone tissue.
Source: Hong 2018
▶️What do studies say about effective natural treatments for strengthening bones?
The influence of dietary protein still raises many questions regarding its quality and quantity in the context of bone health.
Research based on original studies, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, and prospective cohort studies published in PubMed and Cochrane databases during the last five years.
Plant and animal protein are good at influencing bone health in various groups of patients.
A well-balanced diet with sufficient energy supply and protein intake (both of plant and animal origins) and adequate physical activity are crucial to ensure bone health (Kędzia,2023)
Without proper protein intake, bone mass decreases much quicker than in the diet without sufficient calcium and vitamin D supplementation (Kędzia,2023)
Protein is a fundamental macronutrient, which should be analysed because it accounts for 50% of the bone’s volume and a third of its mass.
The recommended protein amount in the diet should be estimated based on gender, age, body mass, and possible protein sources in the traditional diet (Kędzia,2023)
According to the Institute of Medicine, the recommended dietary allowance of protein is estimated at 0.8 g/kg of body weight (Trumbo,2002)
However, scientific curiosity raises the question of whether a high-protein diet above the recommended dietary intake has a harmful impact on bone health.
For example, Finnish studies suggest that excess protein intake in the national diet can have a negative effect on bone mineral density and bone mineral content.
Also having adequate amounts of daily calcium and vitamin D is necessary to maximize bone mass and ensure the subsequent maintenance of bone health in postmenopausal women. (Pouresmaeli 2018)
There are no specific studies on people who have suffered a fracture probably because bone healing after a fracture is often already well advanced without doing anything special in 6 weeks.
▶️What can be done to help a fracture heal faster or strengthen bones?
Lifestyle Adjustments are very important during the healing process.
🔵Maintain a Healthy Weight: Being underweight increases fracture risk, while being overweight puts excessive mechanical stress on your joints
🔵Quit Smoking: Smoking reduces blood supply to bones and interferes with calcium absorption, leading to lower bone density.
🔵Limit Salt and Caffeine: High sodium can cause you to lose calcium through urine, and excessive caffeine may slightly interfere with calcium absorption.
🔵Limit Alcohol: Excessive alcohol interferes with bone-building cells and increases the risk of falls.
🔵 Practice Good Posture: Proper alignment reduces strain on your spine and joints.
Essential Exercises for Bone and Joint Strength
🔵Weight-Bearing Aerobics: Activities where you are on your feet, forcing your bones to work against gravity are known to strengthen bones.
🔵High Impact: Running, jumping rope, and tennis are highly effective but may not be suitable if you already have joint pain or osteoporosis.
🔵Low Impact: Brisk walking, stair climbing, and elliptical training are safer for those with joint concerns.
🔵Resistance Training: Lifting weights or using resistance bands makes muscles pull on bones, which stimulates new bone growth. Focus on compound movements like squats, lunges, and push-ups.
🔵Flexibility and Balance: Yoga and Tai Chi improve joint range of motion and core stability, which helps prevent falls that lead to fractures
🔵Joint-Friendly Movement: If you have existing joint pain, swimming or water aerobics are excellent because the water’s buoyancy reduces pressure while still strengthening muscles around the joints
▶️Key Nutrients and Best Foods normally recommended by doctors.
| Nutrient | Why it matters | Top food sources |
| Calcium | The primary mineral for bone density. | Dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese), tofu, almonds, and leafy greens (kale, broccoli). |
| Vitamin D | Essential for the body to absorb calcium | Sunlight exposure, oily fish (salmon, mackerel), and egg yolks. |
| Protein | Supports the collagen matrix in bones and maintains muscle strength. | Lean meats, poultry, beans, and eggs. |
| Omega-3s | Reduces joint inflammation and pain | Fatty fish (salmon, sardines), walnuts, and chia seeds. |
| Vitamin K | Helps direct calcium to the bones instead of soft tissues. | Leafy greens (spinach, kale), broccoli, and fermented dairy. |
| Magnesium | Helps with bone mineralization and activates Vitamin D. | Nuts, seeds, whole grains, and bananas. |
▶️Are there any foods that are bad for bones?
We have no evidence that consuming certain foods significantly alters bone quality, increases the risk of fracture or prolong healing time in the case of a broken bone.
However, some studies state that certain foods and drinks can harm your bones by leaching calcium from your body, blocking mineral absorption, or disrupting bone-building hormones.
To protect your skeleton and lower the risk of osteoporosis, you should limit or modify how you consume the following items:
🔴Excessive salt forces your kidneys to excrete calcium through your urine. Your body then steals that calcium directly from your bones to maintain its balance (Tiyasatkulkovit, 2021)
According to guidelines shared by mayo clinic, Keep your sodium intake under 2,300 mg per day (about 1 teaspoon of salt)
🔴Some studies say packaged meals, canned soups, deli meats, pizza, and savory snacks may not be very good if you have osteoporosis bones.
🔴Dark sodas contain phosphoric acid, which disrupts the body’s natural balance of calcium and phosphorus, speeding up bone loss. High sugar intake also causes the body to excrete calcium and magnesium.
Swap fizzy sodas for plain water, milk, or calcium-fortified plant milks.
🔴High-fat diets can bind to calcium in your digestive system before your body can absorb it. Overeating animal protein can also increase the amount of calcium lost through
Prioritise lean proteins like fish, chicken, and plant-based options (beans, nuts) urination.
🔴Chronic heavy drinking directly stops your stomach from absorbing calcium and vitamin D. It also creates hormone imbalances that trigger bone breakdown
Source: Prieto 2019
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We have come to the end of this article; do you have any questions or want to share your experience? All in the comments section.
Below are all the research studies I have used in this article.
📚Sources:
Shoemaker AH. Strengthening brittle bones. Sci Transl Med. 2017 Jun 28;9(396):eaan6730. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aan6730. PMID: 28659442.
Kędzia G, Woźniak M, Samborski W, Grygiel-Górniak B. Impact of Dietary Protein on Osteoporosis Development. Nutrients. 2023 Oct 28;15(21):4581. doi: 10.3390/nu15214581. PMID: 37960234; PMCID: PMC10649897.
Trumbo P, Schlicker S, Yates AA, Poos M; Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine, The National Academies. Dietary reference intakes for energy, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein and amino acids. J Am Diet Assoc. 2002 Nov;102(11):1621-30. doi: 10.1016/s0002-8223(02)90346-9. Erratum in: J Am Diet Assoc. 2003 May;103(5):563. PMID: 12449285.
Tiyasatkulkovit W, Aksornthong S, Adulyaritthikul P, Upanan P, Wongdee K, Aeimlapa R, Teerapornpuntakit J, Rojviriya C, Panupinthu N, Charoenphandhu N. Excessive salt consumption causes systemic calcium mishandling and worsens microarchitecture and strength of long bones in rats. Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 20;11(1):1850. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-81413-2. PMID: 33473159; PMCID: PMC7817681.
Brown RB. Non-Specific Low Back Pain, Dietary Salt Intake, and Posterior Lumbar Subcutaneous Edema. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 27;19(15):9158. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159158. PMID: 35954516; PMCID: PMC9368517.
Pouresmaeili F, Kamalidehghan B, Kamarehei M, Goh YM. A comprehensive overview on osteoporosis and its risk factors. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2018 Nov 6;14:2029-2049. doi: 10.2147/TCRM.S138000. PMID: 30464484; PMCID: PMC6225907.
Prieto-Alhambra D, Turkiewicz A, Reyes C, Timpka S, Rosengren B, Englund M. Smoking and Alcohol Intake but Not Muscle Strength in Young Men Increase Fracture Risk at Middle Age: A Cohort Study Linked to the Swedish National Patient Registry. J Bone Mineral research vol 35,issues 3/pp 498-504,pub 12.nov 2019:
Hong AR, Kim SW. Effects of Resistance Exercise on Bone Health. Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2018 Dec;33(4):435-444. doi: 10.3803/EnM.2018.33.4.435. PMID: 30513557; PMCID: PMC6279907.
Reid IR, Bolland MJ. Calcium and/or Vitamin D Supplementation for the Prevention of Fragility Fractures: Who Needs It? Nutrients. 2020 Apr 7;12(4):1011. doi: 10.3390/nu12041011. PMID: 32272593; PMCID: PMC7231370.