When you think about building strong bones, an image of someone sipping on a tall glass of milk might come to mind. We’ve been trained since childhood to equate calcium with skeletal strength, and dairy milk is the darling of the calcium-containing food world.

While calcium is, undoubtedly, the reigning monarch of bone minerals, it doesn’t work alone. In fact, without a supporting cast of other essential nutrients, calcium can’t do its job effectively. Thankfully, vitamin D has been getting more attention in recent years, and many people now recognize just how crucial it is for ensuring your body can actually use the calcium you consume. But calcium and vitamin D are only pieces of a broader nutritional foundation that’s essential for building and maintaining strong, healthy bones.

This nutritional teamwork becomes even more critical as you age, particularly for women. During perimenopause and menopause, the decline in estrogen levels accelerates bone loss, which can increase the risk of osteoporosis, a condition that makes bones weak and more likely to break. In fact, women can lose up to 20% of their bone density in the five to seven years following menopause, and approximately one in two women over age 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis.

As a registered dietitian with a strong family history of osteoporosis, bone health is more than just a professional focus. It’s personal. I’ve spent years not only helping my patients protect their bones, but also learning how to fortify my own to reduce the risk of fractures (or worse) later in life. What I’ve learned is this: Building a resilient skeleton takes more than just popping a supplement or drinking the occasional glass of milk. It requires a variety of key nutrients that work together to support your bones. And while diet is just one piece of the puzzle (movement, genetics, and lifestyle factors also play a role), what you put on your plate matters immensely.

So what else should you be looking for in a bone health diet? Three underrated power players: boron, vitamin K, and zinc. These nutrients work alongside calcium and vitamin D to keep your bones strong and healthy. Let’s dive into why they matter—and how to get more of them.

Boron

Boron doesn’t get much PR, but in the world of bone metabolism, it’s a quiet powerhouse. It acts as a facilitator, helping your body utilize other bone-building nutrients more effectively.