Bones Beware

Balance your vitamin A intake for bone health. Getting too much or too little vitamin A may increase your risk of bone fractures, a recent study revealed. To reduce your risk of excess, load up on foods rich in beta carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A as needed. Good foods to try include carrots, sweet potatoes, and cantaloupe. Avoid multivitamins that contain more than 8,000 IU of vitamin A. It's best to choose a multivitamin that contains vitamin A in the form of beta carotene.

Your body needs vitamin A to maintain your vision, teeth, gums, nerves, and bones. Beta-carotene gives produce its bright green, orange, and yellow hues. Spinach, pumpkin, squash, carrots, apricots, yams, and cantaloupe are all excellent sources of beta carotene. In addition to balancing vitamin A intake, other important means of maintaining healthy bones include performing weight-bearing exercise regularly and getting 400 IU of vitamin D and 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day.