Calcium. Check.

Vitamin D. Check.

Protein. Uh… protein? 

How about magnesium? Vitamins B-12 and K? Potassium?

We all know that calcium and vitamin D are critical to bone health. But as it turns out, there’s more to fighting osteoporosis than calcium, vitamin D, and drugs.

Your body needs a host of other nutrients to ensure that your bones will carry you into a healthy, happy old age – literally.

Since these “less famous” vitamins and minerals don’t get nearly the press that calcium and vitamin D do, you probably aren’t aware of just how critical they are.

And you almost certainly don’t know how much of each you should be ingesting daily.

So let’s get educated, shall we? The following five nutrients have been identified by doctors and nutritionists as just one tier down in importance from calcium and vitamin D.

Think of getting a sufficient amount of these as life insurance for your bones.

Protein 
While your bones are mainly calcium, they’re also 22% protein. Protein is a key element in bone remodeling (the constant cycle of bone breakdown and rebuilding). 

The National Academy of Sciences’ Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA): As research continues, recommendations change regarding the optimal amount of protein a healthy adult should consume each day. Currently, the RDA is 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight, for men and women alike.

To simplify this computation, try to ingest about 1/2g protein per pound of body weight daily. Thus if you weigh 150 pounds, you should consume 75g of protein.

Dietary sources: Since protein isn’t something you’ll find in your daily multivitamin, you’ll almost certainly rely on your diet for protein. Luckily, it’s a chief component of many foods, including meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products, as well as beans, nuts, and whole grains.

A 6-ounce piece of cooked salmon or 4-ounce piece of cooked chicken breast covers nearly half your daily protein requirement. For vegetarians, 1 cup of cooked lentils covers about one-quarter of your daily need.

Dairy products are an easy way to up your protein, too. 1 cup of skim milk has 9g protein; 1 ounce of low-fat cheese, 8g; and a 6-ounce carton of fat-free, sugar-free (“light”) yogurt offers 6g. Soy milk checks in at 7g protein per 8-ounce cup. So 2 cups of milk (dairy or soy), 2 ounces of cheese, and one carton of yogurt cover more than half your daily protein needs.

For most of us, consuming enough protein each day probably isn’t an issue. In fact, many of us probably have too much protein in our diet; and too much is just as bad as not enough. Excess protein increases the acid level of your blood, and your bones shed calcium to try to neutralize this acid. So try to stay close to those 75 or so grams of protein daily, OK?

Vitamin K
As vitamin D is to calcium, so is vitamin K to protein: the two go hand in hand, vitamin K enabling protein to do its work. In addition, vitamin K blocks the formation of osteoclasts, the cells that break down bone. Bigger picture, it’s been shown to help prevent fractures, particularly in post-menopausal women.