Magnesium is a hard worker. Low grade underconsumption is common in diets lacking whole plant foods. So, if you aren’t tip top but can’t put your finger on why, you should consider whether magnesium might be an issue.

Vitamin K is possibly the least discussed vitamin. It sits off to the side, absent from nutrition panels and with a weird name, so no one ever thinks much about it unless they have a blood clot or rat bait poisoning. But behind the scenes, research has been finding vitamin K is valuable beyond blood clotting, possibly protecting against against cardiovascular disease, dementia, diabetes and osteoporosis.

Australia is one big solar panel but more than one in five of us is vitamin D deficient. Who cares? You should. Let’s find out what vitamin D does - it’s about more than just bones - and how we can be grown ups and meet our vitamin D needs, while looking after our skin.

Calcium is undeniably important for bone strength but it’s not the only show in town. How much we need is contested but, in any case very few Australian adults get anywhere the recommendations. Certainly, for women at least, it’s not for want of lifelong pressure to consume more calcium. So, should we try harder? Admit defeat and supplement? Or a bit of both? This one is complex but, by the end, I hope you feel you’ve replaced your chronic low-grade calcium guilt with a plan.  

Here we look at the bigger bone health picture and some lesser known lifestyle and nutrition factors. The following four articles will look at the most well researched protective nutrients: calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K and magnesium.