A new book argues that to strengthen bones, calcium and vitamin D may not be as important as reducing the effects of acids in the diet.

In Building Bone Vitality, UNC Asheville health and wellness professor Dr. Amy Lanou and co-writer Michael Castleman say that the focus on dairy products could actually be more detrimental than focusing on increasing the amounts of fruit and vegetables one eats to reduce the acid balance in one’s daily eating habits.

They say that six to nine servings of the plants, similar to recommendations by whole food nutrition dietitians, along with frequent exercise, could counteract the effects of protein’s acidity.

The body takes calcium from the skeletal structure to offset the acid, they say, similar to the way one uses a calcium-based antacid to reduce stomach indigestion.

"Fruits and vegetables keep calcium in bone where it belongs," said Lanou. Castleman adds, "The good news is that you don’t have to join a gym or sweat buckets, but you do have to walk every day."