Why kids need to care more about their bone health
Most families know at least someone over the age of 65 with a fractured hip or neck of femur or arm etc. But that reality is ages away – why do kids have to care?
Fractures in the elderly generally happen from a fall. A few things contribute to this: poor bone health and poor muscle health. Poor bone health happens from a lack of calcium in the diet. The thing is, bone density peaks in your 20’s! So after your 20’s, it is only downhill for your bones. Particularly for women after they hit menopause, bone deterioration happens very rapidly, because estrogen normally acts like a brake on bone degradation. The reason calcium is needed is because it controls many other things in your body, such as neuron signals and muscle contractions, so it must be very tightly controlled in the blood. If you aren’t getting enough in your diet, your body takes reserves from your bones to keep blood levels stable.
There is one food group that can attack both problems of low calcium and low protein head on: dairy.
HOW MUCH DAIRY HELPS WITH BONE HEALTH?
Dairy is a rich source of calcium and also has a moderate amount of protein. It is recommended for adolescents to have 3.5 serves of dairy and for adults to have 2.5 serves, according to Australia’s dietary guidelines (see more here). This helps meet requirements of 1300mg or 1000mg for adolescents and adults, respectively. 1 serve is equivalent to:
· 250mL/1 cup milk
· 40g/2 slices hard cheese
· 200g yoghurt
· 120g ricotta
These all provide ~300mg calcium, hence the recommended serves to reach your minimum requirements.
WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE DAIRY?
Not a problem here! Just choose a dairy free milk alternative with 120mg calcium per 100mL and opt for dairy free yoghurts with added calcium too. Most dairy free cheeses don’t add extra calcium, so don’t rely on this for your calcium needs. Other sources of calcium are:
· 100g almonds with skin
· 60g sardines
· 100g tinned pink salmon with bones
· 100g firm tofu set in calcium (eg Evergreens extra firm tofu)
Not sure if you or your kids are getting enough calcium or if they need a supplement? Speak to one of our dietitians for individualised advice. Book now or enquire by emailing ward nutrition or phoning our admin team on 02 6362 9806 .
