Build those bones!
Children being children, many will suffer broken bones in their childhood. If this happens there are numerous ways to encourage healing and to ensure the bone returns to a healthy strong state. However ensuring that your children's bones are strong to begin with will not only help prevent fractures, but also help to ensure they do not suffer from weak and brittle bones later in life.
Diet is crucial to healthy bones. Overall the general consensus is that a varied diet, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, good quality protein, fibre from wholegrains and cereals, and beneficial fats is important.
Calcium
You've probably heard that you need calcium for strong bones and teeth, but this mineral does a good deal more for you as well. Calcium helps contracts your muscles, regulates your blood flow, produces hormones and enzymes and helps the body send and receive messages throughout your brain and nervous system.
Milk, cheese and other dairy products are a rich source of easily absorbed calcium, but other sources include, oily fish (tinned salmon, pilchards and sardines), sesame seeds, Tofu, dried figs and currants, and dried apricots. In addition green leafy vegetables all contain good levels of calcium especially broccoli, kale, watercress and spinach.
Remember too, that your child also needs Magnesium, Vitamin D and vitamin C to get the calcium into their bones.
Magnesium is a big friend to calcium (which is also present in green vegetables, nuts and whole grains) as it helps us to absorb the calcium we eat and relax our muscles.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps us to absorb calcium from the food in our digestive system. Most of the vitamin D in the body is made as a result of the action of sunlight on the skin! Some also comes from the diet. Oily fish is another source of vitamin D.
Vitamin C accelerates the rate at which the bone rebuilds itself and is especially important after a break or fracture of your child's bone.
Last but most certainly not least….
Exercise builds stronger bones, and being physically active on a regular basis is important for bone strength. Encouraging physical activity in your child is likely to bring a range of health benefits, including stronger more fracture resistant bones.
For a tasty and nutritious way to get calcium into the diet each day why not try our bone-building smoothie!
Margaret Joyce
Nutritional Therapist
Dip IINH N Th MBANT