Food & Nutrition

Healthy Bones - Get Through To Your Kids

Get Through To Your Kids – Bone Health

How can I get through to my kids? They sure don’t think about their bones.

You are absolutely right. Research has shown that children and adolescents do not tend to think much about their health. Their decisions about diet and exercise, for example, are rarely made based on “what’s good for them.” But we also know that you have a much greater influence on your kids’ decisions and behaviors than you may believe. For example, many teenagers, when asked who has been the greatest influence in their life, name parents before friends, siblings, grandparents, and romantic partners.

The best way to help your kids develop healthy habits for life is to be a good role model yourself. Research suggests that active children have active parents. If you make physical activity a priority and try hard to maintain a healthy diet, including plenty of calcium, chances are your positive lifestyle will “rub off” on them along the way. Here are some things you can do.

• Be a role model. Drink milk with meals, eat calcium-rich snacks, and get plenty of weight-bearing exercise. Don’t smoke.
• Incorporate calcium-rich foods into family meals.
• Serve fat-free or low-fat milk with meals and snacks.
• Stock up on calcium-rich snacks that are easy for hungry children to find, such as
  • Cheese cubes and string cheese
  • Calcium-fortified orange juice
  • Single-serving puddings
  • Individual cheese pizzas
  • Yogurt and frozen yogurt
  • Tortillas
  • Cereal with low-fat milk
  • Almonds
  • Broccoli with yogurt dip
• Limit access to soft drinks and other snacks that don’t provide calcium by not keeping them in the house.
• Help your kids to find a variety of physical activities or sports they enjoy participating in.
• Establish a firm time limit for sedentary activities such as TV, computers, and video games.
• Teach your kids to never start smoking, as it is highly addictive and toxic.
• Look for signs of eating disorders and overtraining, especially in preteen and teenaged girls, and address these problems right away.
• Talk to your children’s pediatrician about their bone health. If your child has a special medical condition that may interfere with bone mass development, ask the doctor for ways to minimize the problem and protect your child’s bone health.
• Talk to your children about their bone health, and let them know it is a priority for you. Your kids may not think much about health, but they are probably attracted to such health benefits as energy, confidence, good looks, and strength.

But my kids don’t like milk.

Drinking milk isn’t the only way to enjoy its benefits. For example, try making soup and oatmeal or other hot cereals with milk instead of water. Pour milk over cold cereal for breakfast or a snack. Incorporate milk into a fruit smoothie or milkshake. Chocolate milk and cocoa made with milk are also ways to increase the milk in your child’s diet.

Sources of calcium also might include an ounce or two of cheese on pizza or a cheeseburger, a cup of calcium-enriched orange juice, or a small carton of yogurt. Your kids can also get calcium from dark green, leafy vegetables like kale or bok choy, or foods such as broccoli, almonds, tortillas, or tofu made with calcium. Many popular foods-cereals, breads, juices-now have calcium added, too. Check the Nutrition Facts label on the package to be sure.