Protecting Children's Bones

It seems most of us only become aware of the fact that we should protect our bones as we age. The reality is, we should be thinking of building healthy bones for our children while they are still inside the womb. It is more important to protect and build bones when we are young, than to worry about it later in life. Here’s why: we have until the later teen years to build bone density. Bone density is built by consuming nutrient dense foods (leafy green vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts/seeds, sea vegetables and grains). If our children do not reach an optimal peak bone mass, they may wind up with Osteoporosis later in life.  Bone loss is a natural part of aging so starting out high is a good thing.  

We build bones early in life, and after our mid-thirties bone loss starts. In our fifties bone loss becomes more rapid, and settles down by our sixties. There is good news! Bone loss can be minimized by eating plant foods.     
Our bones are meant to last a lifetime and beyond, but today children are breaking bones all the time. Why? Because they are filling up with junk! Many people today have somehow lost the ability to tell food from non-food and wind up eating lifeless food from packages. We need to get back to nature and eat the foods that nature provides us.   

But, it’s not just food.  Our lifestyle plays an important role.  Do you get enough sleep and exercise or drink too much caffeine?  Are you under a lot of stress?  Are your hormones in balance? Are you digesting your food properly?  These are all factors of building bone or breaking them down.  

I’m sure you have heard that calcium is good for building bone, but it’s not the only nutrient.  There are 21 nutrients including calcium that work synergistically to build bone.  Vitamin D and K2 are just as important as calcium because without these two, calcium can’t get into our bones.  We have an epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency, could this be why so many children are breaking their bones today? Vitamin D is the only vitamin that we can’t get much from food, we need to get it from the sun or take a supplement.   

There are many factors to look at when building our bones. I have only touched the surface, but by feeding our children fresh, whole foods we are taking a great first step to building healthy bones that will last them a lifetime!