Your Kids Need Milk..To avoid OSTEOPOROSIS AT A LATER AGE.

It's Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, and when most people think of osteoporosis, the think the disease only affects older people.


However, that's not always the case. Registered dietitian Carolyn O'Neil says it's important for parents to think about strong bones at an early age because osteoporosis is a pediatric disease with geriatric consequences.

She says, "Prime bone building years is during our childhood, during our teen years, during young adulthood." Because of that, mothers and fathers should make sure their children get plenty of calcium at a young age.

O'Neil says mothers need to be strong role models so children have strong bones. According to O'Neil, research shows that mothers who are milk drinkers have children who drink milk, too.

O'Neil has five tips to strong bones:

- Can the sodas. Drinking too many sugary sodas in place of milk can rob your daughter of the calcium she needs during these prime bone-building years. There’s been an epidemic of stress fractures and broken bones during adolescence because of severe calcium shortages.

- Nourish your bones. People forget that bones are living tissue and they need a steady supply of nutrients to grow and strengthen. Three glasses of low fat milk a day provides an ideal package of nutrients for bones: calcium, vitamin D, protein, phosphorus and potassium. These are all important nutrients for strong, sturdy bones.

- Be a role model. Several studies have found that mothers who drink milk are more likely to have daughters who drink milk, and research suggests that milk-drinking teens have stronger bones compared to their peers who drink little or no milk.

- Get moving. Bones not only need the right nourishment, they need the right type of exercise too. The type of activity that helps stimulate bone growth is called weight-bearing exercise. Get the entire family moving together with weight training, walking, hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, tennis or dancing.

- Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol. Smoking and alcohol abuse are bad for bones and can increase the bone loss.

courtesy:
www.whsv.com