Building Strong Bones Now

Having a child who is lactose intolerance means you will have to find other ways for your child to get calcium-rich intake beside regular milk, cheese, and yogurt.  Many people believe that these foods also causing weight gain, especially for female gender, and avoid them altogether.

Building strong bones is essential, and to avoid osteoporosis later in life, we must learn the facts about bone health.  Women are at risk for osteoporosis, so taking care of our bones as early as we can, help us in the run long.

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If you have a daughter, here is what she needs to build strong bones:

• Girls at age 9 to 18 need at least three cup of low fat or fat free milk, plus one serving of calcium-rich food.
• 60 minutes of physical activity every day, and the best ones for bones are: rope jumping, running, basketball, soccer, volleyball, cheerleading, and walking.

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Learn the Facts

• Milk is the best source for calcium, and vitamin D, and potassium, but you can also get calcium from other foods such as spinach, tofu, almonds, and calcium fortified bread, or tortilla, and cereals.
• Dairy products are not fattening and cause weight gain if you choose low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt, and cheese.
• Low fat and fat free milk and soy drinks have the same amount of calcium as whole milk, without the fat!
• For lactose intolerance people, try lactose-reduced milk, Silk, or soy drink. A small amount of yogurt, milk, or cheese is also all right to enjoy once in a while.
• The critical years for girls to build strong bones are at the ages of 9 to 18. By the time she is 18, she should have built close to 90 percent of her bone mass.

Since my daughter is lactose intolerance, we eat lots of green vegetables such as bok choy, arugulas, green beans, broccoli, kale, and collard greens.  Building strong bones is now, but it’s never too late to begin.