Whilst our Athletes having proven to be unbeatable in Glasgow’s sporting arena, it seems this is not the case for our bones. It is estimated that 1.2 million Australians have Osteoporosis, and another 6.3 million are at risk. That’s almost one third of our population. And with our increasingly ageing population, this rate is estimated to increase. So we have a second important post for you lovelies this Healthy Bones Action Week. Scoop Sub Emma Stubbs give us the latest tips on building unbeatable bones.
About our expert:
Emma Stubbs is a graduate Dietitian based in Melbourne and a current scoop sub. A self-diagnosed yoghurt addict, Emma is passionate about food and nutrition, and endeavours to provide accurate and easy to understand nutrition messages to the pubic. You can check out Emma’s new blog at emmajstubbs.com or follow her on Facebook or Twitter & Instagram @emmajstubbs.
So how can be build unbeatable bones?
We can eat, we can run and we can do it in the sun. Just follow my 1, 2, 3….
One: Get your milk, cheese & yoghurt for calcium
Just about everybody knows that we need calcium for strong bones and teeth. Our mum’s have told us, our television’s have told us and its likely it was on the walls at the dentist, right next to the the sugar content of soft drink. Yet Australian’s are still failing to consume the recommended intake of dairy products, and quite frankly, my bones are creaking at the thought. How can this be the case? Do people not like yoghurt as much as I do? What about a latte? Or cheese? Surely everyone loves cheese. Maybe it’s not that we don’t like dairy, maybe we just don’t know what’s enough.
So, what is enough?
Check out the Australian Dietary Guidelines to find out how many serves you and your kids need. It’s generally a minimum of 2.5 serves every day, but our growing and ageing need a little more.
What is a serve?
1 cup of cow’s milk OR 2 slices of hard cheese (40g) OR 1 tub (200g) yoghurt OR 1/2 cup Ricotta (120g)
But you don’t eat dairy?
Calcium-fortified soy, rice and other cereal milks are great alternatives for all you non-dairy folks.
Equivalent serves also include:
- 60g sardines
- 100g pink salmon and their bones
- 100g firm tofu – although be sure to check the label
- 100g almonds with skin
What about dark green leafy vegetables?
In this world of paleo, vegan and dairy-free, I’m hearing this more and more so I thought I would check the calcium content of vegetables. Broccoli, spinach, silver beet and bak choy do contain more calcium (per 100g) than their other fibrous counterparts. But here’s the thing. 1 cup of broccoli contains approximately 60mg of calcium. 1 cup of milk = 300mg or in other words 5 cups of broccoli.
I love broccoli. Do I want to eat 5 cups of it? Not in one day. And not when I still have more calcium to fit in. And I know Paelo followers go for bone broths and other sources too. But my verdict? A great way to boost your calcium intake, but for the average person not so easy and probably not enough.
I find it hard to get my serves in?
Check out this calcium planner on other ways you can boost your intake.
And if you’re like me, and a bowl of cereal with milk or a cheese & salad sandwich gets a little bit boring – check out my 25 ways to get in your 2.5.
Two: Get into weight bearing exercise at every age and stage
It’s time to get off social media (once you’ve finished reading this) and get up and moving!
Weight bearing exercise (when your legs and feet carry the weight of you body) such as running, team sports and dancing helps our children grow strong bones and maintains and prevent bone loss as we age.
Three: Get safe sunshine for Vitamin D
So you’ve had your glass of milk with breakfast, yoghurt for afternoon tea and you’re on the train home with plans of making tofu and vegetable curry for dinner. You’ve even managed to get to the gym this morning for a workout. You’re doing pretty good.
But have you seen any sunshine? If you’re in Melbourne, probably not.
For Australian’s sun exposure is our primary source of Vitamin D. We need Vitamin D to help absorb all that calcium we are eating, and help regulate blood calcium levels and maintain our muscle strength.
Unfortunately, living in Australia means that in winter many of us do not have adequate levels of Vitamin D. We need to be spending about 7-40 minutes outside around noon, most days, to ensure we are getting adequate Vitamin D.
So your third and final task for this Healthy Bones Action Week
- Eat your lunch in the sunshine, or swap your lunchtime gym session for a walk outside.
- Get your vitamin D checked folks
- If your GP advises, pop down to your local pharmacy and buy yourself some Ostelin (or any other Vitamin D).
- Keep your supps bottle in with your breakfast cereal canister so you don’t forget! (Hot tip from our own Emma Stirling).
Editor’s comment:
Thanks so much Em! And I love your 25 ways to 2.5. Healthy Bones is an important message that just doesn’t seem to be getting through. Can you help spread the word lovelies and make us Emma’s happy?
