January Healthy Bones
You have more than 200 bones. They hold up your body, and, along with your muscles, keep you moving. Basically, without bones you'd just be one big blob!
So, what are these bones made of?
They are mostly collagen, a protein that is like a soft framework for bones, and calcium phosphate, a mineral that makes bones hard. Collagen and calcium work together to make bones strong and flexible. All together, the bones in your body form your skeleton. Your skeleton is very strong, but also very light. Wanna know a cool fact? Most of your body's calcium is contained in your bones and teeth!! (The rest is in your blood — weird, huh?)
Besides calcium and collagen, bones also contain water, minerals, and cells that grow and change. Even though bones you've seen may have looked all dried up (think skeletons in movies or museums), yours really live and grow inside you. Bones are always growing and they're strongest by your 20s. When you're a baby, you have more than 300 bones, but by the time you're an adult you'll only have 206 because some of your bones join together as you grow. To be able to grow, strong bones need lots of calcium and bone-strengthening activity.
Parents, please share your ideas!
"What Makes a Powerful Girl?"
Calcium content varies depending on ingredients for many foods. That means a food may have a little more or a little less calcium than what is listed on this chart. This is because different brands sometimes have slightly different ingredients. Check food labels to see how much calcium is in different foods.
Choose fat-free or low-fat versions of these foods most often. Aim for 1,300 milligrams or 130% of the daily value (DV) everyday.* Add it up! Healthy Bones: How To Make Strong Bones So you've got the message that you need to eat and drink plenty of foods with calcium and do lots of bone-strengthening physical activity. But I bet you're wondering why these things give you powerful bones. Check it
out... Calcium Makes Bones As Strong As Steel
Food
Portion
Calcium
Milligrams
%DV*
Plain, fat-free yogurt
1 cup
450
45
Grilled cheese sandwich**
1 sandwich
371
40
American cheese
2 ounces
348
35
Ricotta cheese, part skim
1/2 cup
337
35
Fruit yogurt
1 cup
315
30
Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 ounces
305
30
Milk (fat free or low fat)
1 cup
300
30
Orange juice with added calcium
1 cup
300
30
Soy beverage with added calcium
1 cup
250–300
25–30
Mozzarella cheese, part skim, low
moisture
1 ounce
207
20
Tofu (with calcium sulfate on
ingredient list)
1/2 cup
204
20
Waffle, homemade with milk, 7-inch
1
191
20
Macaroni and cheese
1/2 cup
180
20
Collards, boiled, frozen
1/2 cup
179
20
English muffin, whole wheat
1
175
20
Rice beverage, with added calcium
1 cup
150–300
15–30
Pudding, made with milk —
chocolate, vanilla, lemon, banana
1/2 cup
147–160
15
Cheese pizza
1 slice
111–147
11–15
Collards, boiled
1/2 cup
118
10
Frozen yogurt (fat free or low fat)
1/2 cup
105
10
Broccoli, cooked or fresh
1 cup
90
10
Kale, boiled
1/2 cup
90
10
Seeds, sesame seeds, whole, dried
1 tablespoon
88
10
Ice cream
1/2 cup
84
8
Bok choy, cooked or fresh
1/2 cup
80
8
Cottage cheese, 2% fat
1/2 cup
78
8
Almonds, dry roasted
1 ounce
71
8
White bread
2 slices
70
8
Cottage cheese, 1% fat
1/2 cup
69
6
French toast, made with milk
1 slice
65
6
Oatmeal, instant with added calcium
1 packet
100
11
Cereal with added calcium
1 ounce
300
30
Milk, Lactose Reduced
1 cup
300
30
When your body makes new bone tissue, it first lays down a framework of collagen. Then, tiny crystals of calcium from your blood spread throughout the collagen framework. The hard crystals fill in all the nooks and crannies. Calcium and collagen work together to make bones strong and flexible.
Too Little Calcium Makes Bones Weak
Your body needs calcium to do lots of things. Calcium helps your muscles work so you can throw a softball. It helps send out nerve impulses. If you touch something hot, for instance, your brain quickly gets the message to say, "Ouch!" and move your hand away. It also helps your body heal cuts and scrapes.
Every cell in your body needs calcium. Your bones store calcium for your blood and cells. If your body doesn't get enough calcium, which can be found in some foods and drinks, it takes it from your bones. And that can make your bones weak.
From the day you're born, your bones are built and strengthened with calcium. In fact, when you're in your 20s (like, forever from now), your bones will be their strongest ever.
To make sure your bones are still powerful, even after you're 30, 40 or even 50 (ancient!), you need to get enough calcium now and keep getting it.
How Does Vitamin D Fit In?
Calcium can’t do its job without vitamin D. This important vitamin helps your bones use the calcium they get from the foods you eat. Not many foods contain vitamin D, so it is added to common foods like milk, orange juice, yogurt, and cereals to help you reach the 200 international units (IU) you need every day. You can also get vitamin D from canned tuna or salmon.
Run, Jump, and Dance to Make Bones Strong
Are you saying, "I get the whole calcium thing, but why is bone-strengthening activity so important?" Here's why: activities like walking and soccer make your bones work against gravity (the force that keeps us from floating out to space). Bones are living tissue. Bone-strengthening activity stimulates new bone tissue to form, making them stronger. Also, bone-strengthening activity makes muscles stronger, and muscles push and tug against bones, making them even stronger.
Swimming, which is good for your heart and other muscles, isn't the #1 choice for building bones. Ever notice how you feel a lot lighter in a pool? Water cuts down on the pull of gravity, so your bones really don't get a good workout.
It Takes Two
Strong bones need both calcium and bone-strengthening activity. It's not enough to just eat right or just do lots of bone-strengthening activity. It takes both to make bones strong. So jump to it, girlfriend!
Ingredients for Strong Bones
Strong bones need calcium, vitamin D, and bone-strengthening activity. It's not enough to just eat right or just do lots of bone-strengthening activity. It takes both to make bones strong. So jump to it, girlfriend!
