Ask the Experts
Why is bone strength important in childhood?
The majority (90%) of our bone strength is determined in childhood and adolescence, and developing strong foundations before adulthood will provide us with a better chance of strong bones throughout our lifetime.
Approximately 90% of bone strength develops by around the age of 18 years for girls and 20 years for boys.
Strength is added to bones easily during growth spurts i.e. during childhood and adolescence and at this time, bones absorb calcium more effectively.
What makes bones strong?
Much of our bone strength is determined by genetics and how much strength we add to bones during childhood and adolescence. There are a number of lifestyle factors that will help us achieve the best bone strength:
- Eating plenty of calcium foods – calcium is the main strength builder of bones!
- Vitamin D – vitamin D helps our bodies absorb calcium easily AND is crucial for strong bones.
- Keeping fit and active! Weight bearing activities like walking, skipping, jumping, running, playing football or basketball – all help to develop strong bones.
- Following a varied and balanced diet – including:
- fruit and vegetables
- Basing our meals around whole starchy foods – potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, yams, noodles.
- Including small amounts of lean protein foods like meat, fish, chicken, beans and pulses, nuts and seeds with each meal.
- Including dairy or calcium fortified soya alternatives. These foods will provide us with calcium.
Why is eating calcium foods so important for strong bones?
Calcium makes our bones strong. Our bodies cannot produce calcium, therefore we rely on getting all our daily supply from the foods we eat.
Do we have to eat calcium foods every day?
It’s the best way to ensure you meet your daily recommendations. Bone is constantly renewing itself – shedding old calcium and replacing it with new. That means it needs a daily supply.
How much calcium do we need?
The amount of calcium depends very much on your age and whether you are growing or not. As teenagers, boys need more calcium than girls as they have bigger bone structures. The government has set daily recommended intakes for all the UK population.
| Age (years) | Recommended UK DAILY Calcium Intake (Reference Nutrient Intake - RNI) |
| 1-3 | 350mg |
| 4-6 | 450mg |
| 7-10 | 550mg |
| Girls 11-18 | 800mg |
| Boys 11-18 | 1000mg |
| 19+ | 700mg |
| When breastfeeding (age 19+) | 1250mg |
What’s the best way to meet calcium needs?
It’s always better to obtain calcium from foods rather than supplements. The good news is that calcium is found in many foods. In fact, some calcium containing foods may surprise you!
- Milk and milk products – cheese, fromage frais, yogurts and dishes containing these foods.
- Oily fish with soft bones – sardines/pilchards.
- White and brown bread. White flour in the UK is fortified with calcium.
- Nuts – especially Almonds and also Brazil nuts and Hazelnuts.
- Sesame seeds.
- Calcium fortified soya drinks, desserts and yogurt alternatives.
- Tofu.
- Calcium fortified cereal such as Ready Brek and Rice Krispies.
- Watercress
How does 3 servings of dairy help with calcium needs?
Dairy is the main source of calcium in the UK diet and the body finds it easy to absorb calcium from these foods.
3 servings of dairy every day is one way to help meet calcium needs.
Each serving of dairy will provide at least one third of the recommended daily calcium intake for the UK.
What does a portion of dairy look like?
Depending on your age, your calcium requirements will vary and that means the portion of foods will vary also.
Click here to see a list of dairy servings by age group
Click here to see a list of non-dairy alternatives by age group
Is Dairy/Milk the only source of calcium in the diet?
No, many foods provide us with calcium. The main source in the UK is dairy. All these foods provide us with calcium:
Milk and Milk products:
- Milk - all types
- Cheese (including fromage frais)
- Yogurts – plain and fruit
- Yogurt smoothies
- Milk puddings e.g. rice pudding, custard
- Milk shakes
- Cheese flans
- Cheese omelette
- Pancakes/crepes
- Macaroni/cauliflower cheese
- Oily fish with soft bones – sardines/pilchards
- White and brown bread. White flour in the UK is fortified with calcium
- Calcium fortified cereal such as Ready Brek and Rice Krispies
- Nuts – especially Almonds and also Brazil nuts and Hazelnuts
- Sesame seeds
- Calcium fortified soya drinks, desserts and yogurt alternatives
- Tofu
- Watercress
- Okra
- Curly Kale
- Dried figs
We all need to keep active for many health benefits and all types of exercise are essential for our overall health and development. For bone health, it is best to include “weight-bearing” activities such as:
- Walking
- Skipping
- Running
- Jumping
- Playing football/basketball
- Dancing
- Weight training
What is vitamin D?
Vitamin D is an important nutrient as it helps develop strong bones by helping the body maximise calcium absorption. Our main source in the UK is the sun – but only from April to September and between the hours of 10am and 3pm. Also, we need to be careful with exposing ourselves to too much sun.
Vitamin D and bone health
All children under the age of 5 years should be taking vitamin D supplements to make sure their bone development is adequate. Please speak with your health visitor who will guide you to the most suitable vitamin D drops for your child.
Dietary sources of vitamin D are few:
- All formula milks are fortified
- Oily fish is naturally rich in vitamin D
- Eggs, meat and liver provide some vitamin D
- Now some children’s fromage frais and yogurts are fortified with vitamin D – look on the label
- A few fortified breakfast cereals also add vitamin D – look on the nutritional panel
- Margarine is fortified with vitamin D
The government has recently launched guidelines about vitamin D. All children under the age of 5 years and all pregnant and breastfeeding women should take vitamin D supplements. Speak to your midwife and/or health visitor for further advice and guidance.
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