You should celebrate every inch recorded in your children's height chart because it's a sign of their excellent health and development!
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) report, "Optimizing Bone Health in Kids and Adolescents," kids who reach their full growth potential will face fewer health issues as they grow up.
While parents' genes can dictate a child’s height to a great extent, the AAP report says you must also pay attention to their bone health. Here's how you can further help your kids grow up with strong, healthy bones:
1. Encourage play and exercise to keep your kids active.
According to the AAP report, high-impact and low-frequency activities such as jumping, skipping, jogging, and dancing help increase bone mineral density or BMD. A healthy BMD helps your kids avoid fractures, weak bones, and body pains. Just always remember, safety first when they engage in physical activities!
What you can do: Set a time every day to get your kids up and moving. Younger kids can follow simple dance moves to their favorite songs. For older kids, check sports trial classes in your community and see which activity they will like best.
2. Know and maintain your kids recommended weight.
Being underweight may make kids prone to fractures, while excessive weight can lead to diseases that negatively affect the bones. It's all the more critical your children maintain a healthy body weight, particularly during childhood and adolescence.
What you can do: Make sure kids eat a healthy, nutritious, and balanced diet. Take a look at the MyPlate Food Guide if you need an easy meal reference for them.
3. Load up your kids' meals with calcium-rich food and drinks.
Calcium is an essential building block of bone health. In fact, 99 percent of it is found in the bones. To keep their bones healthy, kids need to take the recommended dietary allowance for calcium intake based on their age. Drinking milk should be a habit until adolescence to avoid fracture risk in adulthood.
What you can do: Add milk, cream, yogurt, and natural cheeses to your kids' snacks, or offer them a glass of milk with every meal. Other options include calcium-fortified fruit juices, breakfast cereals, and tofu. If your children are lactose-intolerant, look for lactose-free or lactose-reduced milk and cheeses. Avoid salty and sugary foods, especially soda, which affect calcium absorption.
4. Complement your kids' calcium intake with vitamin D.
The AAP report says vitamin D transports calcium in the body, and without it, only 10 to 15 percent of calcium is absorbed. Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, or the softening and weakening of bones, and will make kids more prone to bone fracture. People can get vitamin D from sunlight, but oftentimes, this is not enough. More so, with UVA's and UVB’s harmful effects, this isn’t exactly the best option.
What you can do: Introduce food rich in vitamin D like salmon, sardines, and tuna in your children's meals. Another source of vitamin D, the report says, is through supplementation in the form of multivitamins. Vitamin D aids in speeding up growth, and helps with the development of strong bones and the strengthening of muscles.
Try complementing your child's balanced diet and active lifestyle with GROWEE® Multivitamins. It's a food supplement with vitamin D.
MAHALAGANG PAALALA: ANG GROWEE AY HINDI GAMOT AT
HINDI DAPAT GAMITING PANGGAMOT SA ANUMANG URI NG SAKIT.![]()
GROWEE® is available in drops for babies ages 7 months to 2 years old, and syrup for kids 2 years old and above. It is available in all major drugstores and supermarkets nationwide.
For more information on GROWEE®, follow the brand on Facebook.
MAHALAGANG PAALALA: ANG GROWEE AY HINDI GAMOT AT
HINDI DAPAT GAMITING PANGGAMOT SA ANUMANG URI NG SAKIT.ASC REFERENCE CODE: P037N053019G
