Finally, a voice of reason in the “must-have-calcium-for-your-bones-therefore-drink-milk” story. Researchers are now showing that magnesium may actually be more important for the health of bones in young people - which is when the bone matrix must be laid down properly if it is to provide a strong skeleton for a lifetime.
I agree, magnesium is important but so is vitamin D (think time in the sun) and now we know vitamin K (also likely to be deficient but produced in abundance when the gut is healthy) and then of course the weight-bearing exercise (that simply means plenty of activity, especially when kids are growing).
Which brings me to the other theme in my post for today. I was at Sydney’s famous Taronga Zoo on Sunday - helping a 38 year old mum with her two little kids. The zoo was heaving with families enjoying a magnificent autumn day. It had been a while since I packed red salmon sandwiches and salad and took my boys for a visit, but in ten years the zoo has been transformed. However, also transformed is the mode of transport for all those visiting kids. Now, the zoo and its stairways and ramps are choc-a-bloc with the biggest baby buggies imaginable. High time, if I may say to get the kids who can walk, out of their wheeled chariots and down on their own two feet. It’s surprising how far small legs will actually carry their owners. For those kids who are too small to walk, a sling or a back-pack offer much better ways for them to see the animals anyway. Everyone gets some exercise and baby gets better stimulation of balance and position receptors (and the message that life is about activity!) Read more on this topic
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