YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health Spring 2017 | Page 4

JENELLE CROATTO, APD
Jenelle believes that forming a healthy relationship with food is just as important as eating nutritious
food. Her philosophy is simple – Eat minimally processed food, eat food you enjoy, eat mindfully
and love food that loves you back!  She is a foodie at heart, and wholeheartedly believes you don’t
need to trade off good food, for good health. To learn more about Jenelle visit www.feedinc.net
STRONG BONES
FOR LIFE
Nutrition expert Jenelle Croatto shares her tips for strong
and healthy bones.
uilding strong, dense bones in
our younger years is essential
in preventing osteoporosis
later in life. Osteoporosis literally means
‘porous bones’, and is caused by
mineral loss within the bone, at a rate
faster than your body can replace. Over
time, bones can become weak and
brittle, increasing your risk of fractures.
Often called the ‘silent disease’, you
can be symptom-free and not know
you have osteoporosis until a broken
bone sends you to the doctor.  
B
Osteoporosis affects more than one
million people in Australia. Two out of
three Australian adults over the age of
50 are affected by either osteoporosis
or, osteopenia – which is a general
weakening of the bones, but not to the
extent of osteoporosis.
Both men and women can be affected
by osteoporosis, however women are
at a greater risk due to the drop in
oestrogen levels that occur throughout
menopause. As oestrogen levels fall,
calcium and other minerals are lost
from the bone at a faster rate, causing
bone loss to be approximately two per
cent each year following menopause 1 .
To safeguard your bones, let me
introduce you to the Healthy Bone Trio:
Calcium, Vitamin D and Activity.
CALCIUM
Calcium is an essential mineral needed
to build strong, robust bones. It’s the
most abundant mineral in the body,
with almost 99% being found within
4
your skeleton and teeth.
Despite this, calcium only
accounts for 2% of your
total body weight.
By consuming a diet
rich in calcium, you
can help slow the
natural loss of bone
as you age. Bones
act like a ‘calcium-
bank’ – so if you
don’t consume
enough calcium,
your body will
‘withdraw’ calcium
from your bones so it can be used for
its other roles around the body.
Adult men and women both
need 1000mg of calcium each day to
meet their Recommended Daily Intake
(RDI). From 50 years of age, women
need to increase their calcium intake to
1300mg and from 70 years of age, men
need to increase their daily intake to
the same amount.
To get your 1000mg of calcium, you
need to have around 2½ to 4 serves of
dairy or dairy alternatives each day.
Dairy foods are a superb source of
easily absorbed calcium, but if you
can’t eat dairy or have difficulty
digesting dairy products, then it’s
perfectly fine to have dairy alternatives
or other foods that are rich in calcium.
If you’re struggling to consume
sufficient calcium, then speak with your
GP to see ifyou need a calcium
supplement.
YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE SPRING 2017