It’s What’s Inside that Counts this National Healthy Bones Week

National Healthy Bones Week is a joint initiative by Dairy Australia and Osteoporosis Australia to raise awareness of the important role calcium-rich foods, such as dairy, have in the development and maintenance of healthy bones and prevention of osteoporosis.

This year, National Healthy Bones Week invited every Australian primary school to participate in a fun and educational competition themed “Want to build strong characters?” Schools had the chance to win:

- An all expenses paid trip to a local museum or zoo.
- A visit from a celebrity chef, who will prepare a special calcium-rich meal for the teaching staff and do a fun, interactive cooking demonstration with the winning class.
- A profile of the winner on www.healthybones.com.au
- The winning character will become the personality of the 2011 National Healthy Bones Week campaign.

And the winner of the “Want to build strong characters?” competition for 2010 is: 

"Mr Dinobones" created by the Year 3 (room 22) class at Winthrop Primary School, WA.

Thank you to everyone for all your fantastic entries. We received some great entries from right across Australia and appreciate all the time and effort each and every student put into their National Healthy Bones Week creations.

Did you know?

Osteoporosis affects one in two females and one in three males over the age of 60? But preventing this ‘silent’ disease starts much earlier in life.

From early adulthood, bones gradually lose mineral and strength. Eating enough calcium-containing foods throughout adulthood may help slow bone mineral loss and therefore reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

“Dairy is a great source of calcium and when combined with vitamin D and exercise, is all you need everyday for keeping bones healthy.” says Naseema Sparks, CEO of Osteoporosis Australia. Unfortunately, Australians of all ages are putting their bones at risk by not consuming enough calcium.

“A high percentage of children aged 9‐16 years are not meeting daily calcium requirements . And research shows that while 52 percent of adults believe that three or more serves of dairy is a healthy daily target, only 10 per cent are actually consuming enough ,” said Glenys Zucco, Dietitian at Dairy Australia.

“It’s straightforward, just three serves of dairy everyday provides most people with a large proportion of the recommended daily intake for calcium – a serve is equal to 250ml milk, a 200g tub of yogurt or 40g of cheese,” she added. 

Try these tips to boost the calcium in your daily diet:

• Wake up with a café latte on the way to work
• Blend a fruit smoothie for protein packed breakfast or after your workout
• Include cheese in a salad or sandwich
• Add a dollop of natural yogurt to finish off a Mexican dish or to top a jacket potato
• Enjoy a warm milk drink before bed
• Impress friends with a cheese and fruit platter when entertaining.