Nothing like school holidays after a long term! One of our outings these holidays was a trip to Brisbane to see my sister and her family. We planned an exciting day out at the Winter Wonderland in King George Square, where we ice skated and played in the snow pit. I was a little worried about the ice skating and in the back of my mind worried about broken bones from falling on the ice! We all had varying success at ice skating. My sister and I skated the rink like we were kids again on our roller skates (well in our minds we thought so, I’m not sure the video quite captured our grace and skill like we did!) and we all walked away and enjoyed some well-earned gelato, yummy!! That afternoon the kids were playing in the park, on the same play equipment as most parks. The park had a fort and fireman’s pole, just like the kindergarten Master B goes to and loves playing on each day. Unexpectedly, Master B, my littlest man, broke his radius and ulna in a fireman pole fall off the fort. I felt completely helpless. All I could do was accompany him in the ambulance, keep my own emotions at bay and pat him the way he has always likes and reassure him that he is safe and that he will be ok.
The amazing paramedics, nurses, doctors and orthopaedic surgeon at Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital did an amazing job at caring for Master B and realigning his little bones and keeping his pain levels down. We are very thankful to each and every one of them!
Now we are home, it will be a long and frustrating journey for the next 6 weeks, as Master B, otherwise known as ‘Mr Outdoors’ has to deal with his temporary limitations, especially over the next few weeks! No riding his bike (with no trainers as of 1 week ago), jumping on the trampoline, climbing the swing set, playing in the sand pit, gardening, running around playing football and tackling his brother and cousins, riding the skate board, nothing that a 4 year old loves….. I’m pretty certain it will be a long, testing 6 weeks for me too!
Sitting on the couch today with his arm in a cast, elevated to keep the swelling down was no easy task for a 4 year old. My job has been to administer the panadol and nurofen on time to keep the pain at bay and check for circulation, sensation and movement in the fingers of his broken arm. My other job as Master B’s mother and Naturopath/personal chef is to look at his nutrition and make sure I provide him with lots of foods that will assist his body in repairing itself.
When you think of bones you probably think calcium right? and then milk, dairy? When it comes to bones I usually think magnesium, calcium and Vitamin D and exercise. All play a role and are vital for the formation of strong bones.
Why is Magnesium so important?
Calcitonin is a hormone which increases calcium in the bones and keeps it from being absorbed into the soft tissues. Magnesium stimulates calcitonin production and therefore increases calcium in the bones and at the same time drawing it out of the tissues. So ultimately a diet high in calcium won’t benefit you unless you have magnesium too. The food groups high in magnesium include dark leafy greens like kale, seaweeds, beans, buckwheat, avocado, bananas, nuts and seeds especially almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, as well as high chlorophyll foods like barley grass, spirulina and chorella.
Calcium rich foods include green leafy vegetables, seaweed, almonds, legumes- beans, chick peas, oranges, broccoli, chia seeds, salmon, sardines, eggs, and obviously dairy products like milk, cheese & yogurt.
Given Master B’s broken bones, the food preparation hasn’t really changed too much, but I am mindful of snacks and fitting in a little extra magnesium and calcium rich foods into Master B’s diet, along with anti-inflammatory foods, particularly this week! Today’s afternoon tea was kale (from the garden) chips, seaweed, almonds/cashews and some orange. He loves all of these foods.
Sunshine on a cloudy winter’s day like today.
Vitamin D is important for strong, dense bones and calcium absorption. It is synthesised by the action of sunlight on our skin. In winter it is suggested that we need to expose about 20% of our body to the sun for 30 min-1 hr per day to obtain Vitamin D needed. I know the south westerly winds don’t accommodate this very often, so extra Vitamin D in the diet it is, particularly in winter. Vitamin D is found in Cod liver oil, herrings, tuna, egg yolk, milk, sprouted seeds. Cod Liver Oil is definitely on Master B’s list of supplements (infused with orange oil so it tastes good!) particularly now with his broken arm and over the winter months.
The body truly has an amazing ability to repair and heal. You simply need to feed it well!
