Where Do You Get Your Calcium?

We have been trained since childhood that dairy products are good strong bones and teeth, in other word they are our best source for getting calcium.  But it turns out that the Dairy Industry has been the source of almost all of this information!  Let’s look at some facts as reported in The China Study.

• “Casein, which makes up 87% of cow’s milk protein, promotes all stages of the cancer process”
• “Plant protein did not promote cancer cell growth, even at higher levels of intake”
• “Milk has been linked to Type I diabetes, prostate cancer, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases…casein, the main protein in dairy foods has been shown to experimentally promote cancer and increase blood cholesterol and atherosclerotic plaque”

And interestingly,

• 75% of the people on the planet don’t consume any dairy products because they are lactose intolerant, and they are strong and healthy.
• The Japanese consume much lower levels of dairy than we do, yet they maintain a higher life expectancy and better health than the United States.
• The countries with the highest dairy consumption also have the highest rates of osteoporosis

Whoa!

Given the research linking dairy products with heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis and autoimmune diseases, I have decided to look for other, plant-based sources of calcium!

First of all, how much calcium do we need?  The recommended daily allowance for calcium is 1,000 mg for adults 19-50 and men over 50, and 1,200 mg/day for women over 50.

Vegetables, Nuts and Seeds, Grains, Legumes and Beans, and Fruit are great sources of calcium.  And, green vegetables also have calcium absorption rates of over 50 percent, compared with about 32 percent for milk. (3)

VEGETABLES (per cup)
Bok Choy	330	mg
Bean sprouts	320	mg
Collard greens (cooked)	260	mg
Spinach (cooked)	250	mg
Turnip greens (cooked)	200	mg
Kale	180	mg
Mustard greens (cooked)	100	mg
Swiss chard (cooked)	100	mg
Seaweek (Wakame)	120	mg
Okra	130	mg
Broccoli	45	mg
Fennel	45	mg
Artichoke	55	mg
Celery	40	mg
Leeks	44	mg
NUTS, NUT BUTTERS AND SEEDS
Almonds 1/4 cup	95	mg
Tahini 1 Tbsp	65	mg
Sesame seeds 1Tbsp	63	mg
Brazil nuts 1/4 cup	55	mg
Hazelnuts 1/4 cup	55	mg
Almond Butter 1 Tbsp	43	mg
GRAINS
Cereals (calcium fortified, 1/2 cup)	250-500	mg
Quinoa, cooked, 1 cup	80	mg
Brown Rice, cooked, 1 cup	50	mg
LEGUMES AND BEANS
Soy beans, cooked, 1 cup	200	mg
Tempeh, 1 cup	150	mg
White beans, cooked, 1 cup	140	mg
Tofu, 4 oz	120	mg
Navy beans, cooked, 1 cup	110	mg
Chickpeas, cooked 1 cup	80	mg
Pinto beans, cooked 1 cup	75	mg
FRUIT (per cup)
Rhubarb	350	mg
Figs, dried	300	mg
Apricot, dried	75	mg
Prunes	75	mg
Orange	70	mg
Kiwi	60	mg
Blackberries	40	mg
OTHER
Blackstrap molasses, 1 Tbsp	135	mg

Lastly, it is important to look at factors that leach calcium from our bones: (3)

• Animal Proteins
• Salt
• Caffeine
• Refined Sugar
• Alcohol
• Vitamin A supplements
• Nicotine
• Aluminum containing antacids
• Antibiotics, steroids, thyroid hormone drugs

Sources

• The China Study, T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Thomas M. Campbell II MD
• 2. One Green Planet
• 3. drfuhrman.com

Spill Out the Milk!

My daughter is vegan. Her motivation for adopting a vegan diet was to eat a healthy diet. She is a firm believer that we should eat healthy foods that our bodies were designed to digest and avoiding those that we weren’t. One case in point…Did you know that humans are the only mammals who drink milk after we are weaned? And not only that, we drink the milk of other mammals.

Today she sent me a very interesting article on dairy consumption from One Green Planet

According to the article, we have been led to believe (by the dairy industry) that dairy products (cow’s milk) is vital for our health, but research has proven that:

• 75% of the people on the planet don’t consume any dairy products because they are lactose intolerant and they are doing just fine.
• The Japanese consume much lower levels of dairy than we do, yet they maintain a higher life expectancy and better health than the United States.
• Calcium can be found in non-dairy foods such as spinach, kale, broccoli, tofu, soybeans, almonds and molasses, and these foods provide more calcium per calorie than milk.
• As for cow’s milk’s role in building strong bones, that the countries with the highest dairy consumption also have the highest rates of osteoporosis
• Dairy consumption has been linked to cancer, diabetes, autism and schizophrenia, and many autoimmune disorders including Multiple Sclerosis.
• The fat and hormones in dairy have been strongly linked with a variety of hormone-related illnesses in humans, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, and acne.

• Most of the milk in the US is produced on large factory farms, where cows are kept in unhealthy conditions, and fed hormones and antibiotics, we need to pasteurize the milk so we don’t get sick, but this process destroys many of the nutrients
• And lastly dairy cows suffer immensely in dairy farms/factories, and they also account for huge amounts of CO2 emissions, land degradation, water consumption, and water contamination

The interesting thing is that as people are becoming aware of what they are consuming, they are consuming less dairy in favor of soy, coconut, almond and rice milks.

And, ready for this….the dairy industry, not wanting to lose it’s place in the American diet is responding with a marketing campaign attacking plant based milks.