Dairy-free calcium
After cutting out dairy products for a 28-day detox, I feel so well I am considering eliminating them altogether from my diet. However, I am worried about getting enough calcium and keeping my bones in good condition. Any advice?
There are, increasingly, many excellent alternatives to dairy but you are right to worry about getting enough calcium. This may be the most abundant mineral - about 3lb in the average adult body - but it is also, along with iron, one of the two most common deficiencies.
Most of the calcium in your body is, of course, in your bones and teeth but it is also needed for blood clotting and for transmitting signals in the nerve cells. What happens when the body does not get enough calcium in the diet is that it simply steals it from your bones leaving them weakened and at risk of a fracture, especially in later life.
Smoking destroys strong bones and so do soft, fizzy drinks which contain phosphoric acid. In one trial, for example, researchers found children drinking six glasses of soft drinks per day had lower levels of calcium in the body than other kids. Coffee increases the loss of calcium from the body and so does salt so cut back on both. Oxalic acid, a substance found in chocolate and rhubarb, can prevent the full absorption of any calcium you do eat and too much fat in your diet will have the same effect.
For alternatives to dairy, drink calcium-enriched soya drinks and increase your dietary intake of calcium-rich foods such as sardines, canned salmon, baked beans, dried fruits and green leafy vegetables. Also, the body cannot absorb the calcium in your diet without enough vitamin D. This is actually a hormone and not a vitamin at all and to make it, you need natural light so between April and October, try to get 20 minutes a day outside.
The nutrients we eat all affect each other. Calcium, for example, works with phosphorous to keep bones and teeth strong and with magnesium to keep your heart healthy. This is known as synergy. Levels of one will affect the levels of the other and so while adults need to take between 800mg and 1200mg of calcium a day, if you plan to take this in a vitamin pill, you will need to take magnesium and phosphorous too. The proper ratio is twice as much calcium as phosphorous or magnesium and a good multivitamin will provide all three in the right proportions.
There are, increasingly, excellent alternatives to dairy products and the more of us who buy them, the sooner the prices will come down. I recently tracked down a delicious dairy-free ice-cream made from flaked oats and called First Glace. Manufactured by First Foods, it is now being sold to healthstores and multiples. Log onto the company’s web site at www.first-foods.com to check local availability.