Calcium helps bones, heart, muscles, nerves, and brain function. It reduces mood swings and bloating, lowers blood pressure, regulates normal blood clotting, and speeds all healing processes. The body cannot produce calcium.
Most American women obtain their calcium through dairy and supplementation, yet the statistical evidence demonstrates that the incidents of osteoporosis and bone fractures are on the rise. Studies have also shown that people in other parts of the world with little or no dairy consumption have low levels of osteoporosis. Consider the following:
· Osteoporosis and bone fractures are rarely found among the African Bantu even though they consume no more than 350 mg per day. This changes when the Bantu migrate to a country and consume dairy and high levels of protein (Fizsimmons, 1994).
· Nations with the highest levels of dairy consumption also have the highest levels of osteoporosis (Klaper, 1987).
· Asian and African countries that do not consume dairy, have the lowest levels of osteoporosis and bone fracture (Appleton, 1991).
· An Australian study showed that higher dairy consumption increased the risk of bone fracture by 45% (Cumming & Klineberg, 1994).
The high phosphorous and protein levels of milk impair calcium absorption, making dairy not necessarily the best and only source of calcium for women. Many dairy products are also high in fat, causing additional health problems such as heart disease and obesity. Dairy can also cause mucus conditions, a precursor to many diseases.
In addition, many people, particularly Asians and Blacks, are lactose intolerant and must find alternative forms of dietary calcium.
Calcium absorbs into the body in conjunction with a proper balance of magnesium, phosphorous, and vitamins A, D, and C. Milk lacks magnesium. While vitamin D is usually added to milk, fifteen to twenty minutes a day of exposure to natural sunlight is beneficial.
While most doctors and nutritionists promote the use dairy consumption for calcium, knowledge and inclusion of other dietary calcium sources such as the following are recommended.
Foods for Healthy Bones
For healthy bones, avoid too much acid forming foods such as dairy and animal products. Also avoid foods that cause the body to excrete or inhibit the absorption of calcium such as sugar, refined flour, caffeine, salt, carbonated drinks, and cooked foods with oxalic acid such as spinach. Raw spinach, on the other hand, is highly beneficial. Eat foods that provide the necessary nutrients for bone health including calcium, magnesium, boron, silica, vitamin D, vitamin K, and vitamin C.
Calcium food sources: low fat yogurt, goat milk and cheese, seaweeds, carob, sesame tahini, leafy green vegetables such as kale, collard, and broccoli, blackstrap molasses, tofu precipitated with calcium chloride, figs, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and beans.
Magnesium food sources: seaweeds, green leafy vegetables, alfalfa, almonds, sunflower seeds, whole grains, potatoes, corn, squash, celery, figs, soy beans, and blackstrap molasses.
Boron food sources: organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and raw honey.
Silica food sources: beets, brown rice, leafy green vegetables, soybeans, whole grains, bell peppers, alfalfa and the herb, horsetail.
Vitamin D sources: Sunlight and egg yolks.
Vitamin K food sources: green leafy vegetables, lowfat yogurt, egg yolk, blackstrap molasses, kelp, alfalfa, green tea.
Vitamin C food sources: fresh fruits such as citrus, strawberries, pineapples, papayas, cantaloupe, and tomatoes. Fresh vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peppers, green peas, potatoes, cabbage, and onions. Leafy greens such as parsley, watercress, turnip greens, Swiss chard, and kale (Panahi, 1998).
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