Great source of calcium and other vital nutrients

Okay, so we’ve established that you may not need dairy, but you do need calcium. So, without milk, how do we get calcium in our diet?

Let’s answer the question about the non-dairy food that provide more calcium than a glass of milk…..drum roll please……blackstrap molasses?!? What the heck is that? Well, when they refine sugar they basically boil all of the nutrients out of it. The darkest grade of syrup that remains is called blackstrap molasses. The darkest and thickest varieties are full of minerals like calcium, iron and potassium. Basically, it’s all of the stuff they boil out of sugar cane during the sugar refinement process. Two tablespoons of this molasses contains 400mg of calcium. That’s pretty good considering one cup of milk contains 306mg of calcium.

Of course, I’m not suggesting that you drink blackstrap molasses to fulfill your recommended daily allowance of calcium. No, mix it up a bit. So, what are other sources of calcium?

Collard greens are a great source of calcium.

Dark green vegetables are also full of calcium. Most notably is collard greens. One cup of collard greens has been tested and shown to have anywhere from 266mg to 357mg of calcium. Bok choy, kale and dandelion greens are other great sources of calcium. Of course dark green vegetables are also great for iron, especially when eaten with a light starch, which helps iron absorption.

Figs and raisins are other great sources of calcium. These fruits as well as nuts, such as almonds, make great snacks that are filled with calcium. Almond butter is one of my favorites and 2 tablespoons has 86mg of calcium. You can get almond milk, as well. Eight ounces of almond milk packs 200-300mg of calcium, making it a great alternative for milk. Personally, I make my own almond milk and it takes less than a minute and costs a lot less than buying it at the grocery store.

With so many choices available in nature, you can see that getting your recommended 1000-1200mg of calcium a day is not that difficult. There are many great places to find recipes, so my advice is pick a few things that you like that are rich in calcium and find some good recipes to use them. Let’s push that number of people that get their calcium up from 21% to 100%. We just need to eat our fruits and vegetables. Until next time, enjoy good health and dairy-free wellness!

Milk isn't the best source of calcium.

Okay, so we’ve established that drinking milk may not do a body so good after all. But, don’t we need calcium? Absolutely.  Only 21% of Americans are getting the recommended daily amount of calcium.  Adults ages 19-50 need between 1000 and 1200 mg of calcium a day. If you’re over 50 you should be getting 1200mg or more a day, as your body uses calcium less efficiently as you get older. So, why do we need calcium and where can we get it if we have a dairy-free diet?

Benefits of Calcium

We’ll skip the part about calcium building strong bones because I think everyone agrees on that point.  Calcium intake has also been linked to great benefits for PMS, reducing the headaches and fatigue and cramping that many women contend with on a monthly basis. Calcium has also been shown to have a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels. It’s been shown to maintain cholesterol levels more than it’s been shown to lower them, but that’s still a great benefit.

What’s even more beneficial is that calcium can help prevent hypertension and weight gain.

Calcium and Hypertension

A lot of people don’t know that when you’re body is low on calcium your kidneys make up for it by releasing calcitriol. Calcitriol has a couple of negative effects on the body. The first one is the effect it can have on your smooth muscle arterial walls. The walls of your arteries then become constricted and your blood pressure elevates. High blood pressure is a key cause to stroke and heart-attack.

Calcium and Weight Gain

Your body does something else when it has a calcium deficiency; it goes into starvation mode. This causes four glands in your neck to release a parathyroid hormone that has been linked to fat production in the body. This means your body creates fat when it is low on calcium, leading to a real difficulty with weight control.

Calcium Sources

So, calcium does all of these wonderful things, but where do we get our calcium if we’re not eating dairy? Surprisingly, there is much less calcium in dairy than most people think there is. In fact there are many vegetables that contain just as much, if not more, calcium than dairy. In the next post I will discuss the many places that you can find calcium if you’re not eating dairy.

Stay tuned.  You’ll be surprised at the non-dairy food that provides more calcium than a glass of milk!

Any ideas?  If you think you know the answer, comment below.

I have a special gift for the person that gets it right first…good luck!

This was my daily breakfast growing up.

Milk was a part of my daily morning regimen growing up.  Every morning my mom would pour a bowl of sugar laden cereal and add milk……ahhhhh…instant breakfast of champions.  Of course, I’m not the only one who drank milk daily and it’s still a common practice in households around the world.   Why?  Because every parent wants his or her child to grow up to be big and strong and milk is the way to do it, right?  Well, maybe not.

Over the years, three separate views of milk have evolved.  Some think milk is great, filled with calcium, and good for your bones.  Others wholeheartedly agree as long as the milk isn’t pasteurized.   And then, there are those like myself who avoid dairy altogether.  Raw or pasteurized, I believe milk has more negative than positive effects on the body.

Sure, milk contains calcium and we’ve all heard the wonders it can do to your bones. What you may not know is:

• 75% of all adults experience a decreased ability to handle dairy as they get older
• Americans drinks more milk than other countries, and yet we have more incidences of osteoporosis than other countries that don’t consume as much milk.

Hmmm, maybe milk doesn’t do a body so good after all.

What about raw milk?  Of course, raw milk avoids the pasteurization process altogether, which means it has some of the vitamins otherwise lost during pasteurization.   And, because the cows that produce raw milk eat only grass, raw milk has more CLA’s, or conjugated linoleic acid, which is a naturally produced antimicrobial.

Why avoid milk?

So if raw milk has positive benefits, why skip milk altogether?  The first thing that comes to my mind is no other animal on Earth consumes milk as an adult, suggesting that we don’t need it.  Cow’s milk is meant for, well, baby cows.  Adult cows don’t even drink it.  That makes sense.

My other concern is the tremendous amount of mucous built up in the body as a result of consuming dairy.  Mucous has been known to cause problems with yeast and inflammation, just to name a few.  Maybe I’ll write another post about that in the future.

How do I get enough calcium?

Don’t worry.  Eliminating milk from your diet doesn’t mean that you’ll become calcium deficient. Tune in tomorrow when I discuss the importance of calcium to your diet. After that we’ll discuss where to get calcium when you’re not eating dairy, and of course the answer to the burning question: What non-dairy food will give you the most calcium?

In the meantime, comment below on any interesting non-dairy foods you eat/drink to meet your daily calcium requirements.

See you tomorrow!

Why?

Weight loss is a serious problem in our country and the last thing we need is yet another weight loss book.  No one can make you thin.  Being thin would more likely be a result of your lifestyle and the last time I checked no none could make you eat right, exercise or control your stress.

I wonder how many people will buy the book?  Unfortunately, it’ll probably join the best seller list along with all the other books that claim to contain the secret sauce to making you thin.

Even if this book contains information about what you need to do in order to lose weight, the title is still misleading.  I’m curious so I’ll probably take a peek and let you know what I find.  Stay tuned?

Hey, if you’ve read the book let me know if you found anything earth shattering.

Inhibitors – This section discussed influences that could be negatively affecting my body.  The higher the number, the more of an inhibitor it is.  My top inhibitors were yeast, sensitivities and allergies.  No surprise here.   I long ago realized that I'm sensitive/allergic to certain foods and chemicals and so I've just avoided them.  Yeast is another factor that didn't surprise me.  I've tried dozens of yeast products and none of them really worked (I wish I'd known how to choose the right supplements for my body).

Imbalances – My top imbalances were hormone and vitamin/mineral.  Since I've had hypothyroid issues, the hormonal imbalances were no surprise.  Ditto on the vitamins and minerals since I have a problem with absorption in some cases.

Organs and Systems – Colon, adrenals, and leaky gut topped the list.

Overall, I was pleased with the results because they confirmed what I already determined by paying attention to my own body and symptoms.  And, the best part is that I'll feel even better than I already do once I address these issues.

The results included a pretty extensive list of what I need to do in order to address my health concerns.  One recommendation that I found particularly interesting is Rain Drop Therapy.  Basically, use of the essential oils in a certain fashion are supposed to help your body rid itself of the effect of any lingering viruses.  I had meningitis as a child and always thought I'd never be able to totally get rid of it because I thought (still think?) viruses remain in your body.  I've had it done once in the past, but I've never committed to it for any length of time. 

But, I made a decision to follow the program to the "T" so I've already purchased my kit from Young Living Oils.

She also recommended a lot of Shaklee supplements.  Although I'm familiar with Shaklee, I've never used their products.  But, again I said I was going to do this so Shaklee supplements it is.  She also recommended a few supplements that were non Shaklee (although Shaklee offers a similar product), which made me think that she's really looking out for what works best for me as opposed to pushing a particular supplement.

That's it.  Now I have to follow her instructions.  It'll definitely be interesting so tune in for more as I chart my progress.

Still, there are those who feel that this is government control.  Personally, I think this is an excellent example of when the government should interfere.  Consider that KFC, Burger King, McDonald’s and Rubios are among those fast food chains that don’t use trans fat in their cooking.  They’ve even conducted internal and external taste tests and no one could tell the difference between the two.   Have you noticed the difference when eating there (I don’t eat fast food so I don’t know).

So if the government wants to take control of a situation that helps my health and it doesn’t make a difference to me (in this case no none could taste the difference) then I say have at it!  My guess is that the reason others haven’t followed suit is that it’s cheaper to use trans fat.  I’ve not heard any evidence of this, but usually when something doesn’t make sense all you have to do is follow the money.

Next up….if we’re lucky it’ll be high fructose corn syrup.

I’m not a mother, so I can only imagine how painful it is to watch your child suffer from autism or anything else for that matter.  However, I think someone needs to get through to this mother fast!  As a mother, it’s her job to protect her child to the best of her ability. Unfortunately, this mother has chosen to make a decision for her son that will have negative long term effects on his life.

Let’s face it people, when you’re high you don’t feel anything – period!  Marijuana, medical or otherwise, doesn’t do anything but deaden your senses -  not to mention your brain cells.  In the long run, medical marijuana is a band aid that has long term consequences for frequent users.

What this mother is advocating is getting her child high so that SHE doesn’t have to deal with his situation. As a result, she’s setting a precedent for what could become a dangerous practice.  If medical marijuana is allowed to be used for autism, what will prevent mothers from using it for ADHD or any other number of conditions?

Can someone please call Child Protective Services!

Related Posts:  A Healthy Shift in Perspective

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