Choose Vegetable Calcium Over Animal Calcium

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Choose Vegetable Calcium Over Animal Calcium

JoAnn Guest

Jan 24, 2007 08:43 PST

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A lot of people believe a vegetable-based diet, which excludes milk

and cheese, doesn't provide enough calcium. According to Eat to Live

fruits and vegetables contain ample amounts of calcium and this

veggie-calcium is actually retained more efficiently in our bodies.

 

Dr. Fuhrman explains:

 

Green vegetables, beans, organic tofu, sesame seeds, and even

oranges contain lots of usable calcium, without problems associated

with dairy. Keep in mind that you retain the calcium better and just

do not need as much when you don't consume a diet heavy in animal

products and sodium, sugar, and caffeine.

 

Dr. Fuhrman points out that despite its reputation, milk's

calcium-absorption rate is lower than what you might think:

 

Many green vegetables have calcium-absorption rates of over 50

percent, compared with about 32 percent for milk.1 Additionally

since animal protein induces calcium excretion in the urine, the

calcium retention from vegetables is higher. All green vegetables

are high in calcium.

 

Given the concentrated calcium dose in green vegetables and the

health risks associated with of diary products, veggies are a great

tool for protecting yourself against bone debilitating diseases like

osteoporosis. The Chicago Tribune agrees.

 

In an article entitled Shoring Up Your Bones reporter JoAnn

Milivojevic re-hashes a lot of the same recommendations for keeping

bones strong and dense that you heard as a kid:

 

An easy way to combine calcium and vitamin D, according to Blatner,

is to have an 8-ounce serving of milk and/or fortified soymilk three

times a day. She recommends pouring the fortified beverage of your

choice on cereal in the morning, blending it with frozen fruit for a

smoothie, drinking a glass with lunch or having a glass of hot

chocolate for dessert. Cosman cautioned that the milk be low-fat or

non-fat: " There's no way taking in all that saturated fat is good

for you, " she said.

 

The daily recommended value for vitamin D is 400 international units

(IU). You may need more or less depending on your age or food

habits.

For example, the NOF suggests that postmenopausal women need more

because a decline in estrogen means a decline in calcium absorption.

Vegans (vegetarians who don't eat eggs or dairy) may also need to

take

extra steps to ensure they're getting enough calcium through the

plant-based foods they eat.

 

Good sources of calcium include organic breakfast cereals,

organic yogurt, goat cheese, tofu and greens such as collards and

kale. To get the most nutritional bang for your bite, create such

tasty combinations as broccoli and feta cheese. A half cup of

steamed broccoli with an ounce of

cheese gets you 20 percent of your daily recommended value of both

calcium and vitamin D.

 

 

It's encouraging to see mass-media even suggesting vegetables as a

sufficient source of calcium, but Milivojevic, like some many

others, is

clearly reluctant to wipe away her milk mustache permanently. For

those loyal to bovine juice Dr. Fuhrman recommends restricting milk

consumption to only fat-free skim and taking supplements as needed.

 

From his book Eat to Live Dr. Fuhrman provides additional insight on

role of animal calcium in the standard American diet (SAD):

 

The American " chicken and pasta " diet style is significantly low in

calcium, so adding dairy as a calcium source to this mineral-poor

diet makes superficial sense—it is certainly better than no calcium

in the diet. However, much more than just calcium is missing.

 

The only reasons cow's milk is considered such an important source

of calcium, is that the American diet is centered on animal foods,

refined grains, and sugar, all of which are devoid of calcium. Any

healthy diet containing a reasonable amount of unrefined plant foods

will have sufficient calcium without milk.

 

Fruits and vegetables strengthen bones. Researchers have

found that those who eat the most fruits and vegetables have denser

bones.2 These researchers concluded that not only are fruits and

vegetables rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium, and other

nutrients essential for bone health, but, because they are alkaline,

not acid-producing, they don induce urinary calcium loss. Green

vegetables in particular have a powerful effect on reducing hip

fractures, for they are rich not only in calcium but in other

nutrients, such as vitamin K, which is crucial for bone health.

 

 

1. Weaver, C.M., and K.L. Plawecki. 1994. Dietary calcium: adequacy

of a vegetarian diet. Am. J. Nutr. 59 (supp.): 1238-41S.

 

2. Tucker, K.L., M. T. Hannan, H. Chen, et al. 1999. Potassium,

magnesium, and fruit and vegetable intakes are associated with

greater

mineral density in elderly men and women. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 69 (4):

727-36; News, S. A., S.P. Robins, M.K. Campbell, et al. 2000.

Dietary

influences on bone mass and bone metabolism: further evidence of a

positive link between fruit and vegetable consumption and bone

health?

Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 71 (1): 142-51.

 

3. Feskanich, D., P. Weber, W.C. Willett, et al. 1999. Vitamin K

intake

and hip fractures in women: a prospective study. Am. J. Clin. Nutr.

69

(1): 74-79.

 

 

 

Written By:Gerry Pugliese

On May 8, 2006 04:01 PM

 

http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/osteoperosis-choose-vegetable-

calcium-over-animal-calcium.html

 

 

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets