Beyond Milk: Dairy-Free Sources of Calcium

Updated on Monday, February 7, 2011 by Kim @ Affairs of Living

Do you know that 2 cups of cooked kale has more calcium than a 1/2 cup of milk?

The government recommendation for adults ages 19-50 is 1000 mg of calcium per day. One cup of milk has 296 mg, but there are plenty of reasons you might not to drink milk, from personal preference to medical reasons.  If you avoid dairy due to intolerance or allergy, you may think that you don't have very many options to get adequate calcium. How wrong you are! A diverse diet of whole foods provides endless ways to get easily absorbable calcium, without having to take supplements.  

Maximizing Calcium Absorption

These suggestions are adapted from World's Healthiest Foods:

• Vitamin D accelerates the absorption of calcium from the gastrointestinal tract.  Fish oil, cod liver oil, salmon, tuna, sardines, liquid and pill vitamin D supplements, and various non-dairy milks fortified with D are good ways to get vitamin D in your diet.
• High consumption of potassium reduces the urinary excretion of calcium.  To learn more about dietary sources of potassium, check out this post. 
• High intakes of sodium, caffeine, or protein cause an increase in the urinary excretion of calcium.
• Certain types of dietary fiber like the fiber found in wheat and oat bran, may interfere with calcium absorption by decreasing transit time (the amount of time it takes for digested foods to move through the intestines), limiting the amount of time during digestion for calcium to be absorbed. Dietary fiber also stimulates the proliferation of "friendly" bacteria in the gut, which bind calcium and make it less available for absorption.
• Phytic acid, found in whole grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes, can bind to calcium to form and insoluble complex, thereby decreasing the absorption of calcium.  To reduce phytic acid content in these foods, soak your grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes before consuming. 
• Oxalic acid, found in spinach, beets, celery, pecans, peanuts, tea and cocoa, can bind to calcium and form an insoluble complex that is excreted in the feces. While research studies confirm the ability of phytic acid and oxalic acid in foods to lower availability of calcium, the decrease in available calcium is relatively small. 

Chickpeas pack 105 mg of calcium per cooked cup

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Super Health Broth (gluten-free, vegan, ACD)

I'm currently in the middle of the Colon Cleanse from Blessed Herbs, a 9-day cleansing program that removes mucoid plaque from your colon. Sounds lovely, right? [insert heavy sarcasm] Yeah, mucoid plaque may be disgusting, but the way I figure it, I'd rather get it out then let is stay in my body. So, out it must come...haven't seen any yet, but I'm still early in the cleanse. 

Right now I'm swimming in the liquid fast portion of the cleanse. Apple juice psyllium drink, herbal digestive stimulator supplements, warm broth, and herbal tea pretty much summarizes what I'm allowed to consume at the moment. It may sound awful, but honestly, it isn't bad. I feel much better than I thought I would, and am enjoying the apple juice and broth plan quite a bit. The first few days of the pre-cleanse (where food is allowed but slowly reduced) were actually harder for me than the liquid part of this fast, which surprises me greatly. And I'm definitely noticing some very positive cleansing effects on my colon. I'll skip the gory details and leave it at that for now.  

Once I'm done, I plan on writing up a review and summary of my experiences with this cleansing kit.  In the meantime, I want to share a broth recipe with you. This broth is really tasty and is currently the highlight of my day.  Perhaps my food deprived existence at the moment sways my judgement a bit, but truly, this broth is bomb.  It tastes very fresh, very green, and it makes you feel warm, satisfied and nourished. Yum! And best yet, it was very simple to make.  I've made similar broths before just to have around when I'm feeling in need of something cleansing, but I think I hit the nail on the head with this combination.

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On visiting a nutritionist and making Mango Chicken Curry and Steamed Napa Cabbage & Fennel

I recently had a session with Jennette Turner, a Natural Foods Educator here in Minneapolis, MN. Jennette has a lot of experience and a grounded, whole foods approach to nutrition. From her website: "Jennette earned her Holistic Nutrition degree after three years of intensive study at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. After graduation, Jennette taught classes at the Institute alongside Paul Pitchford, Sally Fallon and Annemarie Colbin. She is a certified member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and a member of the Weston A. Price Nutrition Foundation. Her articles have appeared in publications nationwide."  I was excited to hear that she has spoken at the WAPF Conference - I've always wanted to go!  She also  has a really cool meal planning subscription called Dinner with Jennette. My new housemate subscribed last year - some strange coincidence, right? - so we have a stockpile of recipes that I'm excited to go through.

I really enjoyed my appointment with Jennette, and found her approach to diet completely affirming. I struggle - like so many of you do, too - with my weight, and body images issues, and spinning cycles of "I should eat this" or "I shouldn't eat that" and feeligns of guilt. I get all tied up in knots, and end up denying myself things, only to binge on them later. Jennette had excellent advice for me about new ways to approach how I thought about eating. she gave me book titles to read, and affirmed all the work I've done to change my diet and improve my health with food. And the best part yet? She told me to stop worrying about my weight, eat what I want, and see if my cravings reduce.  She told me to eat breakfast at home instead of eating at my desk at work. She told me to eat lots of butter and protein.. She told me to eat snacks during the day.  She gave me great recipes to try.

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Tips for Cooking when You're Chronically Ill

Big pots of whole grains are an easy-to-make staple for any healing kitchen.

Any of us with food allergies and intolerances already have a lot of work to do in the kitchen. But when you are also battling with any type of chronic illness, the challenge becomes even more intense. Combining a limited diet with feeling sick all the time makes it hard to get the motivation and energy to cook. I mean really, when you don’t feel well the last thing you want to do is cook, right?  

I have been fortunate that my Lyme symptoms have never made me totally unable to cook for myself. I have always been able to grocery shop and prepare my own meals.  And while I've always been able to do it, a few years ago when I was very sick it was completely exhausting. I was so brain foggy and fatigued that preparing a meal took forever, and left me feeling trained. I lived alone and was working a full time job, and it was a serious struggle.

During those times, I figured out some tips and tricks that helped me along the way - things that I still do today even though I'm feeling better. The trick is learning how to make the most of your time in the kitchen and get the most out of your meals.  Making big batches, eating whole foods, and getting help from friends are just a few ideas. Here are some of my favorite things I learned, and I hope they help you too.

Tips for Cooking when You're Chronically Ill 

Make big batches and freeze the leftovers. When you’re having a good day or when you have help from a friend, make big batches.  It is more work on the front end, but ultimately, it leaves you with less work.  You can eat off your big batch all week or freeze the leftovers for later.  Basics like cooked rice, quinoa, millet, or any kind of cooked beans can last for 5-7 days in the fridge if tightly sealed, and they can freeze very well for months.  Prepared foods like soups, lasagna (with brown rice lasagna noodles!), casseroles,  burgers and meatballs, and homemade breads and muffins freeze amazingly well. I use a FoodSaver to vacuum package all my foods for the freezer.  Then when I am super busy or having a bad day and can’t deal with being in the kitchen, I can just reach in the freezer and get something wholesome!

Get friendly with quick to prepare whole foods.

• Split mung beans and lentils cook quick very quickly and don’t require pre-soaking.
• Whole grains like quinoa, millet, and buckwheat cook in under 20 minutes. Make big pots of a couple different grains at the start of the week and eat off them all week in salads, soups, or just plain.
• Winter squash are nutritious and so easy to bake, and you can eat off them for days. 
• Sweet potatoes and regular potatoes can be baked whole in the oven or microwave, and stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
• Most vegetables can be eaten raw if you don’t want to deal with cooking them.  Make a meal of bean dip, raw vegetables, and miso soup.

Steam vegetables. Steamed vegetables take only minutes to prepare, are easy to digest, and can be eaten any time of day with any kind of other foods. You can steam vegetables on the stovetop with a steaming basket in a pot, or you can purchase electric vegetable steamer appliances if you don’t trust yourself (and your Lyme brain) with open flame.  My rice cooker even has a vegetable steaming tray that I sometimes use if I don’t feel like using the stovetop.

Make salads and get comfortable with eating raw.  The easiest food in the book.  Bag of pre-washed baby greens, some kind of protein (beans, meat, fish, nuts), and a handful of other vegetables, or a scoop of quinoa or millet.  Add some salad dressing or a little oil and vinegar, lemon juice, or  sprinkle of vitamin C crystals, and you’re done!  Under 5 minutes.  If your body tolerates raw vegetables well, learn to love eating raw veggies with your meals – less prep work, and good for you too!

Eat plenty of nutrient-dense foods. Don't skimp on the calories and fat. Make sure you eat enough during the day, eating eveyr few hours to keep your blood sugar stable and your metabolism going. Assuming that your body can digest fats well,  you should eat lots of healthy fats throughout the day.  Not only will it help the your brains nerve coatings, it will help your body tissues, and give you a sense of satisfaction.  Cook with coconut oil or ghee, and add olive oil, flax oil, pumpkin seed oil, and help oil to salads or over baked sweet potatoes.  Eat plenty of avocados, nuts and seeds, coconut milk, and high quality olives.  If you can, make bone broth, which is a good source of natural fat and nourishing gelatins. While you are healing, it is imperative that you keep your body well nourished, and eating quality fat can really help.

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My Lyme Disease is not the IDSA Lyme Disease

I am writing this post in response to an article the Chicago Tribune posted yesterday entitled "Lyme Disease: A Dubious Diagnosis", by Patricia Callahan and Trine Tsouderos. I recommend you read the article first, to understand the perspective from which I write this post.  I know this post is long, but I have a lot to say about this topic. I recommend reading part of it and then reading the rest later if you don't want to be overwhelmed. I just couldn't narrow it down anymore than I did. 

The Tribune's article, in my opinion, is biased, uninformed, and a blow to the Lyme Disease community and the reputation of decent journalism. A little information and a lot of ignorance is a dangerous combination, and results in reporting such as this that does more damage than it does good.  It undermines the real face of Lyme, and is a slap in the face all of us who have struggled to heal and overcome this disease.  Determined to share a real experience of the effect of Lyme, a group of Lyme Disease community bloggers and I are posting responses to this article. We want nothing more than for the medical and journalistic community to lift the veil of ignorance, confusion, and misinformation surround Lyme Disease.  

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