Life Without Dairy

Dietary Reference Intake for Calcium (Source: Health Canada)
	Age	Mg / Day
Infants	0-6 months	200
	7-12 months	260
Children	1-3	700
	4-8	1000
	9-18	1300
Females/Males	19-50	1000
Males	51-70	1000
Females	51-70	1200
Females/Males	71+	1200

 

 

Many people come to me worried that they have to give up milk because of an intolerance to cow-dairy. But, where will I get my calcium from? My answer is: Don’t worry! There are many ways to ensure you will get enough calcium both from eating non-dairy sources of calcium and taking care to ensure that you hold on to the calcium your body already has.

 

Calcium myths:

 

1. Everyone needs to drink (cow’s) milk

Not true. The most common allergy is to milk and cow-dairy products. You can be intolerant to either the lactose (sugar) or any of the 25 different proteins in milk which is why lactose-free milk is not always the answer. Most of us actually develop lactose intolerance in early adolescence but don’t realize it and keep drinking milk even though we experience gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea and any other number of symptoms. If you are intolerant to cow-dairy, your body is unable to digest the dairy and absorb the calcium. As well, you can lose calcium from your body because the undigested lactase will ferment in your intestines and create lactic acid. Calcium is then leached from your bones to counteract the acidity.

1. Dairy products will help prevent osteoporosis

Pasteurized milk contains 50% less calcium than non-pasteurized milk. Low fat milk makes it more difficult to absorb the calcium that’s left because fat is necessary to transport and absorb calcium. Research shows that countries with the highest dairy consumption often have the highest rates of osteoporosis.

 

Getting enough is just as important as avoiding losing what you already have:

In addition to getting enough dairy from your diet, here are some ways you can help your body to hold on to the calcium it’s got:

 

• Reduce intake of coffee, tea, soda, salt, and chocolate (caffeine intake causes calcium loss via urine)
• Reduce or avoid refined sugar (reduces absorption rate of calcium in the intestines)
• Reduce phosphorus intake:  Meats, grains and sodas are very high in phosphorus which binds with calcium. If too much phosphorus is in your blood it will pull calcium from your bones. Consuming too much phosphorus is the same as not consuming enough dairy.
• Consume calcium with vitamin D (eggs, liver, mushrooms, the sun!)

 

Best diet to prevent calcium loss

• Not too much protein
• Includes good fats but not bad fats (trans fats, hydrogenated oils)
• High in complex carbs (fresh vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts/seeds, fruit in moderation)

 

Cow-Dairy Sources of Calcium:

 

Food	Serving Size	Calcium mg/serving
Milk	1 cup	315 mg
Cheese	1 oz	130-200 mg
Cottage cheese	4 oz	100 mg
Plain yogourt	½  cup	200g

 

Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium

 

Food	Serving Size	Calcium mg/serving
Orange juice, calcium fortified	1 cup	300-350 mg
Rice milk, fortified	1 cup	300 mg
Almonds	½ cup	300 mg
Sesame seeds	1/8 cup	275 mg
Sardines, canned with bones	6 medium	275 mg
Tofu	1 cup	258 mg
Salmon, sockeye, canned with bones	½ can	245 mg
Soybeans	½ cup	230 mg
Almond butter	3 oz	225 mg
White beans, cooked	1 cup	170 mg
Baked beans	1 cup	163 mg
Blackstrap molasses	1 tbsp	137 mg
Home-made almond milk (see recipe below)	1 cup	75 mg

 

 Other sources of calcium:

• Vegetables (artichoke, asparagus, avocado, beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, collard greens, kale, okra, parsley, peas, spinach, swiss chard, turnip greens, watercress)
• Nut butters (cashew butter, tahini, all-natural peanut butter, sunflower seed butter)
• Beans and Rice (brown rice, chick peas, kidney beans, navy benas, pinto beans, wild rice)
• Seaweed (Agar, Irish moss, kelp, wakame)

 

Hidden sources of cow dairy on food labels:

Artificial butter flavour, butter, butterfat, buttermilk, casein, caseinates, curds, custards, half and half, hydrolysates, lactalbumin, lactose, nougat, pudding, rennet casein, sour creams, sour milk solids, whey, yogurt.

 

Make your own almond milk!

Soak ½ cup of raw almonds in water overnight. Rinse and drain. Remove skin (optional). Add to blender with 2 cups of filtered water and blend until smooth. Drain through 3-4 layers of cheese cloth to remove pulp. Store in fridge for 2-3 days; shake or stir if necessary as separation will occur.

 

References:

 

• Bateson-Koch, Carolee. Allergies: Disease in Disguise. Books Alive, 1994.
• Case, Shelley. Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide. Case Nutrition Consulting, 2002.
• Shulman, Joey. Winning the Food Fight: Every Parent’s Guide to Raising a Healthy, Happy Child. Wiley, 2003.

 

**Originally posted on wholetherapyottawa.com by Carole Woodstock