Calcium

We all know calcium only comes from milk, cheese and yoghurt don’t we? After all, it is what we are taught from a young age. Yet what if what we were taught was wrong?….

Can it really be possible to get calcium from other sources? Won’t I get osteoporosis if I turn vegan?

People from places such as China cannot digest dairy products. We call people who cannot drink milk, for example, lactose intolerant. Yet what if ‘lactose intolerance’ is the more natural state and that we as humans forced ourselves to be able to digest milk when we began to manipulate cattle for our needs? No other mammal drinks milk after the age of around 4 years old. We are the only mammal that continues to drink milk. not that of our own species - that would be disgusting wouldn’t it and we make fun of mothers who choose to breastfeed for this long - but that of another species, designed for their babies, not for us. Mind you, we are humans and everything on this planet is ours, right?

In China, rates of osteoporosis are very low and calcium is obtained through green leafy vegetables and a variety of other non animal food or liquid. In the United States, rates of osteoporosis are very high, yet people there consume massive amounts of dairy.

Studies have been conducted which suggest calcium from vegetables and plants is more easily absorbed by the body than calcium from dairy.

So what can I eat as a vegan to provide enough calcium? The answer is that you can eat many things. Particularly good sources are broccoli, kale and other leafy greens, soy foods, beans, seeds, corn tortillas, figs, oranges and nuts, tahini (see the Hummus recipe!).

You can also get fortified non dairy products quite easily these days.

As an aside, when I stopped consuming dairy my excema vanished forever, my hair was shinier and I felt more alert and energetic than ever before. Don’t believe me? Give it a try!