QuestionThrough research, experimenting with my own eating habits, and gut instinct I am beginning to think that dairy is only for infants. Humans are the only mammal I know of to continue dairy into adulthood. I am tempted to cut it out all together but worry about calcium specifically in regards to bone density, future pregnancy, and weight maintenance throughout life. Can a woman go dairy free and still be healthy? What special foods does a person need to include in their diet to ensure proper consumption of calcium? Are there any resources you would recommend? I am 27, 5'10'', 160 pounds. I'm strong and healthy and work out 5-6 times a week with weights and cardio. I have no known health problems.
Thank you very much for your time!
Amanda
AnswerFirst, let me address the worries about calcium deficit in woman body.
Osteoporosis is a condition in which the amount of bone tissue is so low that bones fracture easily in response to minimal stress or force.It affects more than 25 million Americans, 80 percent of whom are women. At higher risks are white or Asian women who are in the early stages of menopause.
Certain lifestyle factors will increase the risk: smoking, drinking alcohol in excess, exercising too little, and not taking enough calcium with food or supplements. There also are some medications that can rob your body of calcium.
You can see that though it is true that calcium intake is very important for prevention of osteoporosis, there are many other things you can do to prevent it:
1. Eat a proper diet, one that is rich not only in calcium but in all essential vitamins and minerals.
2. Exercise three to five times a week. Find a workout that fits your lifestyle;one that you enjoy and therefore, will stick with. Weight training has been proven to greatly reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
3. If you're a smoker, quit now. It will reduce your risk of osteoporosis ?not to mention heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and a host of other illnesses.
4. True, wine can be good for you, if you know when to say when. The recommended intake is one to two glasses a day.
Total Calcium mg in greens, 1 cup:
Turnip 106.4
Mustard 57.68
Dandelion 104.72
Parsley 82.8
A few more notes about calcium deficit prevention:
Adequate dietary calcium intake and maintaining a physically activelifestyle in late decades of life could reduce in the risk of osteoporosisand hence improve the quality and perhaps quantity of life in the elderlypopulation.
-Journal of Bone & Mineral Research. 15(2):322-31, 2000
Sufficient calcium supplementation for all calcium intakes is above 1,000 mg a day.
-Annals of Internal Medicine, 130(11):897-904, 1999
Results suggests that lobster-shell powder could be a valuable source of dietary calcium in increasing bone mineral density.
-Journal of Nutritional Science & Vitaminology, 38(6):555-63, 1992
Prevention efforts need to be directed toward education related tothe need for adequate dietary calcium and the need for weight-bearing exercise.
-AAOHN Journal, 46(4):181-91; quiz 192-3, 1998
Research studies have documented that both aerobic exercise and weight training can be effective in the maintenance and building of bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.
-Oklahoma State Medical Association, 92(2):66-70, 1999
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