Calcium is an essential mineral not only for bone health, but in muscle contractions all over the body. From the age of 25, the rate of our bone formation becomes less than the rate of bone breakdown, meaning from then on we must maintain adequate levels so this process has the least possible impact on the strength of our bones. For women, this process is accelerated further once you reach menopause as the drop in oestrogen increases the breakdown of bone even more.
Preface: The intent of the below information is to educate those who do not consume dairy products on how to better their health. The consumption of dairy can be part of a healthy wholefood diet and I do not want anyone to feel the need to remove it.
We have long been told that in order to reach our daily calcium requirements, we must consume dairy products. However, for those of us who don’t due to a lactose intolerance, allergies, specific ethical beliefs or just simply don’t like it, this does not mean you are heading down a path towards fractures and osteoporosis. There are many more factors involved in maintaining calcium stores and a range of dairy free alternatives!
Vitamin D and Calcium:
Firstly, the role of calcium in maintaining the strength of our bones is not simply proportional to the amount we eat. Once consumed, the amount of calcium absorbed in our gut is highly dependent on your Vitamin D status. Vitamin D acts as a hormone in the body which enables the translocation of calcium transporters to the gut lining. This process is directly proportional to the level of Vitamin D in your body, so the more vitamin D, the more calcium transporters available to transport calcium across the lining into the blood. In the absence of Vitamin D, calcium passes straight through to the large intestine to be removed in our waste. Spending 15 minutes outdoors every day is the simplest way to get Vitamin D but if sunlight is limited where you live, mushrooms, egg yolk and oily fish are another option! This is especially important if you are at risk of osteoporosis and you may require supplementation.
Dairy and Calcium:
In my opinion, one of the cleverest marketing schemes was the promotion of dairy products as a source of calcium. Growing up as a kid it was drilled into us that if we wanted strong bones we had to consume milk every day. No doubt, dairy products do provide a source of calcium that fits into most people’s diets but it is not the only way. In fact the bio-availability of calcium, which is the amount that is absorbed and reaches our blood stream has been found to be quite low at around 21-31%. Also, studies show that soy milk fortified with calcium carbonate has the same level of bio-availability as cows milk (Zhao et al, 2005).
For some people, dairy products can be quite provocative especially in those with gut inflammation by increasing mucus production or dysbiosis where they may not have the right bacteria to break it down. Also in acne sufferers, dairy can worsen their symptoms by increasing a hormone called Insulin like growth factor. This in turn increases sebum production so time spent eliminating from your diet can be of huge benefit (Kucharska et al, 2016). However, if you suspect dairy may be causing you an issue, seek medical advice first from your chosen health practitioner before avoiding completely.
Dairy free sources:
Sources of calcium are widely available in nature so don’t feel like you have to rely solely on dairy products or supplements to meet your calcium requirements of 1000mg per day. Some alternative sources include:
| Per serve | |
| Dark leafy greens e.g. kale, silverbeet, spinach | 120-270 mg in 1 cup |
| Chia seeds | 173 mg in 2 Tbsp |
| Dried figs | 160 mg in 6 figs |
| Tahini/sesame seeds | 66 mg in 1 Tbsp |
| Sardines | 486 mg in a 90g (one tin) |
| Almonds | 30 mg in 10 almonds |
| Tofu | 860 mg in 250g |
| Sunflower seeds | 78 mg in 100g |
| Fortified plant based milks (soy, almond, coconut) | 400 mg in 1 cup |
(Osteoporosis Australia, 2010)
A note on dark leafy greens and oxalates:
While dark green vegetables contain a good dose of calcium, they also contain an anti-nutrient called oxalates. These compounds can bind to calcium to prevent it from being accessed and absorbed in our gut meaning what calcium there is, has a low bioavailability. One way to navigate this is by cooking your greens as the heat helps to remove the oxalates and therefore more calcium is free to absorbed.
Reaching your requirements while eating dairy free:
Here are some of the ways these foods can be integrated into your daily diet in easy and delicious ways.
- Raspberry chia pudding with fortified plant milk & tahini on top
- Sardines with pan fried kale
- Tofu stirfry with silverbeet
- Green smoothie with tahini & fortified plant milk
- Almonds & sunflower seed trail mix
- Baked whole sardine fillets with kale chips
- Almond butter on veggie sticks
- Tofu scramble with greens
References:
Kucharska, A., Szmurlo, A., & Sinska, B. (2016). Significance of diet in treated and untreated acne vulgaris. Advances in Dermatology and Allergology, 33(2). 81-86
Osteoporosis Australia. (2010). Calcium content of selected foods. Retrieved from: https://www.osteoporosis.org.au/sites/default/files/files/calcium-food-table- web.pdf
Zhao, Y., Martin, B.R., & Weaver, C.M. (2005). Calcium bioavailability of Calcium carbonate fortified soy milk is equivalent to cow’s milk in young women. The Journal of Nutrition, 135(10). 2379-2382
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Great post 😊
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