For years now, we've had drummed into us by the media (and the
'dairy industry as a whole') to drink more milk and eat cheese otherwise
you will not grow up to have strong bones. This line of thought
is a little too simplistic and really works best for the ad campaigns.
The reality is all minerals in the body are in a dynamic
and synergistic balance, meaning they interact with one
another at a biochemical and electrical level and depend on one
another for ideal utilisation within the body. So
saying you need to drink a lot of milk to get your daily calcium
is a bit misleading because calcium will only be absorbed
if there is adequate intake of magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamins
A, C & D available in the body at the time.
In most western countries calcium in the diet is synonymous with
the consumption of dairy products. Unfortunately many diary foods
with the exception of certified organic are not of a high
nutrient quality. While even though some Westerners have diets containing
up to 25% dairy content, they may still suffer from wide spread
calcium deficiency and suffer with arthritis and osteoporosis. So
it can't be just about dairy intake alone. There's more to it.
While we're talking milk (we would suggest if you have to have
it, have it occasionally as it tends to contribute to damp, mucousy
conditions as you may have already read on this website /article
on damp diet). Note that raw milk is superior to pasteurised
milk with regard to its beneficial enzymes, however, it should be
quickly boiled & cooled, were it will lose only the minimum of nutrients,
and destroy bacteria and dangerous microbes. Boiled milk is easier
to digest and causes less allergies. Traditionally Pasteurised milk
is heated to a temperature below boiling and therefore is not as
easy to digest. The milk enzyme, xanthine oxidase is normally excreted,
however homogenisation allows the enzyme in the milk cream to enter
the bloodstream, arteries and heart contributing to cholesterol
accumulation and vascular degeneration. Therefore, have organic
to ensure that you are not also ingesting pesticides, steroids,
heavy metals and antibiotics, and boil it lightly if you have trouble
breaking it down.
Vitamin D, the 'sunshine vitamin' is essential for calcium absorption,
and you will notice that most milk has been fortified with synthetic
vitamin D3. Have a look at the label.
Avoid low fat/skim milk - it is devoid of the enzymes and fats
that are necessary for calcium absorption, so you are not really
getting what you think you are.
Calcitonin is one of the body's amazing hormones;
it increases calcium in the bones and stops it from being absorbed
into soft tissues. They have found that magnesium stimulates calcitonin
production and will assist in this process of drawing excess calcium
out of the soft tissues and increasing it in the bones. It is worth
noting here that many forms of arthritis are characterised by excess
calcium building up in the soft tissues and organs, while the skeletal
calcium is being eroded away.
Nutrition researcher Paul Pitchford says "A magnesium-rich diet
of whole foods is generally a cure for these types of osteoarthritis
as well as most forms of calcium deficiency."
So where do you get dietary forms of magnesium??
In order of their greatest content:
dried seaweeds; including hijiki, wakame, kelp, kombu & others;
beans - fermented, soya, mung, aduki, black, lima beans; buckwheat,
millet, corn, barley, rye rice; almonds, cashews, sesame seeds.
High chlorophyll foods -
wheat or barley-grass products & microalgae like spirulina, wild
blue-green & chlorella.
Interestingly, animal products like dairy, eggs, & meats,
as well as fruit, contain the least magnesium content of all western
foods.
Absoprtion
As we get older it can be a greater challenge to get adequate calcium.
Besides the obvious challenge of keeping our dietary intake consistent
and nutritious, there is also our gradual decline in stomach acids
and compromised organ function. This is where preventative medicine
comes into its own.
Healing therapies like Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine are all
about keeping optimal organ function so that our body systems are
working at their harmonious best.
Some suggest taking calcium and magnesium supplements at bedtime
or between meals, as this is when the stomach may be more acidic
and therefore more beneficial for absorption.
Phosphorus-calcium balance can be exaggerated by excessive phosphorus
intake - the most common form of over-intake is from eating too
much meat and soft drinks that have added phosphoric acid (phosphate).
A diet that is high in phosphorus will increase the loss of calcium
through the urine because it is pulling calcium from the bones.
This is where we can start to get mineral build up in the kidneys
creating gravel/calculus, or even stones.
So here in lies the amazing thing about our bodies - they are ever
changing and moving, taking minerals from one area to another, all
depending on supply and demand. Because minerals are in a state
of dynamic activity and function, even the calcium in our bones
is being added to and removed depending on the calcium balance in
the body. The bones will also supply calcium to the blood and other
tissues when we are not getting sufficient amounts from our diets.
Vit. D, parathyroid hormone and calcitonin are responsible for maintaining
this balance.
So things that will hinder the absorption of calcium once you have
ingested it are
