CALCIUM

Calcium is essential for healthy bones and teeth. Your body also uses calcium to help muscles and blood vessels contract and expand, to regulate cell metabolism, to secrete hormones and enzymes and to send messages through the nervous system.

Calcium is lost through shed skin, nails, hair, sweat, urine and feces. When you do not have enough calcium, your body breaks down bone to obtain the mineral. For the first 20 or 30 years of our life, our bodies are working on building bone density. The bones are constantly going through a process known as remodeling in which small amounts of old bone are removed and new bone is formed in its place. Generally, after age 35, more bone is lost than gained.

Although calcium plays a major structural role in bone building, it is critical for a wide variety of other functions as well and, therefore, ensuring sufficient intake is key.

Where do I get it?

Calcium is found in a wide variety of plant foods, including seaweeds such as kelp, wakame and hijiki, nuts and seeds, beans, okra, blackstrap molasses, oranges, dandelion leaves, rutabaga and amaranth. Certain green leafy vegetables such as kale and spring greens, which are low in oxalate, provide plenty of well absorbed calcium while at the same time reducing calcium losses. Fortified products such as orange juice and soy milk are also good sources. Calcium supplements are also an option although their effectiveness in providing an absorbable form of calcium is variable. The best sources are those which come directly from sea vegetables rather than synthetic compounds.

Achieving healthy calcium status goes beyond simply eating calcium-rich foods. Protein and sodium both have negative impacts on the calcium we absorb into our bodies. The amino acids in protein create acidity in the blood and the body reacts by trying to restore its pH balance by extracting calcium from the bones in order to neutralize the acid. We lose 1mg of calcium through our urine for each gram of protein in the diet^[1]. For this reason, milk and dairy products are actually not the ideal source of calcium they are touted to be.

Calcium myths

Most Western food guides would have us believe that dairy products are essential for adequate calcium levels. Yet, if we expand our view to the global level, we will see that most cultures traditionally do not consume dairy. The Japanese are reported to be the nation of people with the longest lifespan – proof that a culture which does not traditionally include dairy in its culinary repertoire can exemplify ultimate health.

Before animal agriculture came to light in the Western world, people managed to live on dairy-free diets that were high in calcium – a fact which demonstrates that dairy is not critical for human health. In fact, calcium intakes in the late Paleolithic era are thought to be double what ours are today^[2]. Consuming calcium that has already been processed by another animal has only relatively recently become a dietary habit in the West.

Further evidence that dairy is not innately part of our diet is seen in the common occurrence of lactose intolerance. Normally after the first few years of life, we lose our ability to digest lactose; however, many people in Western cultures have become habituated to lactose consumption through the common practice of feeding non-human milk from an early age. Those who are able to tolerate the lactose found in dairy products have simply found a way to adapt their bodies. In cultures where dairy consumption is low or non-existent, lactose intolerance rates tend to be higher.

Even if our bodies are able to adapt, dairy products are not the best source of calcium. Although they may be rich in calcium, the high protein levels also cause calcium loss. A third of the calcium absorbed from milk and more than two thirds of the calcium absorbed from cheese is wasted in this way.

How much is enough?

Because calcium status is dependent on, not just how much calcium is in the foods we ingest, but also on how much of that calcium we are able to absorb and how much gets lost, assuring that our bodies have sufficient calcium takes some thought.

Basically, an adult between the ages of 19 and 50 requires about 1000 mg of calcium a day; however, this number will be different for each person. For people over 50, intake goes up to 1,200 mg/day and teenagers need 1,300 mg/day. Because calcium plays such a critical role in the early years, it is important that pregnant and nursing mothers have sufficient intake. The following factors can influence calcium requirements:

• Weight-bearing activity helps the body to retain calcium stores so active people will be on the lower intake end.
• People who consume moderate yet sufficient amounts of protein will have less acidity in their bodies and, therefore, will lose less calcium.
• Sodium also affects calcium loss, so eat in moderation.
• Consuming calcium in small quantities throughout the day allows for better overall absorption.
• Vitamin D is essential for proper calcium absorption so insure that you are getting enough.
• Soft drinks and coffee can use up calcium so avoid consuming large quantities.

Fortunately for vegans and vegetarians, fruits and vegetables are generally alkalizing and, therefore, do not draw from our body’s calcium stores. Yet because blood tests cannot establish calcium levels and there are so many variables affecting absorption and loss, one has no way of knowing with certainty whether intake is sufficient. It is best, therefore, to err on the side of caution and set your intake level at the higher end of the recommended values.

Footnotes