Calcium concerns
Calcium is one thing I’m concerned about with our non-dairy (excepting goat cheese) diet. The doctor who recommended we stop consuming dairy products says that they are actually not a good source of calcium.
The Harvard School of Public Health agrees.
Personally, despite the fact that I absolutely love milk and dairy products in general, it makes no sense to me that humans continue to consume milk after being weaned from their mothers. We are the only mammal that does this. Consumption of cow’s milk makes even less sense to me since, of course, we are not calves.
NotMilk provides more information than you probably ever thought was available on the subject. Do a quick web search and you’ll find even more info.
While the subject is obviously debatable as to whether or not dairy-sourced calcium is good or not for human consumption, the fact is that we are both on a basically no-dairy diet, and calcium remains a concern to me.
The USDA has a great reference on their website for a variety of sources for nutrients. Their list for calcium is 26 pages long, and has both dairy and non-dairy options.
Basically, great non-dairy calcium sources include: spinach, beans, oranges and orange juice, blackstrap molasses, soybeans and soy products, almonds, and broccoli.
Unfortunately, I can’t find blackstrap molasses anywhere down here, and it’s also a great source of iron. But I will definitely try to work the rest of these foods into our diet on a more regular basis!
