Where Do Vegans Get Their…Calcium
The number two question that people ask vegans is “where do you get your calcium if you don’t drink milk?” The advertising that the milk companies have put on television, into magazines and even in the schools has been a successful marketing tool that has been very convincing and made them billions of dollars. They had ads that say “Milk does a body good” or “Got Milk” or “Body by Milk” etc. These are ads placed by a company to sell a product just like any other ad to sell a product. This product is sold to the masses as a health product because of the supposed benefits to the bones, teeth and even your waistline via the calcium content. They say that the calcium in milk builds strong bones when in fact that is not true at all according to scientific research.
Dr. Collin T. Campbell wrote a book called “The China Study” where the affects of animal protein and fat on the human body was studied. This book is the most comprehensive study on animal protein and fat and the links to heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Through this study it was shown that the higher the consumption of animal based food the higher the occurrence of those diseases and to others like Alzheimer’s, obesity, osteoporosis and more.
Other studies have shown similar findings time and time again. In a 12-year Harvard study of 78,000 women, those who drank milk three times a day actually broke more bones than women who rarely drank milk.1
Those with the highest dairy product consumption had approximately double the risk of hip fracture compared to those with the lowest consumption.2
The milk from cows contains cancer-causing hormones and dairy industry has kept that fact hidden from the public. Consuming the hormones that are in cows milk is like adding gas to a fire when cancer is involved, it makes it grow bigger and faster. Milk also contains herbicides, pesticides, powerful antibiotics, blood, pus, bacteria, feces and virus. According to Hoards Dairyman (vol 147, #4) 89% of American’s dairy herds have the leukemia virus. Do you really want your children or your family to consume something like that? There are too many studies to list that show the damaging affects milk has on the human body but you get the idea.
Make sure you think broadly when it comes to dairy and not only avoid milk but all dairy products. It takes 10 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of cheese. Ice cream has 12 times the amount of milk in it and butter has 21 times the amount of milk in it. When you consume these products you are consuming massive quantities of these horrible chemicals all just because it tastes good and you think you are “doing your body good”.
People should focus more on reducing calcium loss while eating a well balanced diet. Research shows that excess animal protein pulls calcium from your body and excretes it through urination. Calcium is also lost through too much salt, bad habits such as smoking, not exercising and not getting enough vitamin D (among other things).
If you want to ensure you are getting a good amount of calcium consume non animal foods that are high in nutrition and won’t pull calcium from your body. Tofu has 4 times the calcium of cows milk and no cholesterol! Leafy greens are the highest calcium containing plant food and is absorbed better than cow’s milk. Seeds, nuts, and non dairy milks such as soy, rice, almond etc have great amounts of calcium as well as other nutrients without the hormones, pus or cholesterol Black molasses, seaweed (go sushi!), broccoli, calcium fortified foods such as orange and apple juice are all great sources of calcium. The list goes on but you get the point. Treat your body right, avoid disease and suffering and eat healthy foods!
References
1. Feskanich D, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA. Milk, dietary calcium, and bone fractures in women: a 12-year prospective study. Am J Publ Health 1997;87:992-7.
2. Cumming RG, Klineberg RJ. Case-control study of risk factors for hip fractures in the elderly. Am J Epidemiol 1994;139:493-503.
Tags: Calcium, Health, Vegan, Vegan Calcium
