Calcium is one of those things that crop up pretty frequently in conversation with non-vegans: But how do you get calcium, if you don't drink milk! Cow's milk, that is. Try suggesting that cow's milk is Not the best source of calcium for humans to a diehard dairy fan. I have, and the outcome has rarely been serene. Most people remember the idea they grew up with, that cow's milk alone has calcium. So I thought this would be a great topic for a post--a post, really, which links to information.
From the Harvard School of Public Health: "Calcium is important. But milk isn’t the only, or even best, source."
Despite fortified cereals, fortified fruit juices, fortified nut and soymilks, dark leafy green vegetables, beans, and whole grains, there's still a conception that cow's milk is the finest source of calcium on earth--Got Marketing, anyone? Osteoporosis fears abound. But remember the Harvard nurses' study? They found that women drinking cow's milk were more prone to osteoporosis than women who didn't. (See the PCRM article, link below.) Apparently calcium needs to be absorbed and retained by the bones, not merely ingested--and plant sources and combos of calcium, along with exercise and sunshine (Vitamin D) offer that.
From the American Heart Association's website: "Studies show that vegetarians absorb and retain more calcium from foods than nonvegetarians do. Vegetable greens such as spinach, kale and broccoli, and some legumes and soybean products, are good sources of calcium from plants."
When my daughter was a baby then a toddler, I often ran into moms who filled up their babies with whole milk and cheese in any form--cheese sticks, cheese slabs, cheese cubes--in their pursuit of protein and calcium. (These were the same babies who frequently developed ear infections, rashes, swollen tonsils, speech disabilities, and delays.) My daughter, vegan since birth, has never had an ear infection. She's run through the gamut of viruses picked up in preschool, yes, but her colds have usually not lasted long, and have not progressed to secondary infections.
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has the nicest, wisest, concisest explanation on why cow's milk is best for calves not humans in her great cookbook, The Joy of Vegan Baking. I recommend her book highly, both for the fabulous recipes and the thoughtful, informative approach to nutrition.Well, I just discovered she runs a fantastic blog on compassionate living here: Vegetarian Food for Thought Check it out! It looks amazing. Also, here's the link to her book: The Joy of Vegan Baking.
Here are a few links and compendia of links that cover the subject of healthy bones and plant sources:
Calcium and Strong Bones--from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Vegetarian Sources of Calcium--from the Soy Stache Project
Preventing Osteoporosis--from the Vegetarian Resource Group
Boning up on Calcium--from the Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation
Calcium and Milk: The Bottom Line--from the Harvard School of Public Health
There's plenty to be said about cow's milk, how bad it is: for you, especially for children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, perimenopausal and menopausal women, as well as andropausal men; obviously for the young lady cows torturously kept continuously pregnant and dosed up on antibiotics and growth hormones and separated from their calves shortly after birth; for the planet's soil, water, and air as large manure deposits from factory farms pollute ground water, drinking water, and coastal waters in a myriad ways (see NRDC's factsheet on pollution from livestock farms), and lots of links to post to animal protection organizations and health sites--but I'll have to tackle that another day.
Meanwhile, enjoy your kale and collard greens, get some Vitamin D as you go jogging in the sunshine, and keep your bones healthy, vegan, and happy!
