Calcium deficiency?

I wonder if any of you have a similar problem. Because i've excluded dairy I thought I must be lacking calcium.

Apparently you need 1000mg a day from ages 19-50.

To get that you would have to drink 3 cups of milk
or eat 16 cups of broccoli

http://www.bestbonesforever.gov/parents/foods/foods_list.cfm

Because i'm not eating any diary then I definitely am deficient in calcium?
Would you recommend I take a calcium supplement? If so what type/brand?

Thanks.

Another point I remembered, calcium comes in 2 forms either calcium citrate or calcium magnesium, they are both fine, however some prefer the calcium magnesium as it gives you both calcium citrate sl well as magnesium which is also good for the joints.

Here is an interesting articles from WH foods about calclium.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=45

Please keep in mind that you do not need dairy to fulfill your daily calcium needs nor is dairy, per calorie, the best dietary source of calcium. For example, dark leafy greens like kale have more calcium per calorie than cows milk.

As well as being stored in the bones, calcium is also fundamental to the acid/alkaline balance in the body. Calcium is a very important alkaline mineral so if you are eating a lot of acid forming foods (especially red meat) then you will need higher levels of calcium to maintain the right PH balance in your body.

To put it another way, the amount of calcium you need is likely to vary fairly significantly from person to person dependent on the content of your diet. Say for example someone who is a vegan will have very different calcium requirements than someone who spends all day eating read meat!

Post Edited (Jonny_Murray) : 5/19/2013 5:48:22 AM (GMT-6)

SCD is limiting lactose - so low / no lactose dairy products like hard cheese and SCD yogurt are legal. SCD yogurt is also the probiotic source, so it is very important. I think it would be difficult to get enough calcium on non-dairy SCD without a supplement.

Calcium supplements are easy to find and easy to take. It isn't quite as easy to absorb.

I use SCD Calcium from Freeda.

Your intro diet bone broth has calcium in it too.

Also, have you considered non-cow sources of milk / cheese?

I'm not on the SCD - don't think its worth trying, especially since it allows red meat - it lost all credibility with me from that point onward. Everyone is so different that its best to work out what diet works best for YOU, don't think there can be any specific diet that works for everyone or anything even approaching that.

Please also keep in mind that these figures are deeply influence by lobbying by the meat and dairy industries. For example the recommend daily intake for protein in the US is double the recommended amount here in Europe. So either people are fundamentally different in the US and require more protein or there is something dodgy going on!

Things like almonds, sardines, dark leafy greens, flax seeds, sesame seed, salmon, brazil nuts (to name a few) are all excellent sources of calcium.

Here is a good article on plant based sources of calcium and adsorbability

http://www.vegkitchen.com/nutrition/calcium/

Cheeses and yogurt made from other animal milk - usually sheep and goat.

pecanbread.com/goatyogurt.html

There isn't much calcium in homemade almond milk - looks like 2mg / 8 oz of unfortified almond milk, but it is really delicious.

You can buy legal almond milk online too, but honestly if you must be dairy free, a calcium supplement is the easiest way to get your calcium. Almond milk and OJ with calcium are fortified, so it is more or less a supplement sprinkled into your drink.

Wow that's nice to know I didn't realize there was not much calcium in homemade almond milk.

Calcium helps bacteria build biofilms. I eat no dairy but my calcium is high.

Id get my blood tested before I started supplementing calcium.

bingo ima & pk

My gyn had me taking a multivitamin with calcium for years BUC because of a family history of osteoporosis.

I got iv calcium while I was in the hospital. IIRC it was because of my elevated heart rate and low calcium level combined.

I've been taking regular calcium supplements since I've been on steroids, since they are calcium robbers.

I have not had leg cramps since I increased my calcium levels. I just had a CMP plus drawn, and I'm getting the results Thursday. I should ask if that hypocalcemia could be related to my weird thyroid levels.

I am taking 5,000iu alone, plus the 240iu in the three calcium pills. I will step down to 2,000 if I get any sun now that it is nice out.

D3 was 24ng/mL (normal 30 -100) 5/31/12, about a week before I went into the hospital and started supplementing both Ca and Vit D.

I can't get my results from March online, and I can't recall what the D3 was. She drew a lot of tests that day. It must not have been noteworthy. My bi-weekly labs are just CBC and hep panels. I'll have my newest CMP on Thursday.

Now you know why I have K2 in my signature. Vitamin K2 is supposed to take the calcium out of your arteries and place it into your bones. K2 is produced by the bacteria flora in the colon so I figured if my colon were inflamed or my gut bacteria were inadequate then K2 might not be absorbed. But please don’t listen to me and do your own research. Heart disease is serious business. I don’t care if I poison myself but I could never live with myself if somebody hurt himself taking my advice. You cannot take K2 if you are on blood thinners.

Too much calcium without balanced magnesium and vitamin B6 can cause kidney stones and problems with calcium clogging your arteries. I think calcium supplementation is probably more important for women than men. Calcium causes prostate problems with men but I suspect that is because calcium metabolism drains your stores of vitamin D.

According to this article calcium supplementation should be balanced with magnesium, K2, and vitamin D. The bottom line is don’t just take calcium supplementation alone.
www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/dec2010_The-Importance-of-Bone-Health_01.htm?source=search&key=bones