Get enough Calcium and Skip the Dairy

I am not an advocate for dairy products.  Most Dairy is high in sat fat which causes heart disease and it is loaded with antibiotics, hormones and other meds the vets shoot them up with. Also don't forget the huge negative environmental impact dairy farmers have and the abuse of the animals. I know what I am talking about, my husband was a dairy farmer and I have seen it all.  And he died of cancer. Coincidence? Maybe.
One interesting thing that I hear the most from people is, "Oh I could never give up my cheese!"  The side effects of cancer and heart disease just isn't worth it to me.  There are way too many other pleasures in life then being sick and being internally invaded by the medical environment.  It sucks, it's painful, it's beyond expensive and takes a huge emotional toll on your family.
So if you decide to eliminate dairy from your life please be proud of yourself for doing so. And don't let outside influence change your mind, just don't live in their unhealthy world, choose your own path.
Here's to your new ways to get enough calcium:

First, let's look at ways you can stop your body from losing the calcium you get:

• reduce your caffeine intake (coffee, tea, pop, chocolate) - it causes increased calcium loss in urine
• reduce intake of refined sugar - it also increases calcium loss through urine; as well, it reduces the body's ability to absorb calcium
• reduce phosphorous (POP is the biggest source in most people's diets; also cow's dairy, red meat) - it binds to calcium and makes it less absorbable
• reduce salt - increases calcium loss through urine
• Make sure you get your Vit D (eggs, liver, mushrooms, 20 min of sun exposure several times a week, or supplement) - calcium can't be used without Vit D
• don't overeat protein - it is acid forming; the body will protect the pH level of blood by pulling minerals (especially calcium) from the bones to buffer the acidity
• smoking, alcohol, and corticocosteroid medications also contribute to calcium loss

Alternate Sources of Calcium
1 cup of cow's milk provides 288mg of calcium. Other sources and the amount you can get from a typical serving are:

Nuts and Seeds

Almonds 1/4 cup 150mg
Hazelnuts 1/4 cup 106mg
Sesame Seeds 2 tbsp 264mg
Walnuts 1/4 cup 54mg
Sunflower Seeds 1/4 cup 65mg

Butters and Milks made from nuts and seeds are also be great sources of Calcium. And since these products are not heated or cooked, the calcium is highly absorbable.

Vegetables Most vegetables (especially GREEN ones like leafy greens and broccoli) provide between 20 and 75mg per half cup.  Sea vegetables (agar, kelp) provide about 60mg andWakame provides 150mg

Beans (1 cup servings)
Chickpeas 80mg
Navy beans 128mg
Soybeans 460mg
Tofu 258mg
Tempeh 172mg
Pinto beans 82mg



Molasses (1 tbsp)
Blackstrap 137mg
Barbados 49mg

Meeting Daily Requirements
You can see by the above values, it's really not that hard to get your Calcium with non-dairy sources. The average daily intake recommended in Canada is 1000mg (male and female adults). If you had a serving of almonds (150), 2 cups of leafy greens (150-200), a serving of salmon (338mg), a serving of broccoli (100) a serving of tempeh (172), and some almond butter (225mg) and you would exceed the DRI values. As well, for those who are vegetarians, less intake is required because it is more absorbable without animal foods in the diet.