FOOD for THOUGHT: Calcium, Don’t Look for it All in One Place

(Dietary changes should be discussed with a health care provider.)

FUN TASK: Let’s play 20 questions.  Do you know the bare bones about calcium?

1.  Kale, cooked collards, turnip greens & cooked mustard greens

are high in (absorbable) calcium.                                                               T or F

2.  Corn, raw cauliflower & lettuce are high in calcium.                                 T or F

3.  White beans (especially white kidney & small white) are high in calcium.   T or F

4.  White bread is high in calcium.                                                             T or F

5.  Almonds are high in calcium.                                                                T or F

6.  Grains are high in calcium.                                                                    T or F

7.  Tahini (unpeeled ground sesame seed butter) is high in calcium.               T or F

8.  Mayonnaise is high in calcium.                                                               T or F

9.  Tofu & edamame are high in calcium.                                                     T or F

10.  Consume calcium for bone health,

       not for nerve system, clotting, hormonal & heart muscle health.             T or F

11.  Vitamin C & vitamin D help you absorb calcium.                                    T or F

12   Vitamin B12 & Iron help you absorb calcium.                                         T or F

13.  Weight bearing exercise helps you absorb calcium.                                 T or F

14.  Animal protein helps you absorb calcium.                                              T or F

15.  Magnesium and phosphorus must be kept in balance with calcium.          T or F

16.  Your body can absorb a day’s worth of calcium in one meal/dose.             T or F

17.  Consuming excess sugar in your diet can leech

       (demineralize through resorption) calcium from bones.                           T or F

18.  Chocolate milk is a great way to get calcium into kids.                            T or F

19.  Drinking sugar free soda can leech

       (demineralize through resorption) calcium from your bones.                    T or F

20.  You cannot easily get enough dietary calcium from a low or non-dairy diet.                                                                                                                        T or F

ANSWERS:

1.  Kale, cooked collards, turnip greens & cooked mustard greens are high in (absorbable) calcium.

TRUE Most dark green leafy vegetables are great sources of the mineral calcium as well as of vitamins, nutrients and fiber.  (Spinach is high in calcium, but even cooked, it is also high in oxalic acid, which inhibits calcium absorption.)

2.  Corn, raw cauliflower & lettuce are high in calcium.  FALSE

3.  White beans (especially white kidney (Cannellini) & small white) are high in calcium.

TRUE Try adding a thoroughly rinsed, large can of white beans to a pot of pasta a few minutes before it is done boiling; (this also satisfies your protein for the meal).  After you drain it, serve it up however you usually would (or use it in whatever recipe called for the pasta).

4.  White Bread is high in calcium.  FALSE (false even if it is enriched which has mostly to do with iron)

5.  Almonds are high in calcium.

TRUE Sprinkle them on salads or sides.  Try almond butter.  Trail-mix anyone?

6.  Grains are high in calcium.  FALSE – save Arborio rice (but little bits do add up throughout the day)

7.  Tahini (unpeeled ground sesame seed butter) is high in calcium.

TRUE Tahini is great as a sandwich spread, in hummus and, thinned out, makes a wonderful salad dressing.  Don’t bypass foods because of a lack of familiarity with them – especially if you have children.  Introducing new foods early will make those foods “normal” in their book.  Try seaweed (especially kelp or dried agar), bok choy (chinese cabbage), broccoli rabe (rappini), okra, dandelion greens and lambs quarters, (it’s a plant that grows like a weed and cooked has 46% of your RDA of calcium – it’s not all absorbable, but it’s so high to start with that you still get a lot).

8.  Mayonnaise is high in calcium.  FALSE

9.  Tofu & edamame are high in calcium.     TRUE

10.  Consume calcium for bone health,

not for nerve system, clotting, hormonal & heart muscle health.

FALSE Well, do consume it for your bones, but remember that calcium is not a one trick pony.  It plays a large role in nerve efficiency, supports potassium in blood clotting and plays a role in hormone secretion and cardiac muscle function.

11.  Vitamin C & Vitamin D help you absorb calcium.  TRUE

12.  Vitamin B12 & Iron help you absorb calcium.

FALSE B12 does not help you absorb calcium, but calcium is necessary for you to be able to absorb B12; so, if you are calcium deficient, chances are you might be B12 deficient as well.  On the other hand, too much calcium inhibits iron absorption.

13.  Weight bearing exercise helps you absorb calcium.

TRUE You need to support some of your weight on your arms, if you also want strong bones in your arms.

14.  Animal protein helps you absorb calcium.

FALSE Consumption of dairy protein increases the amount of calcium that we need.

15.  Magnesium and phosphorus must be kept in balance with calcium.

TRUE Magnesium and calcium work like on/off switches during muscle contractions.   An imbalance can leave muscles spasming or “hanging loose” -- but not in a “cool dude” way.  There are arguments as to what exactly the ratio is; so, unless a professional tells you that you need a supplement, get both from food.  Most of the calcium rich foods mentioned have magnesium too, as do black beans, halibut, peanuts, plantains & pumpkin seeds.  While people tend to be on the shy side of magnesium, most people have excess phosphorous.

16.  Your body can absorb a day’s worth of calcium in one meal/dose.

FALSE 20-50 year old omnivores need ~1000 mg of calcium a day, pre-teens, teens and seniors need more, while younger children need less.  We can’t absorb more than 500 mg at a time; so you need to get your calcium gradually throughout the day.  A good way to do this is to get it through your food.

17.  Consuming excess sugar in your diet can leech (demineralize through resorption) calcium from bones.

TRUE Calcium regulates blood PH. Normal blood PH is between 7.35 & 7.45 –- on the alkaline (basic) side of neutral.  If blood PH is not maintained within this small range, body functions are compromised to the point where coma and death can ensue.  Fortunately, your body is very, very good at keeping your blood from becoming acidic…  …it just takes basic calcium from your bones to neutralize acidifying effects.  What does this have to do with sugar?  Regularly consuming sugar lowers (acidifies) PH, so that more calcium is taken from the bones more often.  These days we need to work even harder (consuming more healthy calcium and doing more antigravity exercise or better yet becoming aware of how much sugar we consume every day – see http://westford.patch.com/blog_posts/food-for-thought-everything-in-mode...) than usual to keep up.  3 NOTES: Although your blood should never become acidic, your stomach needs to be acidic in order to digest calcium.  Vitamin C & citrus , although acidic themselves, are not blood acidifiers.  Most processed foods are acidifiers though.

18.  Chocolate milk is a great way to get calcium into kids every day.

FALSE According to the American Academy of Pediatrics giving sweetened food/drinks to children “feeds” (pardon my pun) their interest in sugary foods and decreases their interest in (and likelihood of eating) nutritious foods.  One mineral does not a healthy child make -- especially if gotten at the expense of many vitamins and nutrients from a variety of good food.

19.  Drinking sugar free soda can leech (demineralize through resorption) calcium from your bones.

TRUE Sugar is not the only problem with soda.  Phosphoric acid increases phosphorous levels in your body, which probably gets more phosphorus than it needs already.  Also the PH of soda is roughly 2 and a half.

20.  You cannot easily get enough dietary calcium from a low or non-dairy diet. 

FALSE One volunteer who took the survey in person got this answer correct by learning on the fly, but aptly demonstrated the larger problem at hand by gesturing to the survey on the board and commenting: Sure, I guess you can, if you’re a person who eats that stuff.  With or without calcium “that stuff” is great for your health!

CHALLENGE #13 of 50:

Go forth and try “that stuff” listed in answers 1, 3, 5, 7 & 9 – especially 1 & 7 – and concentrate on doing weight-bearing exercise at least 3 days this week.

QUOTE of the WEEK:

He didn’t come out of my belly, but my God, I’ve made his bones, because I’ve attended to [his] every meal.

John Lennon