Dairy & The Calcium Connection
Dairy. Milk, cheese, yogurt. We all know we have to have it, or our teeth and bones will disintegrate, right?
Not quite.
The absolute first question that arises when I tell people that dairy products are on the 'Paleo no-go zone' is almost always, "But where will I get my calcium from?"
All of the dairy ads try to convince us that all we need to do to ensure strong bones and healthy teeth is drink our milk and eat cheese and yogurt. But, these ads contain the following messages that we readily accept as fact, whether we should or not. Let's examine these messages a little closer.
Dairy Ad Message #1
Building and maintaining strong bones and teeth relies solely on calcium.
Let's Examine It Closer
We need more than calcium to build strong bones and maintain them as we age. Vitamins C and K, Vitamin D3 (theoretically a hormone) plus magnesium and phosphorus are all necessary for bone health. Hormones, systemic inflammation and blood sugar levels all affect how fast our bones break down and how well new bone is formed.
An ancestral diet effectively creates a healthy hormone balance, reduces systemic inflammation and is extraordinarily effective at bringing blood sugar levels into a healthy range.
Dairy Ad Message #2
The amount of calcium that you are getting in your diet from dairy products is the only important thing.
Let's Examine It Closer
If this is true, then how can we explain why North Americans have among the highest calcium intakes in the world AND the highest rates of osteoporosis in the world at the same time? Is it possible that absorption rates have something to do with this scenario? Yes, it does.
The following things inhibit our absorption of calcium:
- Phytates found in grains and legumes
- stress
- restriction of dietary protein
- absorption of fat soluble vitamins, such as Vitamins D and K, which, as the term implies, requires fat.
- aging
Hmmmm.... Lots of whole grains and beans, low fat and not too much protein. Kind of sounds like the low fat diet that we have all been advised to follow, doesn't it?? Is it becoming clearer why we have so much osteoporosis here in North America?
An ancestral diet removes phytate containing grains and legumes from the diet while including complete animal sourced proteins in adequate amounts as well as healthy fats from both plant and animal sources. An ancestral lifestyle encourages correct sleep and exercise (especially weight bearing exercise), which both lead to lower stress levels. Unfortunately, nothing will stop the hands of time from continually moving forward, but a well nurtured body will stand the tests of time better than a neglected one.
Dairy Ad Message #3
The only good source of calcium is dairy products.
Let's Examine It Closer
Wrong again. Calcium is found in many other foods, such as:
kale, spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, bok choy, nori, bone broth, sardines, canned salmon (with the bones), shrimp, oysters, nuts and seeds. Herbs such as ground thyme, ground oregano and ground basil have a nice amount of calcium as well.
These foods are all part of an ancestral diet!
Hey, you forgot to mention soy as a wonderful source of calcium!!!
Nope, the exclusion was deliberate. Due to its phytic acid content, soy causes calcium to be stripped from the body and impairs absorption of all minerals. Lucky for us, ancestral diets also do not include soy products. See our "Science-y Stuff" page for all of the soy references.
Can't I Just Pop a Pill For That??
Well, the above discussion pretty much sums up why all of our pills and calcium chews aren't working. Even bone density drugs (think: bisfosphonate drugs like Fosamax, Boniva, Actonel or Reclast) leave deposits in the bones that make them look denser on the bone scans, but they do not actually make the bones stronger. So, you end up with denser but weaker bones that may break under daily activities. [1]
Not quite.
The absolute first question that arises when I tell people that dairy products are on the 'Paleo no-go zone' is almost always, "But where will I get my calcium from?"
All of the dairy ads try to convince us that all we need to do to ensure strong bones and healthy teeth is drink our milk and eat cheese and yogurt. But, these ads contain the following messages that we readily accept as fact, whether we should or not. Let's examine these messages a little closer.
Dairy Ad Message #1
Building and maintaining strong bones and teeth relies solely on calcium.
Let's Examine It Closer
We need more than calcium to build strong bones and maintain them as we age. Vitamins C and K, Vitamin D3 (theoretically a hormone) plus magnesium and phosphorus are all necessary for bone health. Hormones, systemic inflammation and blood sugar levels all affect how fast our bones break down and how well new bone is formed.
An ancestral diet effectively creates a healthy hormone balance, reduces systemic inflammation and is extraordinarily effective at bringing blood sugar levels into a healthy range.
Dairy Ad Message #2
The amount of calcium that you are getting in your diet from dairy products is the only important thing.
Let's Examine It Closer
If this is true, then how can we explain why North Americans have among the highest calcium intakes in the world AND the highest rates of osteoporosis in the world at the same time? Is it possible that absorption rates have something to do with this scenario? Yes, it does.
The following things inhibit our absorption of calcium:
- Phytates found in grains and legumes
- stress
- restriction of dietary protein
- absorption of fat soluble vitamins, such as Vitamins D and K, which, as the term implies, requires fat.
- aging
Hmmmm.... Lots of whole grains and beans, low fat and not too much protein. Kind of sounds like the low fat diet that we have all been advised to follow, doesn't it?? Is it becoming clearer why we have so much osteoporosis here in North America?
An ancestral diet removes phytate containing grains and legumes from the diet while including complete animal sourced proteins in adequate amounts as well as healthy fats from both plant and animal sources. An ancestral lifestyle encourages correct sleep and exercise (especially weight bearing exercise), which both lead to lower stress levels. Unfortunately, nothing will stop the hands of time from continually moving forward, but a well nurtured body will stand the tests of time better than a neglected one.
Dairy Ad Message #3
The only good source of calcium is dairy products.
Let's Examine It Closer
Wrong again. Calcium is found in many other foods, such as:
kale, spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, bok choy, nori, bone broth, sardines, canned salmon (with the bones), shrimp, oysters, nuts and seeds. Herbs such as ground thyme, ground oregano and ground basil have a nice amount of calcium as well.
These foods are all part of an ancestral diet!
Hey, you forgot to mention soy as a wonderful source of calcium!!!
Nope, the exclusion was deliberate. Due to its phytic acid content, soy causes calcium to be stripped from the body and impairs absorption of all minerals. Lucky for us, ancestral diets also do not include soy products. See our "Science-y Stuff" page for all of the soy references.
Can't I Just Pop a Pill For That??
Well, the above discussion pretty much sums up why all of our pills and calcium chews aren't working. Even bone density drugs (think: bisfosphonate drugs like Fosamax, Boniva, Actonel or Reclast) leave deposits in the bones that make them look denser on the bone scans, but they do not actually make the bones stronger. So, you end up with denser but weaker bones that may break under daily activities. [1]