Dairy and Calcium
Here are a few more tips on dairy.
Dairy is a good, possibly the best source of calcium, and calcium is a vitally important mineral.
There was conjecture floating around years ago that dairy was the cause of osteoporosis in western societies compared to cultures who didn’t eat dairy. This has been disproven. Dairy does help create strong bones with its bioavailable calcium, and is also good for the thyroid and metabolism and is somewhat protective against obesity.
If you don’t get enough calcium in your diet (and I didn’t, on a very high vegetable, moderate meat and grain eating diet with heaps of leafy greens, nuts and seeds), your body will pull calcium out of your bones, because it has a narrow range in the blood it will maintain at all costs.
This is more likely to lead to improper calcium deposits such as in joints and arteries, than if you just had plenty of calcium in the first place. The body will excrete what it doesn’t need. The parathyroid hormone (PTH) governs your calcium balance finely, and will increase when calcium levels in the diet are low. Increased PTH is associated with inflammation, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, multiple sclerosis.
Just because cultures who do not consume dairy, eat large quantities of plant based calcium sources, does not mean these are adequate or the best sources of calcium or that they have low rates of osteoporosis. Every culture will simply do the best it can with what is available. And osteoporosis rates are quite high in Asian countries in women over 50 in particular.
Other nutrients are needed for proper calcium absorption, such as Vit D (sunshine is the best source of this) and K2. I take a K2 supplement because my body has a tendency to deposit calcium improperly. K2, found in dairy, animal foods and fermented foods, helps prevent hard deposits of calcium forming, and is associated with higher bone density.
You can check the calcium levels in your diet by using the app Cronometer. Just put in your food for a day or several days, and it will tell you if you are reaching adequate calcium levels.
Calcium is a calming mineral, and intravenous infusions can relax blood vessels and improve heart function, according to Dr Ray Peat. The protein in dairy, casein, has anti-stress effects.
Dairy is milk from mothers. Instead of demonising it as a bad food, as has happened in so called health-conscious circles in recent years, I choose to appreciate and be grateful for the nourishment it can give.
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/milk.shtml
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/calcium.shtml
