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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookShe offered me some yogurt at work and I declined, saying I didn’t do dairy, and she immediantly started in on me, asking me what I ate, and I told her I was raw, because I wasn’t sure what else to say to that pointed and personal question. Then I got a lecture from her about how greens, fruits and nuts don’t have nearly enough calcium to sustain me, and that I have to take calcium supplements or get osteoporosus when I get older because I won’t do dairy.
It just annoyed me…I’m not eating right now at all (water fasting) so I try to avoid food-talk if I can help it.
But basically: is she just full of it? There’s no way I am taking supplements of any type.
Comments
According to stats, your nosey Parker pal is more likely, as a dairy eater, to develope osteoporosis, than you are as a vegan. She really needs to go back to high school school and take biology again before she blathers on about how a human needs to suck the milk off a cow for healthy bones. Also she needs to mind her own darn business about your food. What a rude person. You shouldn’t defend yourself to anyone, especially an idiot.
There are loads of raw foods that contain calcium. Sesame seeds (175 mg per 2 Tbsps), almonds (90 mg per 1/4 cup), brazil nuts and hazelnuts (65 mg per 1/4 cup), kale (100 mg per 1/2 cup), turnip greens (95 mg per 1/2 cup), bok choy (75 mg per 1/2 cup), dandelion greens (55 mg per 1/2 cup), broccoli (35 mg per 1/2 cut), tomatoes (35 mg per 1/2 cup), parsnips (30 mg per 1/2 cup), oranges (55 mg each), figs (15 mg each) and garbanzo beans (40 mg per 1/2 cup).
So, yes – she is full of it. :) Peace, Karuna
And BTW, I agree with TomsMom – none of your “Know-it-not-all” friend’s business.
Hey Moth –
From the NotMilk website (http://www.notmilk.com/o.html)
I pasted this quote below from Dr. Neal Barnard:
“What appears to be important in bone metabolism is not calcium intake, but calcium balance. The loss of bone integrity among many post menopausal white women probably results from genetics and from diet and lifestyle factors. Research shows that calcium losses are increased by the use of animal protein, salt, caffeine, and tobacco, and by physical inactivity.”
Neal Barnard, M.D., Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine, Understanding Health, December, 1999
Your co-worker is being influenced (manipulated) by the heavy marketing and advertising of the Dairy Industry.
Your Raw Diet is much much healthier. Kale, Sesame Seeds, and Broccoli are excellent sources of calcium and other needed minerals (and Vitamin K in kale).
I feel like I’m preaching to the choir here though! But I don’t mean to….
Just wish you the best of health! :)
Addendum: Karuna was much quicker than me with listing good sources of calcium! What a great list she posted. Thanks!
MOTH- the average American is so in the dark about what nutrients actually promote increased bone density. It’s such a complex process of Calcium (almonds) in balance with Magnesium (greens), vit. D(sun)and phosphorous (black sesame seeds). She’s eating calcium from cow that her body isn’t going to absorb anyhow. She’s probably also taking calcium supplements alone, which will cause her body to dump Magnesium. Americans have the highest rates of Osteoporosis in the world and we take the most calcium!!!! Welcome to the power of the Dairy Lobby.
just know that if it comes down to a punch-up, your bones will be able to withstand more of a pummelling :o) lol
Tell her about her enzyme deficiency and her surplus of acid and mucous.
I do agree that you can get the right amount of calcium through nuts and greens, and is a superior form than cow fluids, although personally I need to pay close attention to it. 5 years ago when I was 100% raw my teeth started to lose their color – to turn slightly see-through, as if I had been drinking red wine. I saw various dentists and they told it was calcium loss and that once it was lost, nothing could be done to recuperate it. My grey-ish teeth were permanent, they all agreed. Becoming very worried, I relented in taking a natural calcium supplement and in about 60 days my teeth turned bright white again. My diet at that time was a LOT of fruit (which I naturally gravitate towards) and veg salads for lunch. I don’t take anything now but focus on getting more dark leafy greens and sesame seeds (nut milks are wonderful too). I think every body reacts differently and maybe some are more prone to calcium loss than others. More recently I have been recommended eggshells ground into a fine powder, taken with little bit of lemon juice as the most pure form of ‘live’ calcium. I can let you know how it works for me if you feel you need it. Good luck!
I don’t know why some dentists say ridiculous things like this; I really don’t. I still hear the occassional one claim that enamel on the tooth is never replaced, which is a complete lie.
Great info here! I like to add the benefits of carob as probably many of you know… It has ~ 32% calcium, pretty darn good!
Carob (flour), 1 cup (about 100g) Calories: 228 Protein: 4.7g Carbohydrate: 91.5g Total Fat: 0.67g Fiber: 41g *Excellent source of: Calcium (358mg), Potassium (852mg), and Riboflavin (0.47mg)
It is pretty useless to get into a discussion with someone who is so brainwashed. Any attempt from your side will be probably seen as attack… So if she starts again, just give her a note with the facts and keep on doing whatever you were doing.
Good luck and good food :)
Yup beate…these brainwashed people will tell you all day about what THEY do to stay healthy and how great their commercial processed “healthy” stuff is and how the way we eat is bad. But as soon as you start to talk even slightly passionately about how much you like what you eat, you are “preaching” or something. People get insecure and feel attacked. It’s funny because I don’t feel attacked by them when they talk about how great it is to do what they do.
But yeah the calcium thing is rediculous. Drink milk for calcium? I’m sure heroin has something good in it, too.
ya….just remember, we as a culture have been taught to believe this stuff. Whenever I encounter calcium conversations I stick to referencing Asian countries…who have virtually No osteoporosis problems and eat virtually No dairy either. It’s a real life and tangible example of the point.
You could also resort to those usual debates like, well where does the cow get it’s calcium from….or I still breastfeed…that would be funny ;)
In actual fact though, it’s weight bearing exercise that will prevent osteo more than diet.
That’s good to know. I need to start a regime again with my Bowflex. That can be my motivation.
I don’t know if anyone else has said this (Im only half reading the posts!) but in the China Study (Colin T Campbell) it says that the highest levels of Osteoperosis occur in dairy eating countries and the lowest levels occur in the countries where little dairy is eaten. Tell the nosy so and so to do some research before she picks on your food choices.
Big Hugs.
WOW, thanks for the support, peeps! This lady in question at work is someone who speaks with ‘supreme authority’ on just about every subject you can imagine. She really does think she knows everything.
I would have paid to see the strained/bored/you’re-full-of-crap look on my face as she assaulted me with cow-breast-milk fear mongering.
Sorry lady;
That sucks! I’ve met lots of people like that. Poor confused people:( Honestly though, my boyfriend, when I met him was completely one of those know-it-all’s on lots of subjects. He is still that way about a couple of things, but he was raised that way, his mom is like that. Given some compassion, understanding, and proven wrong a few times;), and he is MUCH better. Maybe give her a few studies on the subject?
I hope she leaves you alone or gets some understanding:) Of course, its hard to fight the millions of dollars spent to get people like her to believe she needs calcium stolen from baby cows.
“You shouldn’t defend yourself to anyone, especially an idiot.”
This made me laugh out loud. And I totally agree!
I’m consistently amazed at how effective the dairy industry advertising is at spreading information that is so completely damaging and false. The China Study should be required reading for everyone seeking to graduate high school.
And I say this as someone who very occasionally will eat raw dairy, knowing it isn’t good for me. I’m not a vegan and I have to admit that I do enjoy the taste every once in a while. But I think it’s delusional to think of it as anything but a health hazard, and perhaps I’ll get to a point where I want to avoid it completely.
Reminds me of the overweight vegetarian know it all at a friend of mine’s job who tells her allll about health and how healthy she eats because she is vegetarian. This is all while she eats chips and pizza and donuts all day. She even weighed in on whether or not raw was healthy and criticized that. To think that people who eat pretty much SAD or moderately healthy feel the need to lecture people like us about food even when we don’t even try to force our point of view on anyone. Their loss.
yeah, the real issue is: who cares what she thinks?
like thecavsman said, friends can tell us ALL about their brilliant diets and what supposed “vitamins” and nutrients we aren’t getting from not eating this or not eating that… we know so little about vitamins and minerals it’s amazing. nutrionists even base their theories on pseudo-science and estimations. as an example, we have NO IDEA what carotene is best for eye sight. someone said beta and now everyone just spreads the same rumor.
but let’s re-conceptualize raw foods. the real idea is this: a return to normal, a return to simple, natural, and fresh. eating like animals are meant to, and (what a concept!) eating REAL food.
you aren’t going to convince anyone who isn’t ready (or willing) to hear this. but the main thing is how you feel. i mean, i can argue with my brother about yogurt till the cows come home (hee hee) but here’s what i keep as my center-poise: i am NEVER sick. i feel great most of the time, i am more energetic than ANYONE i know my age and younger, etc, etc. so, who cares what he thinks about yogurt? clearly, i’m still alive and doing fine.
if you are too, than kudos!
p.s. moth- that where is pianissima post was really sweet if you didn’t see my reply. =)