Beware of Calcium Robbers

Some foods you eat may take away the calcium you need for your bones. A natural compound oxalate, combines with calcium and keeps your body from using it. Foods high in oxalates include:

spinach

rhubarb

beet leaves

nuts

chocolate

strawberries

Foods That Hinder Calcium Absorption

Foods that hinder calcium absorption are:-

Foods with oxalic acid found in cocoa, chard, spinach, and rhubarb
Foods with phytic acid found in bran soybeans, and other legumes
A very high intake of dietary fiber

For healthy people eating a balance diet, normal quantities of any of these foods will not hinder calcium absorption enough to adversely affect their bones.

Where is the Protein and Calcium?

Okay, so if you are eating lots of veggies and fruits, what about protein and calcium? Where do you get those? This is probably the main question that every vegetarian is asked. These fear is from lack of education and false messages sent out by advertisers. We are conditioned to believe that if we don't get enough milk and steak or chicken, we'll end up very weak and shrivel up and die. Wrong!

We can get all the protein we need from plant-based foods. Dark leafy greens in particulare are a terrific source of protein; they're also very high in iron and calcium. Broccoli, sesame seeds, almonds, and seaweed are other fantastic and absorbable sources of calcium.

In fact, studies by American Heart Association have shown that vegetarians absorb and retain more calcium from foods than non-vegetarians.

Oats Limitations!

Amount greater than those suggested should not be eaten regularly. Oat bran is high in phytic acid, which limits the absorption of calcium, iron, and zinc from other foods.

The New Super Berry: Acai

The acai berry is gaining in popularity daily, largerly because world is spreading that it is rich in antioxidants like vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium. It is also a good source of omega-3s, fiber, protein, carbohyrdates, and minerals. But topping the headlines is a report published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry in 2007, which stated that of all fruits and vegetables tested to date, freeze-dried acai, had the highest activity against superoxide in the superoxide scavenging (SOD) assay.

Calcium Loss

Did you know that the foods that produce the most calcium loss through urinary excretion is Animal Protein and Coffee!

Amount of calcium lost in the urine after eating a hamburger is about 28 mg.

Amount of calcium lost in the urine after drinking a cup of coffee is about 2 mg.

Average calicum absorption rates of green leafy vegetables is 56% compared to cow's milk 32%.

Eat a green salad everyday!

Carrots - Gold Mine of Nutrients

Carrot juice is said to be a gold mine of nutrients.

Carrot juice is very high in beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a pigment substance found in plants that can often form into vitamin A.

(Did you know that if you eat a carrot raw, you only get access to about 1% of the available beta carotene? But, when you or your child has a glass of carrot juice, you your system absorbs almost 100% or the beta carotene!)

Another vitamin contained in carrot juice is vitamin E. This vitamin appears in three forms, commonly known as the vitamin E complex.

Carrots also carry other vitamins such as B, C, D, and K, and minerals like calcium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, and traces of protein.

Juicing a carrot removes the indigestible fiber. Thus, the nutrients in it are available to the body in much larger quantities than if the carrot was eaten whole. This is because many of the nutrients are trapped in the fibre, and while fibre aids digestion, some part of the fibre is indigestible. Thus, you don't get the benefits of the nutrients that are trapped in the indigestible fibre.

Eating just one small carrot every day may help protect you from cancer.