Best Non Dairy And Non Supplement Ways To Get Calcium?

serling78

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Looking for some advice on how I can get adequate calcium from sources that are non dairy, not supplements, and not nuts/seeds or greens.

I know I have severely limited the options there to say the least, but all of those things make me constipated. I'm lactose intolerant so I typically drink a small amount of lactose free milk a day (Maybe 6 ounces). I recently went down the rabbit hole of trying to increase my lactose free milk which lead to added constipation (I tend to get constipated very easily) so next I tried almond milk as an option for using in my morning shake, but after three days I was severely bloated and constipated. Any type of nuts always cause that reaction. I've even tried soaking them overnight then baking to make them more digestible but didn't help. Next I tried oat milk but same bloating and constipation result. I think with the non dairy milks all of the added vitamins and minerals just mess up my digestion.

In the past I also tried all forms of calcium supplements, which all lead to bloating and constipation within a day or two.

I also tried kale previously, but same result. All cruciferous vegetables result in that though.

Not sure what else is left. I would prefer to just avoid calcium altogether but obviously that's not a healthy choice.

Looking for an easy option I can consume daily and not get bloated and constipated.

Appreciate any helpful advice.
 
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Dr. Peat has said on occasion, if dairy is not eaten, that green leaves could be thoroughly boiled, then the fibre could be separated and the fluid drunk.

I would advise choosing a low oxalate variety.
 

Jem Oz

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When you say supplements, are you including egg shell powder in that list? If not, you should try it. Tiny amount packs a punch.

But more importantly, why not look into fixing your poor reaction to dairy? Danny Roddy fixed his with a simple course of antibiotics from memory.
 

Nicole W.

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Nov 28, 2016
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Looking for some advice on how I can get adequate calcium from sources that are non dairy, not supplements, and not nuts/seeds or greens.

I know I have severely limited the options there to say the least, but all of those things make me constipated. I'm lactose intolerant so I typically drink a small amount of lactose free milk a day (Maybe 6 ounces). I recently went down the rabbit hole of trying to increase my lactose free milk which lead to added constipation (I tend to get constipated very easily) so next I tried almond milk as an option for using in my morning shake, but after three days I was severely bloated and constipated. Any type of nuts always cause that reaction. I've even tried soaking them overnight then baking to make them more digestible but didn't help. Next I tried oat milk but same bloating and constipation result. I think with the non dairy milks all of the added vitamins and minerals just mess up my digestion.

In the past I also tried all forms of calcium supplements, which all lead to bloating and constipation within a day or two.

I also tried kale previously, but same result. All cruciferous vegetables result in that though.

Not sure what else is left. I would prefer to just avoid calcium altogether but obviously that's not a healthy choice.

Looking for an easy option I can consume daily and not get bloated and constipated.

Appreciate any helpful advice.
A stinging nettle infusion consisting 1 cup of dried nettle leaves steeped overnight in a quart of water. I do it in a mason jar. This gives you about 1000 mg of calcium plus lots of other vitamins and minerals. You can purchase nettle in bulk on Amazon.
 

mrchibbs

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Dr. Peat has said on occasion, if dairy is not eaten, that green leaves could be thoroughly boiled, then the fibre could be separated and the fluid drunk.

I would advise choosing a low oxalate variety.

I've found a better and more palatable way is to make a cream of leafy greens.

It's easy:

1) Add some butter (a good amount) and onion to a big pot, cook until translucent
2) Add in a TON of organic leafy greens (mixed; kale, spinach etc.)
3) Toss around, add salt and paper and cook until they've wilted and reduced in size. Add salt and pepper to taste
4) Cover with homemade gelatinous chicken stock (ideal, otherwise storebought) and simmer again for another 1-2h.
5) Let it cool a little, and use a hand blender to turn the soup into a creamy consistency. I typically add some heavy cream and parmesan at this point, but if you want to chill with the dairy you can skip it.

This should give you a good amount of magnesium and calcium and you can eat a bowl of it everyday and it's delicious.
 
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I've found a better and more palatable way is to make a cream of leafy greens.

It's easy:

1) Add some butter (a good amount) and onion to a big pot, cook until translucent
2) Add in a TON of organic leafy greens (mixed; kale, spinach etc.)
3) Toss around, add salt and paper and cook until they've wilted and reduced in size. Add salt and pepper to taste
4) Cover with homemade gelatinous chicken stock (ideal, otherwise storebought) and simmer again for another 1-2h.
5) Let it cool a little, and use a hand blender to turn the soup into a creamy consistency. I typically add some heavy cream and parmesan at this point, but if you want to chill with the dairy you can skip it.

This should give you a good amount of magnesium and calcium and you can eat a bowl of it everyday and it's delicious.

May taste good, but not sure I need all that fibre, and I certainly do not need the oxalates and goitrogens.
 

mrchibbs

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May taste good, but not sure I need all that fibre, and I certainly do not need the oxalates and goitrogens.

Ray has said a few times that oxalates when cooked like this are not likely to be a problem.
 

Inaut

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A stinging nettle infusion consisting 1 cup of dried nettle leaves steeped overnight in a quart of water. I do it in a mason jar. This gives you about 1000 mg of calcium plus lots of other vitamins and minerals. You can purchase nettle in bulk on Amazon.

I second this suggestion. Nettles are a powerhouse of nutrition.
 
OP
S

serling78

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A stinging nettle infusion consisting 1 cup of dried nettle leaves steeped overnight in a quart of water. I do it in a mason jar. This gives you about 1000 mg of calcium plus lots of other vitamins and minerals. You can purchase nettle in bulk on Amazon.

Interesting. How much do you drink per day?

Sorry I'm not a tea person so this is probably a dumb question, but when steeping over night are you putting the nettle into hot water and leaving it or is the water cold?
 
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baccheion

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Whole oranges have a bit of calcium. You could then also consider megadose D3 (+ K2) to lower calcium requirements.
 
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serling78

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If the stinging nettle solution works out that will solve my problem with getting calcium, but still not sure what liquid to add to my morning shake that is dairy free and won't be weird in a shake . Any suggestions?
 

Nicole W.

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Interesting. How much do you drink per day?

Sorry I'm not a tea person so this is probably a dumb question, but when steeping over night are you putting the nettle into hot water and leaving it or is the water cold?
I’m a big dairy consumer so I don’t do the infusion everyday. I get a lot of calcium generally but I think the infusion offers lots of benefits, especially for burned out adrenals or general fatigue which is why I started with nettles in the first place. I have nettle tea everyday just because I enjoy it but the infusion is different. Maybe I do it twice a week. Yes, you start with boiling water. Some nutrients are extracted when the water is hot and others are extracted when the water is cold. Overnight is good. Then you strain the liquid. I drink it over ice with slice of lemon.
 

Nicole W.

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If the stinging nettle solution works out that will solve my problem with getting calcium, but still not sure what liquid to add to my morning shake that is dairy free and won't be weird in a shake . Any suggestions?
Have you tried heavy cream? It’s mostly just fat, no protein or lactose ( the most problem triggering components) like butter but unchurned. Very creamy and it wouldn’t require much to get that effect. Otherwise, full fat coconut milk might work. Have you experimented with coconut milk?
 

marcar72

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Eat some eggs and make eggshell powder from some of the shells. Just gently wash the eggs you intend to use the shell from and let the shell dry out for maybe a day. Then grind them down with a mortar/pestle and take a bit each day washed down with some water. :2cents:
 
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serling78

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On my fourth day now of trying the stinging nettle tea. Too early to see any benefits, but unfortunately my old enemy constipation seems to be coming on. From doing a little research I know that stinging nettle contains iron (never good for me) and although I haven't found much online about whether or not it can cause constipation I did see on WebMD one of the side effects is "dirrahea or constipation". I hate when supplements say that considering those things are polar opposites, but in my experience any time I take something that MAY cause constipation in even a tiny amount of people it always does for me.

Has anyone else experienced constipation from stinging nettle?
 

GelatinGoblin

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I recommend not skipping dairy entirely.
Ray says that there is no such thing as lactose intolerance and he said this on a few occasions that I remember. Search up on this topic. Google "lactose intolerance Ray Peat" or "Ray Peat Forums lactose intolerance".
A good Thyroid function will allow for digestion of everything practical.
I couldn't stomach milk and got a lot of problems from it but once I achieved greater health I could drink 1-2L of warm milk with no issues at all.
Try full fat milk as they typically do not have added carrageenan as a thickener (known to disturb digestion, allergenic and pro- inflammatory) and no cheap added Vitamins or added Calcium which may also aggregate indigestion.
Sometimes raising general Calcium intake (Via eggshell powder; boil the eggshells, put them in the oven (115-130 C) to dry them out, put in coffee maker until a fine powder is formed and or grind them out yourself; also this is very hard and I couldn't get a fine dust -- Eat with a meal) can help making you stomach milk. Try warm milk.
In the end, the most digestiable commonly available milk there is is full fat (3.8%) or 3.0% milk, not fortified with Vitamins (A and D typically) and Calcium, consumed while warm (put in a pan and heat over very low fire until somewhat warm).
Also perhaps taking a walk afterwords.

Otherwise, improve health. I cannot state this enough. A healthy person should be able to digest cow milk. Although this is a different topic.
Coincidentally consuming milk will improve your health too, only once your health is robust (although pretty minimally) enough to actually consume it.
Once you do get there you should feel a lot better, so I really urge you to not miss out on milk entirely. The benefits on milk is also a different topic.

On nettle juice; the phenolic acids and polyphenols may be Estrogenic, and there my also be some PUFA in them. Most herbs will just end up being Estrogenic. Beside, how many people would actually benefit from it? "anti-oxidants" may have diminishing returns. And yes it may have minerals but the availability is as questionable as Vegetables. Plus the possibility of Oxalic Acid, again like Vegetables, only this time it may be consumed pretty much RAW.

Eggshell Calcium (again with a meal to not lower stomach acid too much) for a few days and general increased Calcium Intake (although without the nettle juice) to ease into milk will help much much more, such as improving health to digest it generally. Also the right form of milk can make the difference. Eggshell Calcium is not the best option for Calcium, perhaps second best to Milk and then behind it the water from well boiled vegetables and perhaps the vegetables themselves (Vitamin K is still important and needed for Calcium metabolism too) (depends on how you feel).
There is a reason Ray suggests milk so much and it is justified.
 

Nicole W.

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On my fourth day now of trying the stinging nettle tea. Too early to see any benefits, but unfortunately my old enemy constipation seems to be coming on. From doing a little research I know that stinging nettle contains iron (never good for me) and although I haven't found much online about whether or not it can cause constipation I did see on WebMD one of the side effects is "dirrahea or constipation". I hate when supplements say that considering those things are polar opposites, but in my experience any time I take something that MAY cause constipation in even a tiny amount of people it always does for me.

Has anyone else experienced constipation from stinging nettle?
I haven’t experienced that effect with nettle but are you sure it’s not the calcium? Calcium can cause constipation as well especially if you are deficient in magnesium. Nettle has some magnesium but it is much higher in the calcium.
 

Nicole W.

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I recommend not skipping dairy entirely.
Ray says that there is no such thing as lactose intolerance and he said this on a few occasions that I remember. Search up on this topic. Google "lactose intolerance Ray Peat" or "Ray Peat Forums lactose intolerance".
A good Thyroid function will allow for digestion of everything practical.
I couldn't stomach milk and got a lot of problems from it but once I achieved greater health I could drink 1-2L of warm milk with no issues at all.
Try full fat milk as they typically do not have added carrageenan as a thickener (known to disturb digestion, allergenic and pro- inflammatory) and no cheap added Vitamins or added Calcium which may also aggregate indigestion.
Sometimes raising general Calcium intake (Via eggshell powder; boil the eggshells, put them in the oven (115-130 C) to dry them out, put in coffee maker until a fine powder is formed and or grind them out yourself; also this is very hard and I couldn't get a fine dust -- Eat with a meal) can help making you stomach milk. Try warm milk.
In the end, the most digestiable commonly available milk there is is full fat (3.8%) or 3.0% milk, not fortified with Vitamins (A and D typically) and Calcium, consumed while warm (put in a pan and heat over very low fire until somewhat warm).
Also perhaps taking a walk afterwords.

Otherwise, improve health. I cannot state this enough. A healthy person should be able to digest cow milk. Although this is a different topic.
Coincidentally consuming milk will improve your health too, only once your health is robust (although pretty minimally) enough to actually consume it.
Once you do get there you should feel a lot better, so I really urge you to not miss out on milk entirely. The benefits on milk is also a different topic.

On nettle juice; the phenolic acids and polyphenols may be Estrogenic, and there my also be some PUFA in them. Most herbs will just end up being Estrogenic. Beside, how many people would actually benefit from it? "anti-oxidants" may have diminishing returns. And yes it may have minerals but the availability is as questionable as Vegetables. Plus the possibility of Oxalic Acid, again like Vegetables, only this time it may be consumed pretty much RAW.

Eggshell Calcium (again with a meal to not lower stomach acid too much) for a few days and general increased Calcium Intake (although without the nettle juice) to ease into milk will help much much more, such as improving health to digest it generally. Also the right form of milk can make the difference. Eggshell Calcium is not the best option for Calcium, perhaps second best to Milk and then behind it the water from well boiled vegetables and perhaps the vegetables themselves (Vitamin K is still important and needed for Calcium metabolism too) (depends on how you feel).
There is a reason Ray suggests milk so much and it is justified.
Nettles are low in oxalic acid AFAIK. When you prepare any tea or infusion you are not consuming the leaves raw nor are you consuming the leaves themselves. The extracted minerals and nutrients are left in the boiled water leaving the fibrous material behind. Nettle has really a long history in natural medicine and is often prescribed to support maternal health. I’m not sure about any estrogenic properties... typically it’s used to combat problems with estrogen as in the case of prostate cancer. Currently, research has demonstrated that it is more of an anti-estrogenic herb, but probably it is probably more of a hormonal balancer if anything.

To be honest, I’m not sure there is any discernible difference between boiling greens vs. making nettle tea or an infusion except for the fact that nettle has far more nutrition and minerals than any other vegetable. Probably tastes better as well which would encourage consumption.
 

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