Getting adequate bone minerals without milk or yogurt

[BigPictureGal]

I'm 66 and have osteopenia. I took calcium and Vitamin D for many years because I've always hated milk and yogurt. I have some digestive problems now and can't take calcium. I try to eat green veggies, and I eat cheese, but I worry about my bones. I tried calcium hydroxyapatite but got constipated. Any suggestions?

[Fruitandnutcase]

I also have never liked - well hated - milk and yoghurt. My husband must be sick of me buying yoghurts to ‘try’ then leaving them in the fridge for him to finish because I still don’t like them.

I started taking calcium and vitamin D tablets but the calcium (carbonate) messed with my IBS and when I looked at the calcium calculator I was getting pretty much enough calcium from my diet.

I have since found a seaweed based calcium supplement that I take a little of every day just to ‘be sure’ I’m getting enough calcium and I’ve found that doesn’t upset my gut at all and I take a vitamin D oil capsule every day.

I found this list of foods that are good for dietary calcium and use that. theros.org.uk/information-a...

There is one for vitamin D too theros.org.uk/information-a...

You should do some weight bearing exercise too - have a look at Margaret Martin’s website learn.melioguide.com/view/c...

She is a Canadian physical therapist, I really like her, she comes across as a very sensible person so I feel safe doing anything she recommends. She has a YouTube channel full of really helpful advice about osteoporosis.

[yogalibrarian in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

TIP: Long ago someone told me that to learn to like yogurt, you should start with lemon yogurt. It's sour anyway. It took some time, but now I actually like yogurt.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to yogalibrarian]

Yes, I’m sure that would work. I’ve finally got a yoghurt I can eat now, it’s one of those luxury ones with some sort of fruit swirled through it. I eat it on top of defrosted frozen mixed berries which taste pretty sharp - more sour than the yoghurt which makes the yoghurt taste ok and I’ve got to quite like it. I’m hoping to advance to a Greek yoghurt one day but so far I’ve not plucked up courage to go that far.

[yogalibrarian in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Mix the Greek yogurt with honey. It's better than whipped cream.👍

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to yogalibrarian]

No I don’t eat it with whipped cream - I take it with live yoghurt - and I can’t bear the smell or sweetness of honey. My husband is a honey fan but it’s not for me.

[BigPictureGal in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Interesting to hear that you like the seaweed-based calcium pill. I've been researching calcium supplements for years, and taken various kinds, all of which have caused digestive problems. Maybe I should try this next. I di take Vit. D. I also have been a walker for a long time, but lately don't, due to foot/ankle pain, so I'm looking for other wt bearing exercises. I'll check out the website you recommended. Thanks so much for all your help. I really appreciate it!

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to BigPictureGal]

I noticed recent.y that Margaret Martin said somewhere that she doesn’t like seaweed products and Im sure she isn’t keen on ‘AlgaeCal’ for other reasons and I wondered if that was why. I think she said she felt the seas were polluted - however I had only stocked up on a three month supply and I’ve been using it for a couple of years anyway so I decided not to worry about that. I’m in the U.K. and the brand I use Together Health is supposed to contain 72 trace minerals - togetherhealth.co.uk/produc... - although how do you prove that 🤔

Good luck with it all.

[cardinalfan in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

I thought the seaweed supplements contained Strontium. That's why they aren't recommended.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to cardinalfan]

I hadn’t thought of it until recently when Margaret Martin frowned on it. Her reason appeared to be that the seas were polluted.

In view of the fact that some of the medication for osteoporosis is pretty awful - Bisphosphonates (BPs) were first discovered in 1894 by the pharmacist Theodor Salzer. At that time, they were mainly used in industrial processes (in the textile, fertilizer and oil industries) as corrosion inhibitors or as complexing agents

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

I gather our bodies already contain some strontium. I discovered seaweed based calcium when the calcium carbonate I was prescribed upset my gut. So I’m going to carry on and take my chance with seaweed derived calcium.

saveourbones.com/strontium-....

nutritionletter.tufts.edu/a...

algaecal.com/algaecal-ingre...

[BigPictureGal in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thanks Fruitandnutcase, when I finish my current bottle of calcium citrate I think I'll try the seaweed-based stuff. And I Love your username. I identify with it! 😄

[accuneedle29 in reply to BigPictureGal]

To all-Don't forget sardines, if you like them! Adding a little mustard is tasty!

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to accuneedle29]

Oh I wish I did - my husband loves them, I make do with tinned salmon, I love scrunching up the bones when I’m making salmon fish cakes or a salmon sandwich. Probably not as good as sardines though.

[accuneedle29 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Don't forget that some nuts also have calcium. I throw some almonds on my cereal-oatmeal, oat bran, along w/ fruit. Also, I read that cinnamon contains calcium! Who knew? I sprinkle that on my oatmeal. Eating the salmon should serve you well. Good luck!

[yogalibrarian]

You probably do need to take a vitamin D supplement. There are a number of external, internal, and safety (skin cancer) reasons why you probably can't get adequate vitamin D from diet (not many foods are high in vitamin D) or sun alone.

You should look at your intake of calcium from ALL sources (diet and supplements).

There are many sources of dietary calcium besides milk and yogurt. I don't drink milk, but I do like cheese and yogurt. There are many non-dairy sources of calcium, but you do have to work a bit harder to find them. (Dairy is easy -- about 300 mg/8 oz serving...)

* Osteoporosis Canada has a good Calcium Calculator -- osteoporosis.ca/calcium-cal...

* The International Osteoporosis Foundation also has a good one -- osteoporosis.foundation/edu...

* American Bone Health's Calcium Calculator is too simplistic to be useful

Yes, calcium supplements can be constipating.

The constipation problem is mentioned in several American Bone Health articles -- americanbonehealth.org/?s=c.... Their suggestion is to make sure you are drinking enough water and to take a magnesium supplement. (Calcium regulates muscle contraction. Magnesium regulates muscle relaxation.) Also make sure you have enough magnesium (from food) in your diet.

TIP: Some mineral waters are high in calcium. (And you should be drinking water anyway.) My two favorites are: Gerolsteiner and Ferrarelle. Check the labels.

[TWEETYCAT]

You might want to try egg shell calcium supplement. I have doing a lot of research on our stomachs as we age and our acid in our stomach is needed to absorb minerals. Unfortunately, the older we get, the less acid we produce. If you do not have enough acid in your stomach, it will not absorb those nutrients and minerals. I saw an article a few weeks ago that was written by a doctor who specializes in and treats osteo patients only and 92% of his senior patients he was treating, had low stomach acid, so any amount of calcium you put in will not be absorbed. I believe that is now that this is the case with me. I lose most of my calcium/magnesium/d/k, is not being utilized by my body and proven by a 24 hour urine test at home. Unfortunately, My doctor never mentioned any thing to help me with this after my test shows that I have a lot of calcium lost in my urine. But after reading this article and doing the baking soda test, I knew I was low on stomach acid. You might want to try this test at home to see if you could have low stomach acid. Dissolve 1/4 tsp of baking soda in 4 oz of water. Stir until dissolved and then drink on an empty stomach, preferably the first thing in the morning. Drink all at once. You should experience belching within 3 to 5 minutes. If not, suggest that you may have insufficient acid. If you have adequate acid, your stomach would neuralize the soda. There are many things you can take to help boost your stomach acid BETAIN HCI W/PEPSIN or drinking lemon water a couple of times a day with meals, taking vitamin c as ascorbic acid throughout the day with meal, etc. The internet is a wealth of information as there a many human studies on osteo and what was given to people to take along with their calcium, all natural, that could be helpful.

[Smoker58 in reply to TWEETYCAT]

My doctor had me cut out all calcium supplements and drink 2 cups of almond milk per day. All of my doctors have said calcium supplements are not good and you should get calcium from foods.

[TWEETYCAT in reply to Smoker58]

Egg shell calcium is from food.

[redolive55 in reply to Smoker58]

I also drink almond milk as I am lactose intolerant. Whenever I add dairy such as cottage cheese to my diet, I have gas and indigestion, but the almond milk is very mild and low in calories.

[BigPictureGal in reply to redolive55]

Thanks Redolive. I know almond milk has calcium but I don't like that either. I'm so difficult! 😁 I eat cheese, green veggies, and working on learning to like yogurt.

[Met00 in reply to BigPictureGal]

All the plant milk substitutes can be bought with added calcium. Soya is one of the best alternatives to cow's milk because it has a similar amount of protein, which is also important for bone health. The other milk substitutes tend to be low in protein so if you did find one you liked, you'd need to make sure you got plenty of protein from other sources.

[BigPictureGal in reply to TWEETYCAT]

Thanks Tweetycat, very interesting. I'm going to look into that.

[Pte82]

Vitamin D requires magnesium to activate it. Vitamin B1(thiamine) also requires magnesium for activation. Activated thiamine is needed by the brain and vagus nerve for the digestive system to function properly. Many digestive issues center on lack of activated thiamine. There are many forms of magnesium and is worth the time to understand each and how much elemental magnesium each form contains. A two to one ration of calcium to magnesium is considered optimal. Boron, the fifth element, offers important bone building benefits and also increases how long vitamin D works in your body. Searching on "nothing boring about boron" presents others. The last one to mention is vitamin E in the form of annatto tocotrienol. In addition to bone building it offers many other health benefits too. Always consult your health care professional before using any supplement.

[Skinnyblue]

Drink 8 to 12 oz Bone Broth everyday. Have seen receipe , how to make broth at home, from left over, discarded, chicken legs.

Just boil in water and strain.

Also too much calcium not good.

For better bones, need Vitamin K2 and boron also. Along with calcium and D3.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Skinnyblue]

Too much calcium is very bad for you.

[Skinnyblue in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Agree. I did NOT say to eat or have too much calcium. How much is too much.

For good bones, we need other minerals, that I have mentioned above.

Forgot to mention that we need 50 % magnesium also.