Tis the Season

Christmas shopping complete!

Yesterday was not only a lovely date day, but it was also productive!

We watched the early showing of 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1' and really enjoyed it, although we wished we'd rewatched the prequel beforehand because we'd forgotten some important details!

Later, while Adoring Husband was side tracked briefly by SES duties, I got almost all of the Christmas shopping done, and then finished it off in his company, before we had a late lunch at Aquavue.

I've spent this morning wrapping everything and writing out cards and will mail it all out tomorrow.

This makes me far more organised than in previous years. In fact, one year Adoring Husband and I realised 2 days before Christmas that we hadn't done ANY shopping and ended up transferring money into everybody's account on Christmas Eve!!

Some of our family are celebrating Hanukkah this year, so that's a whole new ball game! Time for me to learn a bit more about Judaism.

Anyway, today I want to share some information about Calcium.

No species, except humans, continue drinking milk past infancy.

In the human body, the enzyme (lactase), that digests the main sugar (lactose), in milk, stops being produced by our bodies between the ages two and five years old. So, as adults, the undigested sugars from milk, end up in the colon, where they begin to ferment causing gas, cramping, bloating and diarrhoea.

Being able to digest milk as an adult is a weird genetic adaptation that is still occurring, but being able to digest milk is so strange, that scientists say we shouldn't really call 'lactose intolerance' a disease, because what's really weird is the ability to continue to drink milk.

Somewhere along the line, 'somebody' decided that we should include milk/dairy as a food group and humans selected cow's milk because of the cow's docile nature, its size, and its abundant milk supply.

Consider for a moment, if it was possible, to drink the milk of a mammal other than a cow, let's say a rat, or perhaps the milk of a dog would be more to your liking. Possibly some horse milk or cat milk. Do you get the idea? In other words, human milk is for human infants, dogs' milk is for pups, cows' milk is for calves, cats' milk is for kittens etc. Clearly, this is the way nature intends it.

Milk is not just milk. The milk of every species of mammal is unique and specifically tailored to the requirements of that animal. We are not cows.

A glass of cow's milk contains acidic animal protein that actually leeches calcium from the bones. Over time, a flawed belief that humans are required to consume three glasses of milk daily to sustain bone health and strength created the milk myth. And now, the supposed "truths" about milk we were all taught to believe are being debunked by studies ranging from those published in reputable scientific journals, such as the Journal of Nutrition and The American Journal of Epidemiology.

Milk and dairy products are pro-inflammatory and mucus producing. Milk increases the risks of respiratory conditions and allergies. It has been linked to the development of arthritis due to joints becoming inflamed.

I want to clarify that unsweetened cultured or fermented dairy such as kefir or yogurt are actually acid neutral, and as long as they don't contain sugar, have health benefits. Ghee, which is clarified butter that originated in India, is also known to be very beneficial to the body.

So your next question is "if not from dairy, where should I get my calcium?". I suggest NOT from supplements...

“Beyond being ineffective for bone health, calcium supplements are associated with some pretty serious health risks. Studies on the relationship between calcium and cardiovascular disease (CVD) suggest that dietary intake of calcium protects against heart disease, but supplemental calcium may increase the risk. A large study of 24,000 men and women aged 35–64 years published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2012 found that those who used calcium supplements had a 139% greater risk of heart attack during the 11-year study period, while intake of calcium from food did not increase the risk. A meta-analysis of studies involving more than 12,000 participants also published in BMJ found that calcium supplementation increases the risk of heart attack by 31%, stroke by 20% and death from all causes by 9%.”

To be safe, calcium should be consumed from food sources and NOT synthetic supplements or artificially fortified foods.

You also need to consider that if you are lacking Vitamin D and Magnesium, then your body simply cannot absorb calcium anyway.

Food sources of calcium are:

Bone broth - is an excellent source of Calcium and many other minerals. My recipe for bone broth using either chicken carcasses or the back bones of beef is for the slow cooker (or on a very low simmer on the stove). Add an unpeeled carrot and onion, a few garlic cloves chopped, a stick or two of celery, 2 T Himalayan salt and 80ml of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (which helps remove the calcium and minerals from the bones). Cook it on a low simmer for at least 12 hours (I usually keep mine simmering for 22-24 hours). Either drink it on it's own or use it in stocks, sauces, soups and gravies.

Even a tiny amount of calcium from bones is easily absorbed, making broth one of the best sources of calcium.

Fish with bones - Fish with bones are an excellent source of calcium. An easy and inexpensive way to consume fish with bones is in the form of canned fish like salmon (with bones) and sardines (with bones). The bones become soft during the canning process so they can be easily chewed and consumed with the fish.

Because these foods are also a good source of Vitamin D, they enhance digestion of the calcium and make it more usable.

Egg shells - Keep your eggshells. Wash the insides of the shell so that all the egg white is gone and when you have enough, boil them up for about 10 - 20 minutes, then lay them on a baking tray and dry them out in the oven (about 20 minutes at 160C). Put them through a grinder to form a powder and store it in a container in your pantry. I add a teaspoon to my morning smoothie or you can sprinkle it over your cereal, add it to your sweet potato/cauliflower puree. It can be added to just about anything.

Dark leafy greens - Dark leafy greens are another great dietary source of calcium, though some are better than others. Collard Greens, Turnip Greens, Bok Choy, Kale and Broccoli all ranked really well for being absorbable sources of calcium while spinach and seaweed ranked low on the list.

Other good food sources of calcium are figs, beans, blackstrap molasses, almonds, sesame seeds, oysters and seafood.

The big advantage to using these foods for your calcium requirements, is that they have so many other beneficial vitamins and minerals as well.

I hope all of this makes sense. I tried to condense it as much as possible and put it all in the simplest terms.

Christmas lights photos still to come. There are storms headed in our direction again this evening, so I doubt I'll have any luck tonight.

I'll be glad when storm season is over - even though the rain is lovely and very much needed, the uncertainty of every storm and it's intensity is quite stressful - especially for those of us with PTSD from the tornado last year.  It's always nice to chat with fellow victims of that night, just to know that I we are not the only ones panicking a little every time we hear thunder.

I'm off to watch some cricket. Go Aussies!!

Nite all.