For Vegan People Only Please?

Question

Im a vegitarian now. But after seeing and reading more about the poor animals I want to switch to being Vegan. But i have some questions about calcium.
Wat do you do for like milk and stuff.
Also if you have any usfull websites that would be great!
ThankYou guys so much

Answer 1

Calcium in milk is not the issue.

North Americans have the highest dairy consumption on the planet, and the highest levels of osteoporosis. Do the math.

Cow milk contains four times the potassium that the body can handle, and that's only one of the negatives. Your body has to suck calcium right out of the bones to balence the potassium out in the urine. Good thing we get calcium from so many other sources...

It isn't the calcium you have to worry about. That's one of those myths that the dairy industry has worked very hard to achieve. "Drink your milk, or your bones will break." It has transferred over to consuming idiotic pills that are not even bioavailable calcium, like ground up seashells or limestone. We get calcium from so many foods: seasame seeds, kale okra, dandelion greens (a vit. pill in one plant), most beans, turnip greens, spinich, molasses, tofu prepared with calcuim... You can practically breathe it in.

"Most easily, absorbable Calcium is from the Vegetable kingdom (like green leafy vegetables, seeds (sesame, soybean...) and dry fruits & nuts. Calcium from Fresh fruits (not canned or processed) and Raw vegetables (not cooked or processed), is the best calcium which is fully and immediately absorbed by the human body due to the 30 feet long G.I.Tract mechanism, the human body enjoys.

DRINKING HARD WATER (OPEN / BORE-WELL) CAN PROVIDE (200mg /per liter) of CALCIUM DAILY, which is most easily assimilable and 1000% absorbable. 80% of Earths population drink above type of hard water and enjoy absolutely good skeletal (bone) health." http://www.abchomeopathy.com/forum2.php/40731/

The issue that much concern you is the OTHER vit. and minerals that go along with calcuim absorbtion and utilization. Silica, Vit. B 12, Boron, Vit. D, Magnesium... It is those that you may want to supplement in a bioavailable form or carefully consume. I occationally, as in every few years, supplement with B12. It's hard to find in non-meat sources, but that's mostly because they haven't looked too hard. Now it's being found all the time.

For some food sources: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/appendixB.htm

B12:
http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html

Vit. D
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D

Boron
http://www.vitaminuk.com/pages/articles/quickreferenceguidetominerals.htm

Silica
http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/September04/menopausal.htm

Answer 2

You can try milk alternatives, like soy milk, rice milk, nut milks, stuff like that.

Some of them are calcium-fortified (check the labels), but there have been studies that say that the calcium settles into sludge at the bottom of the carton and doesn't make it into your mouth. So shake well (the carton, that is.)

Try calcium-fortified juices--taste good, good calcium absorption.

And yeah, there's some calcium in foods, but I'd say, especially while you're switching over, go with calcium-fortified stuff so you don't come up short on your nutrients.

Also, there are some key vitamins and minerals that either aren't in plant food at all or are tough to get, like some B vitamins. You'd do well to take a supplement to make up for the stuff you can't get from food. Hit a health-food store and see if you can find one made specifically for vegans, because it'll have what you're lacking, and it also won't have animal stuff in it (and oh, there's animal stuff in soooo many things.)

Read labels! Try the PETA website (the kid's section is good and easy to understand) for more info on what to eat, what to avoid.

Good luck! It'll be a jolt, but people do it all the time, so it's definitely an option. It's a lot easier these days than even, say, five-ten years ago.

Answer 3

Congrats on trying to switch to veganism!

Dairy, contrary to popular belief, is not a good source of calcium. Although it is high in calcium, the animal protein in the milk leeches the calcium right back out of your bones. If you look at the countries that consume the highest amounts of dairy, (US, Sweden, Norway) these are also the countries that have the highest rates of osteoperosis. Read The China Study and you will never want to drink milk again!

Instead of milk, drink soymilk - it has calcium and NO animal protein. Instead of butter, use margarine, it has less saturated fat. Collard greens, nuts, fortified cereals and tofu are great sources of calcium that are easily absorbed in the body. Do try taking vitamin C with these foods to help with absorption - OJ with the cereal, a splash of lemon juice on the tofu - and take a multivitamin every day!

nutritiondata.com also has lots of info - you can search for non-meat/dairy foods that are high in calcium - this list is VERY long!

also try milksucks.com, read The Uncheese Cookbook and visit vegweb.com for recipe ideas.

Congrats on trying to get rid of dairy - once you stop eating it, you'll feel so much better - I know I do!

good luck!

Answer 4

Well, most of the calcium in dairy products isn't in a form your body can readily use anyway. Green vegetables have lots of calcium. Packaged soymilk is fortified with calcium. Silk's Very Vanilla flavor is made for kids and has even more calcium than regular Silk.

Tons of vegetables have calcium. Tofu has a lot of calcium. Here's a good site about calcium in the Vegan diet:
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/calcium.htm

A great book about going vegan is "Vegan Freak" by Bob and Jenna Torres. They also have a wonderful podcast that helped a lot when my wife and i went vegan last year. You can find it on iTunes or at:
http://www.veganfreakradio.com/

It really helps to feel connected to other people who feel the way you do.

Answer 5

I am not vegan in that I eat eggs, but I am vegetarian and I eat or drink no milk products, due to a severe milk protein allergy.
I eat and drink soy milks and cheeses, as well as nut milks, and we drink calcium fortified juices.
I believe that the whole calcium-deficiency thing is something the Milk Industry dreamt up, just as the Cattle Boards had us convinced of the importance of eating meat.
I haven't had milk in over 20 years and my bones are in great shape.
You'll be fine if you follow your inclinations.
Good luck.

Answer 6

Soymilk is usually fortified with extra calcium. Try Silk's Enhanced product. Very good and tons of vitamins. You also get calcium from green leafy veggies like spinach, kale, collard greens, etc. A good website to go to for learning about this stuff is listed below. I hope this helps! :)

Answer 7

I don't have much time tonight to give you a full answers but I will give you one of the best vegan websites that I know. Its a great place fill your brain with excellent knowledge, you will come to learn allot of myths we have been led to believe to do with dairy and many many more things (=.

Yes there is allot to read on the links given to you but its some of the best information for a new vegan to know. I actualy found it to be very interesting (but thats just me)

http://www.drmcdougall.com/
http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_hot_calcium.html

Answer 8

Soy milk is for insteed of milk. You can take calcium pills but i dont usually do that i just drink soy milk and eat tofu. If you google vegan you can find great websites.

Answer 9

I LOVE all of the Silk products! The vanilla and chocolate soy milk is really good and so is their yogurt and smoothies.
I also take a calcium supplement everyday just to be safe.

Answer 10

Soy milk, rice milk, and almond milk have calcium. So do dark green beggies like kale and spinach. Most cereals are fortified with calcium and vitamin D.