Ditch Dairy for Stronger Bones

Despite what many have been led to believe, dairy does not do a body good. In fact, increased bone fractures and osteoporosis directly correlate with increased dairy consumption — the more dairy, the more bone fractures. Although the prevailing sentiment is that consuming cow’s milk reduces the risk of osteoporosis, in fact, it does just the opposite.^[1]

Cow’s milk does contain calcium, but that isn’t the end of the story. Any value from the calcium in the cow’s milk is outweighed by the negative impacts from dairy.

Science shows that increased consumption of high protein-foods like milk and other animal derived foods (coupled with consumption of less plant derived foods) are associated with lower long-term bone health.

“I tell my patients, including (parents of) children, that drinking milk will NOT make bones stronger, positively affect bone growth, prevent bone fractures, or hasten fracture healing. This is based on my 35 years of orthopedic surgery practice and experience.”

— Orthopedist Tedd L. Weisman, MD, FAAOS, Connecticut Orthopaedics, Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, Yale New Haven Health System

Ruth Heinrich has participated in six Ironman Triathlons since ditching dairy in the 1980s!

The good news is that by consuming a plant-based diet we can increase our calcium consumption while simultaneously protecting the calcium in our bones. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for calcium is 1,000 mg/day.^[2] This RDA can easily be met by eating a salad of spinach (3 cups 735 mg), chickpeas (½ cup 54 mg), broccoli (½ cup 31 mg), and tofu (½ cup 434 mg). Other rich sources of calcium include collards (1 cup 268 mg), kale (1 cup 94 mg), mustard greens (1 cup 165 mg), swiss chard (1 cup 102 mg), black beans (1 cup 102 mg), and white beans (1 cup 161 mg). You can also get calcium through fortified orange or apple juices (300 mg per cup) and fortified plant-based milks (450-560 mg per cup).

Beyond the widespread misunderstanding of dairy’s connection with calcium and strong bones, many also believe that cows milk is a crucial source of vitamin D. But this is another myth. Vitamin D is crucial for calcium absorption — the process of mineralization and strengthening of bone. However, the vast majority of the vitamin D we use (90%) is made by our own bodies via exposure to sunlight; less than 10% comes from food. When our skin is exposed to sunlight, our body turns cholesterol already flowing in our bloodstream into vitamin D.^[3] This vitamin D is inactive until it passes through the liver and kidneys, whereupon it becomes active and facilitates the absorption of calcium in the GI tract. When vitamin D levels are insufficient, calcium absorption is at risk of being insufficient, and can lead to osteoporosis.

“Cows are no better at making vitamin D than we are. Vitamin D is added in the processing of milk, after its extraction from the cow. In other words, cow’s milk, soy milk, and almond milk are all fortified with vitamin D.”

The best way to get vitamin D is from sunlight, but it is also important to eat foods^[4] such as mushrooms and vitamin D fortified plant-based cereals and milks. For those with inadequate sun exposure (e.g., winter months), a vitamin D supplement may be valuable.^[5] Our vitamin D requirement is between 1,000 IU and 2,000 IU per day, depending on such factors as sun exposure (Northerners need more), age (the elderly need more), medical history (those with GI problems need more), and diet (those with nutritionally poor diets need more).

An important 2014 Swedish study^[6] of over 100,000 men and women showed an inverse relationship between milk consumption and both life expectancy and fracture incidence. Greater milk consumption was associated with a higher mortality and fracture rate. Indeed, various population studies in the U.S.^{[7, 8, 9, 10]} and elsewhere^{[11, 12, 13]} that analyzed the relationship between dietary calcium intake and fractures have failed to show that high calcium intakes (primarily from dairy) protect against fractures.^[14]

“We have had evidence for well over a hundred years that animal protein decreases bone health, and yet we still are warned almost daily about our need for dairy to provide calcium for strong bones. The science is clear — ditch the dairy for stronger bones.” — T. Colin Campbell, PhD.

85-year-old Dr. T. Colin Campbell
out for his daily run

5 TIPS FOR DITCHING DAIRY TODAY

Mushroom Stroganoff

This creamy mushroom sauce is loaded with flavor, and the soy milk and mushrooms provide excellent sources of calcium and Vitamin D. You can experiment with many different kinds of mushrooms in this dish – they all work well.

Buddha Bowl

This recipe is easy to make for any meal. The quinoa, kale, broccoli and chickpeas are great sources of calcium. The sauce can make or break a Buddha bowl, and this sauce is amazing!

Sweet Pepper Coconut Corn Chowder

This soup is a favorite of the PlantPure Communities staff! The chickpeas provide an excellent source of plant-based calcium. Serve this colorful dish with brown rice or a baked potato with a mixed green salad for a perfect meal.

Buffalo Beans and Greens

This delicious and fun recipe is packed full of calcium and has so many flavors and textures! The Blue Cheez Dressing is sure to be a hit – you may want to make double the sauce so you can use it on other vegetables throughout the week!