As one of the items that I find is the issue of nutrition. One of previous thread the issue came up about obtaining proper calcium when one does not drink milk.
For those who are lactose intolerant what is the best way to obtain enough calcium.

First there are many foods that are high in Calcium, I could never drink milk and milk products really make me sick, So I eat a lot of greens etc...
The only time I have a milk product is when I binge on Ice Cream.
I also since my back operation take Citracal, it is over the counter and the best thing is no gas with it.

VPG

Hi guys,

I read that you can have yogourt - which is already so beneficial - and you will get as much calcium as the milk it was made from with no lactic acid.

Cheers, Raju.

Thanks for the reply,

I agree that maybe you can obtain enough calcuim from sources other than milk or milk by products. What green vegatables are best, i.e., broccoli, kale etc.

I have tried dried cheeses and it is not a good situation when it is eaten. The problem with "yogurt" is the same problem. One of the issues which has made it difficult is the generalization use of "yogurt" on products. I tried the commerical "I cannot believe it is not Yogurt" and I could not believe how sick I became. Other yogurts are the same for me. Do you have a specific brand name?

What about all of these products that contain Whey?
Does this give you any problems?

If you really like milk and are lactose intolerant, why not try the "milk" which is lactose free?? It's in most stores. One I like is Dairy Ease. I am not bothered & need calcium due to osteoperosis. It does not bother me w/my IBS-D. Maybe give it a try? Also, there are lataid tablets in Walmart. I'm surprised you have not tried these or maybe you have & they don't work. Just a thought to possibly help.

Some health food stores carry soy yogart too. It's not to bad either.

Soy is not as good for you as the industry that pushes it says. It contains some things that affect female harmones and really messes with male harmones as well.

The brand of yogurt that I like the best is--Stonyfield Farm---. You can buy it organic or not and it contains 6 active live cultures including lactobacillus reuteri--- a patented bacteria that is very benificial.

Calcium is in many foods milk(dairy products) to dark green veggies but it's more difficult for your body to extract from some foods. The veggies have to be well chewed. Also, for your body to use it has to be converted to an Ion.

There is alot more to calcium aborption than we all think. Calcium from cows milk is not the best for us humans --- it is best for feeding baby cows.

Calcium supplements like citrates or asparate along with magnesium citrate and Vit. D are probably the best.

Harry


[This message has been edited by Harry (edited 08-10-2003).]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

As far as milk is concerned, I have learned to live without milk. On the off-chance I do drink I look for the lactose free milik. However, I have found three issues with this milk.

1) The stores I have visited carry only limited supply and most times it is not available.
2) Lactose Free milk can cost two to three times that of regular milk
3) Lactose-free milk spoils very quickly - 3 to 5 days after opening,

I know the cost is something to deal with but, my primary concern is nutrition.

I will check for the Yogurt brand,

As for supplementation, I will also check for the brands mentioned.

As far as vegatables are concerned, things like spinach, kale would be the best perferred.

Thanks, for the info

Harry is right..that Stoney Field Farms makes the best yogurt. They make a chocolate one that is awesome!

Calcium rich veggies: Collard greens, mustard greens, spinach, escarole, endive, watercress, dandelion. Broccoli and cabbage have some too but cause more gas. Raw is always more nutritious, but you can cook some of them (it just saps a lot of vitamins out).

Make a nice salad...look for those bags with spring veggies, including some of the above mentioned ones instead of iceburg or romaine lettuce.

I like that yogurt too but it is spelled "Stonyfield Farm"

I love the strawberry!!!

Frustrated1, great thread!! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

I think cheese was already mentioned, but anyway I'd like to mention it again. Hard cheeses that do not contain lactose, eg. Edam (that for example I like to eat 6-8 slices daily) are good sources of Calcium. You can buy that low-fat. It's often the fat in cheeses that irritates the stomach.

Low-fat lactose free yoghurts are good. If they are also acidophilus, even better.

The veggies are a bit problematic if you have IBS-D...
However, you'll get Calcium from all dark green vegetables, cauliflower, and egg yolk.

Dai, Thanks for the responses.

For convenience, I can get the collard greens other dark leafy vegetables in the bags. and during the summer I can get it fresh. But Dai brings up a good point, does an excessive amount of these green vegetables trigger a IBS-D response? Should these be eaten once a day, three times a week is there good rule of thumb to make sure you get enough calcuim.

Secondly, is the Stonyfield Yogurt generally available or is this brand available only in health food stores?
I have avoided anything remotely diary related. This primarily out of excessive fear of what would happen. but I can try it. The same goes for the cheese.

Lastly, the supplements would be a good choice as but isn't getting naturally occuring calcium plus all of the other things in foods also good for you (ie., antioxidants etc) Are there any drawback when solely relaying on supplements? ie., the greens causes IBS-D and the cheeses/ yogurt is not avaiable?

I don't have as much problem with eating veggies everyday. Maybe just don't eat a lot at once.

If you try the yogurt, get the low fat or fat free. This is less problematic. I usually only eat half of it at one time...unless I get one of their small portions. I first started buying it at a health food store (they have a lot more flavor choices there) but recently it has gone mainstream and I've seen it at Publix and Winn Dixie. (southern stores that are major chains in the area)

I guess with IBS D, you never know when it's going to hit you though...all in moderation is my guess.

I take one Calcium+vitaminD supplement daily but as a source of Calcium, dairy is unbeatable. You'd need to eat 2,5 cups of broccoli or alternatively, 8 cups of spinach to get the same amount of Calcium that you'd get from one cup of milk. For anybody with IBS-D, that amount of veggies would surely get the stomach going... http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/tongue.gif

I have IBS-D and I in 9,5 cases out of 10 can tell what caused the attack. For the past couple of weeks I haven't been able to eat any raw vegetables http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif only very tiny amounts of cooked mashed broccoli or cauliflower at the end of the meal. That hardly qualifies for anything else than variety.

It's preferable to get the calcium from food because in addition to Calcium, milk and other dairy foods provide other nutrients important to health such as vitamins A, and B12, protein, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, and phosphorus.... and vitamin D, if the product is fortified. I wouldn't be surprised if the Calcium also would absorb better this way.

Vitamin D is crucial for the absorbtion of Calcium. In the summer, you'll get plenty of it from the sunlight. You'll also get it from eggs, dairy, fortified milk products, fish liver oils, tuna, salmon, liver.

Dai, I have to say there is a lot of great information in your note,

It seem that I do not have a problem eating vegetables raw or cooked. But I can see eating that amount of vegetables may be difficult as well as causing an exceesive amount of gas.

But I was thinking that are some vegetables that are commerically shipped are sprayed with a wax or other preservative to maintain freshness or to ripen them while in transit. Could this be a problem?

Just went to the store and got blank stares about Stonyfield. I will keep checking.

What state do you live in???
I can buy Stonyfield Farm products at 3 super Markets and 2 health food stores.

Harry

Well, I just went back to the supermarket and found the Stonyfield Yogurt, I think the store carried possibly only 12 cartons, The flavors they had were French Vanilla and Plain.
But at least we have it here.

Thanks,

Now that I think I have more knowledge of how I can eat to try to improve my nutrition. Another part of this story is how does the intake of calcium affect a syndrome called Paget's?