By SAND Secretary Sarah Hagedorn
You’ve been diagnosed with Lactose Intolerance. Or maybe you just know that every time you eat dairy foods you end up with a stomach ache. Now what? Often, people decide to remove dairy entirely from their diet and forget to replace dairy foods with other foods high in calcium and other nutrients. Missing calcium, a key mineral, can cause problems such as bone weakening that can lead to osteoporosis and other diseases. Here is how to increase calcium intake without supplementation to live a healthy non-dairy life.
1. Milk: Choose almond, soy, or rice milk. These milks do not contain dairy. Almond milk often has 30% more calcium than milk made from dairy. Choose nondairy milks that are lower in sugar for the healthiest option.
2. Foods: Consume high-calcium foods such as almonds, broccoli, oranges, navy beans, spinach, soybeans, carrots, and sweet potatoes.
3. Non-dairy or lactose free yogurt: There are many brands of yogurt that are lactose free or non-dairy. However, many of these yogurts are high in sugar and low in protein and not the healthiest options. To choose the healthiest yogurt, look for a yogurt lower in sugar and higher in protein and or fiber.
4. Lift weights: Lifting weights causes the internal bone structure to slightly, but safely break down, which allows for more calcium to enter the bone matrix, resulting in stronger bones.
References:
https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/weight-training
Images:
https://nuts.com/nuts/almonds/raw-no-shell.html
http://www.fresh-square.com/en/product/spinach/
https://paradisenursery.com/product/washington-navel-orange-tree/
1. Milk: Choose almond, soy, or rice milk. These milks do not contain dairy. Almond milk often has 30% more calcium than milk made from dairy. Choose nondairy milks that are lower in sugar for the healthiest option.
2. Foods: Consume high-calcium foods such as almonds, broccoli, oranges, navy beans, spinach, soybeans, carrots, and sweet potatoes.
3. Non-dairy or lactose free yogurt: There are many brands of yogurt that are lactose free or non-dairy. However, many of these yogurts are high in sugar and low in protein and not the healthiest options. To choose the healthiest yogurt, look for a yogurt lower in sugar and higher in protein and or fiber.
4. Lift weights: Lifting weights causes the internal bone structure to slightly, but safely break down, which allows for more calcium to enter the bone matrix, resulting in stronger bones.
References:
https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/weight-training
Images:
https://nuts.com/nuts/almonds/raw-no-shell.html
http://www.fresh-square.com/en/product/spinach/
https://paradisenursery.com/product/washington-navel-orange-tree/