Calcium and Paleo: It's not always about Intake....

I’ve heard it a million times. Heck! I’ve even thought it to myself a time or two.   How do we get calcium in the Paleo diet?  Calcium is especially important to the growing human inside your body. A human that will eventually have 206 different bones.  Yes, calcium is important.  Yet, what we’ve been told about calcium for the last 50 years has been muddied with corporate dollars, and profit gaining motives. 

IT’S A CONSPIRACY!!!!!

The dairy industry is one of the largest funders of research in how increased dairy intake increases calcium stores in the body.   Is it any wonder that the results of the research are in favor of the very people funding the research?  Does anyone else see the ridiculousness of this other than me?  Anyways!  What this tainted research has told us is that calcium is important to the human body.  It does the obvious, builds strong bones, but it also takes a role in proper muscle contraction function, nerve function, and keeps your heart beating normally.   What this research doesn’t tell us is that calcium intake in the U.S. is one of the highest in the world, but so is our rate of osteoporosis.  Huh?!?!  That doesn’t make any sense?  We should be super-people with bones of steel from our high intake of calcium filled dairy shouldn’t we?  What the research also neglects to tell us is that calcium levels in the body are GREATLY affected by not only calcium intake, but also calcium excretion (through your urine).   (Cordain, 2012)

Loren Cordain, the author of “The Paleo Diet”, has an amazing FAQs page that I reference often for research based answers on the paleo diet. Under his “Calcium and Bones” link I find a great explanation of this intake vs. excretion issue. 

IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE MAN:

Cordain states that bone health greatly depends on dietary acid/base balance.  “All foods upon digestion ultimately must report to the kidney as either acid or base.  When the diet yields a net acid load (such as low-carb fad diets that restrict consumption of fruits and vegetables), the acid must be buffered by the alkaline stores of base in the body.  Calcium salts in the bones represent the largest store of alkaline base in the body and are depleted and eliminated in the urine when the diet produces a net acid load (Cordain, 2012)”.   It is interesting to note that the average American diet based on the not-awesome food pyramid is FILLED with acid-producing foods!  What are they? Hard cheeses, cereal grains, salted foods (95% of packaged foods, yes even your “healthy choice” and nutrigrain bars), meats, and legumes (beans).  More food for thought:  the ONLY alkaline, base-producing foods are fruits and vegetables.  (Cordain, 2012)

DOUBLE WHAMMY:

To add insult to injury, while eating whole wheat, white bread, cereal, pasta and other grain products, you are also eating the anti-nutrients that come with them.  Anit-Nutrients? That sounds bad Cassandra.  Oh it is my friend!  One anti-nutrient found in grain is phytates, which Cordain points out reduces the absorption of not only calcium, but also magnesium and zinc.  So your Special K cereal with fat free milk = none of that calcium is actually getting into your bones.  You’re just pee’ing it down the drain!  Literally. 

There are actually a few more great points made by Cordain on his site about grain intake and calcium absorption/excretion. Check it out here. 

I CAN SEE THE LIGHT:

The Paleo lifestyle, on the other hand, combats this acid/base inequality with a high level of base (alkaline) foods (fruits/veggies), so you minimize the calcium excretion taking place in your body (aka the calcium you eat is actually absorbed and used in your body rather than eliminated through your urine). Don’t get me wrong, all acid-producing foods aren’t evil (meats, fish/seafood = Good), but consuming even more acid-producing foods (grain, dairy, legumes, processed crap) at the expense of the alkaline foods IS.

To ensure your paleo lifestyle is calcium rich for you and baby include plenty of dark leafy greens (turnip greens, collard greens, kale, spinach), broccoli, sardines, bone in fish, sesame seeds, etc.  And if you are still worried asking your doctor about a high quality calcium supplement may not be a bad idea.  I take one as a “just in case I don’t feel like spinach today” precautionary measure.  Note that calcium in supplement form does not absorb well into the body.  What the label says the pill contains may not fully get into your system.  Rely on food first, then a supplement if desired.  

It should also be noted that daily weight bearing activity will also increase bone density through the lovely concept of adaption. (That's me doing weight bearing activity! 17 Weeks and going strong!)  If the body is stressed it will adapt to that stress by rebuilding itself stronger.  That's why when you workout regularly what used to be hard, is now easy.  Specifically on the matter of bones: Ever see Wall-E the pixar movie?  When the humans have been in space for so long their bone density dwindled due to lack of weight bearing activity (walking, running, lifting heavy sh*t... aka using their bodies)?  It's the same concept... The more stress (weight training/exercise in general) you put on the body (bones), the more it will adapt and rebuild itself. So get off the couch and stress your bones!  (Insert health warning about talking to your physician before starting a workout program, especially if you're preggo.  Just remember: if you and baby are normal/healthy and you did it before, you can probably do it during with a few modifications as your belly grows.  Personally my rule is: If I feel pain, sick, or just generally weird when doing something that I did before pregnancy, I stop.  Now I lift weights for endurance (lower weight) rather than power/strength (max weight possible). It's not rocket surgery ya'll... =P )

MORE INFO:

Lastly, check out this awesome (short) article from Balanced Bites.  The author did a compare/contrast with a food pyramid day vs. a paleo day in a nutrient tracker.  On top of the calcium, you can see that the paleo day is STRONGLY ANTI-Inflammatory (meaning less sickness, disease, and medication in your future) compared to the STRONGLY INFLAMMATORY food pyramid day.   It’s a whole other article to talk about inflammation, but just realize now that it’s no bueno! 

Below is another fav from cavemancookingcreations.com to add to your anti-inflammatory, super baby growing arsenal! ENJOY:

Almond Strawberry Topped Chicken Breast  

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

·      4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

·      1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

·      1/2 Cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

·      1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

·      16 Ounces Fresh Strawberries, diced

·      ½ Red Onion, diced

·      1 Cup Slivered Almonds

·      1 Large handful of baby spinach

·      Cinnamon

·      Coconut oil

·Combine the balsamic vinegar, EVOO, and lemon juice and mix well, place in a ziploc bag

·Rinse your chicken breasts with cold water and pat dry

·Place your chicken breasts in the ziploc bag with the marinade and ensure you get a nice even coating

·Place in the refrigerator and let marinade for 30 Minutes to 24 Hours, your choice

·When your chicken is almost done marinating, preheat your saute pan on medium heat and your oven to 350 degrees

·Add coconut oil to our pan to coat and then add in your slivered almonds and red onion, ensure you are constantly stirring to ensure your almonds don’t burn

·Once your onions start to caramelize, add in all of your strawberries and continue to stir well, as your strawberries continue to cook they will break down which is ok

·Once your strawberries are cooked (almost completely broken down into a pink’ish mush), add in your baby spinach and continue to stir until it wilts, this should only take about 2 minutes and then shut off the heat to your pan and set aside

·Take your chicken breasts out of your fridge/marinade and place in an oiled baking dish.

·Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with as much cinnamon as you would like.

·Scoop the strawberry mixture on top of the chicken so all breasts are covered sufficiently.

·Cover the dish with a lid or tin foil.

·Bake for approximately 15 minutes covered.  Then uncover and bake for an addition 10-20minutes 

Remove from the oven and Enjoy

Warning:  Looks awful!!!!  Tastes GREAT!!!

Cordain, L. (2012) The Paleo Diet: FAQ. Retrieved from: http://thepaleodiet.com/faq