Follow up- Calcium

[rookie]

So I decided against the Calcium/Magnesium supplement and am taking ZMA again.
But that leaves me with a seperate question. Should I be supplementing Calcium? I am lactose inteolerant and can eat ZERO cheese/yogurt or dairy. Even "lactose free" milk leaves me cramping. I get a couple servings of veggies a day that have calcium and my Multi has some but I am wondering if I need to be getting more Thoughts?

[I. Kay]

How often do you drink protein shakes, and how much calcium is in those?

I believe I read that oranges and brazil nuts have good amounts of calcium.

One thing I'd watch if I were you is the things that can strip the calcium you do have. Coffee, soft drinks and alcohol come to mind.

[rookie]

Originally Posted by Ian Kay

How often do you drink protein shakes, and how much calcium is in those?

I believe I read that oranges and brazil nuts have good amounts of calcium.

One thing I'd watch if I were you is the things that can strip the calcium you do have. Coffee, soft drinks and alcohol come to mind.

I do drink 2 cups of coffee a day. Alcohol only two to four drinks a week.

My only shakes are PWO.

[Leigh P.]

Originally Posted by rookie

Even "lactose free" milk leaves me cramping.

If this is the case about dairy then I doubt it is the lactose you are having a problem with but the protein in the dairy items. Cheese in general (unless American kraft style cheese, cheeses with added cream) is going to give you little issues with lactose but heavy with protein. You could be fine with whey but have a problem with casein. Something to think about, look into as I have seen a lot of people think it was lactose or gluten problems when it was really casein.

As too sources of calcium...

If trying to get roughly 1000mg in food form this could look like...

2 cup of collards and 1 cup of spinach
or
1 cup of organic whole grain total of course that is fortified.

I personally have issues with milk protein, my body doesn't love it, so I get most of my calcium in spinach, a multi and certain cheeses and that seems to do me fine.

[Lost Dog]

Originally Posted by rookie

So I decided against the Calcium/Magnesium supplement and am taking ZMA again.
But that leaves me with a seperate question. Should I be supplementing Calcium? I am lactose inteolerant and can eat ZERO cheese/yogurt or dairy. Even "lactose free" milk leaves me cramping. I get a couple servings of veggies a day that have calcium and my Multi has some but I am wondering if I need to be getting more Thoughts?

Here's a little article. Mayo Clinic via CNN

I think the alcohol leaching thing is more of an issue that abusers have poor diets than the alcohol itself. But, that just an opinion.

Also, coffee and soda are often pointed to as acidic, but in the grand scheme of things, they aren't at all. But, people who drink a ton of coffee and soda tend to have poor diets and end up all Quasimodo as they get older.

I think your overall diet is more important than looking specifically at calcium intake. If your diet is heavy in meat, hard cheeses, starchy carbs, grains, etc. but light on the veggies and fruits, you could run into problems, as the acidic nature of those foods could contribute to leaching of calcium from your body.

I don't think a calcium supplement is bad. and, they taste good. I'm partial to the generic version of Tums. The green mixed fruit flavor ones are tasty.

Here's a John Berardi article that discusses some of this. Covering Your Nutritional Bases