"Where do you get calcium?"

[Veganscumbag]

So I had my bone mass density checked at a free health fair last month and they told me that my T-score is -1.6. Apparently this is really low. A score of -2 indicates osteoperosis. I am only 28 years old! I have been vegan for almost eight years now. I eat fortified foods on a daily basis, as well as high amounts of leafy greens and daily supplements.
My roommate (who does not have a medical degree and is not a registered dietician) insists that this is a direct result of my veganism. He has even begun purchasing cow's milk again (he used to just drink the soymilk that I would buy).
I'm not sure how to respond to these unfounded attacks. Any ideas?

[Dandelion]

So I had my bone mass density checked at a free health fair last month and they told me that my T-score is -1.6. Apparently this is really low. A score of -2 indicates osteoperosis. I am only 28 years old! I have been vegan for almost eight years now. I eat fortified foods on a daily basis, as well as high amounts of leafy greens and daily supplements.
My roommate (who does not have a medical degree and is not a registered dietician) insists that this is a direct result of my veganism. He has even begun purchasing cow's milk again (he used to just drink the soymilk that I would buy).
I'm not sure how to respond to these unfounded attacks. Any ideas?

Doesn't seem so unfounded to me. There's a correlation there but that's it. You can't argue against it any more than he can. Once you get your diet checked by an RD you can maybe share what you found with him.

[Ariann]

That's kind of scary. Is it possible it was a false result? How's your Vit. D levels? Do you do a lot of high impact exercise (straight-leg jumps, heavy weight lifting, running - whatever you might think would be bad for your joints is great for your bones)? Are you too skinny? Do you get enough protein (contrary to popular vegan mythology protein is generally bone-protective)? Are your hormones out of whack? Does osteoporosis run in your family?

I would be freaked out if my bones were in such bad shape and I would be less worried about proving the perfection of veganism than figuring out how you can turn this around. All that being said - drinking cow's milk over soy milk wouldn't help you any anyway - calcium from soy milk is absorbed as well as from cow's milk and soy milk usually has more Vit. D. Cow's milk does not have magical properties.

[Mahk]

I get my calcium by eating CVS brand "Tums" daily, with a meal, which is a mined form of calcium carbonate. I also get Vitmin D2, which aids calcium absorbtion, in my daily multi vitamin.

[mistreat]

why do people think we need to get are calcium form milk? it just seems a little strange too me. i mean, other omnivores in the animal kingdom don't drink or eat any dairy products(were the only species on the planet who still drink milk as an adult) and you don't see them kneeling over from calcium deficiency. so why do all these so called ''health experts'' say we need to get it from milk? not to mention that as much as 70% of the world might be lactose intolerant. so i basically think this whole ''vegans need more calcium'' nonsense is stupid. just make sure you eat plenty of collard greens and add in some fortified foods if you want.

[Dandelion]

why do people think we need to get are calcium form milk? it just seems a little strange too me. i mean, other omnivores in the animal kingdom don't drink or eat any dairy products(were the only species on the planet who still drink milk as an adult) and you don't see them kneeling over from calcium deficiency. so why do all these so called ''health experts'' say we need to get it from milk? not to mention that as much as 70% of the world might be lactose intolerant. so i basically think this whole ''vegans need more calcium'' nonsense is stupid. just make sure you eat plenty of collard greens and add in some fortified foods if you want.

People don't need to get calcium from cow's milk but it's a pretty convenient source when you think about it. Which is easier to do, eat weird greens or drink a glass of milk? I drink fortified almond milk myself because whipping up some leafy greens isn't always the most convenient.

Part of the population of humans developed lactose tolerance and were able to take advantage of the nutrients milk offers. In this way it is perhaps a better argument to say that it is because of milk some populations were able to thrive. That is part of what makes humans special.

But vegans do need to be aware of the calcium, it shouldn't be downplayed. According to the evidence vegans have been found to have the lowest calcium intake of vegetarians and animal eaters so this is a concern.

[Mahk]

Eat weird greens.

Here's how I think of it:

A. Plant seeds. Wait to grow into full size plant. Cultivate and eat.

vs.

B. Plant seeds. Wait to grow into full size plant. Cultivate. Process and ship plants to the continent where you have the baby cow(s) in confinement. Feed plants to growing cows. Wait and let cow grow to a mature adult. Process and dispose of the +100 lbs of waste each produce daily using lots of water to wash it away. Um, "extract" semen from male cattle. Artificially inseminate mature female cow to induce pregnancy and more importantly, eventually lactation. [This is standard procedure for the US. Cows never have sex. All of them are the product of artificial insemination] Birth calf. If female keep for future milk production, if male kill for suede, rennet, or keep immobilized for a few weeks to turn into veal. Only a few need to be kept for future semen production. Let baby calfs have the first week of milk because it is not "normal" milk, so says most humans. Milk cow. Drink immediately or use energy to Pasteurize and refrigerate since it goes bad quickly otherwise. Think about how if you ate the plants directly, instead of using this incredibly inefficient conversion method, which none of the other 5000+ adult mammals on Earth do except "us", you would have saved lots of shipping fuel, processing, water, energy, time, greenhouse gases, animal exploitation etc.

"A" is easier, common to the two thirds of the world's human population which doesn't drink milk in adulthood, from another species or otherwise, and betters our health, the cows' health, and the Earth's health.

[I'm speakin' out loud and not really addressing Dandelion in particular in this post.]

[Mahk]

Part of the population of humans developed lactose tolerance and were able to take advantage of the nutrients milk offers. In this way it is perhaps a better argument to say that it is because of milk some populations were able to thrive. That is part of what makes humans special.

[emphasis mine]

I disagree.

[Emiloid]

why do people think we need to get are calcium form milk?

In the US, we aren't taught otherwise, for the most part. The dairy council has an extremely powerful lobbying wing, they create advertising to promote dairy, and they even send free material (aka propaganda) into schools. If people aren't educated that dairy is not the only way to get calcium, they will just accept what they are told.

I'd also add that while it's completely logical to understand that cows don't create calcium out of thin air, it's not an easy leap to make when all you're ever told is to drink milk in order to get calcium.

Personally, I think about getting enough calcium, but I don't worry about it, if that makes sense.