"DO I NEED TO EAT DAIRY PRODUCTS TO PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS"

 

"DO I NEED TO EAT DAIRY PRODUCTS TO PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS ?"

The short answer is NO.


WHAT IS OSTEOPOROSIS ?

A condition in which minerals and other substances are lost from the bones causing therm to become thinner, more porous and more easily broken.
Osteoporosis affects 20 to 25 million americans, primarily woman 45 years of age and older.


Vitamins and Nutrients needed for strong bone health

Calcium,    Protein,   Folate
Vitamin D,   Vitamin C,   Vitamin K,   Vitamin B6,   Vitamin B12
Magnesium,   Boron,   Silicon,   Ipriflavone.


What is in cows milk ?
 
Cows milk is made up primarily of Calcium, Vitamin D and Protein.


Could I get enough of all the nutrients including Calcium without consuming cows milk, yoghurt and cheeses ?

Yes.  Most studies done have shown that a large percentage of woman world wide who have not developed osteoporosis or are at risk for such do not consume or limit the intake of dairy products.


Plant foods as sources of calcium

All the dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, chard, mustard greens, collard greens, lettuce and shredded cabbage.

Virtually all nuts and seeds especially sesame seeds.

Most beans such as navy, pinto, kidney, black etc.

Tofu particularly when it has been calcium precipitated. Meaning that calcium was used to help convert the soy milk into tofu.


Here are some other good sources of Calcium

                                                                          Amount                                 Calcium (mg)
Broccoli  fresh, cooked                                    150 grams (250ml)                       54
Pilchards tinned eaten with bones                    150 grams (2 medium)               495
Salmon tinned drained eaten with bones          100 grams                                   239
Sardines tinned drained eaten with bones          50 grams (2 large)                     191
Sesame seeds unhulled                                       20 grams                                     26
Spinach fresh cooked                                        180 grams (250ml)                     196
Watercress raw                                                   80 grams (250 ml)                       96


So in conclusion. The intake of calcium through dairy products alone will not give your body the necessary collaboration of vitamins and nutrients neccessary to ensure good strong bone health.

SOME MORE USEFUL KITCHEN TIPS

HANDY KITCHEN TIPS

1.     If you are making gravy and accidently burn it, pour it into a clean pan and continue cooking
        adding a little sugar at a time. This will cancel out the burnt taste. Avoid over sugaring it.

2.     Burned a pot of rice ?    Place a piece of WHITE bread on top of the rice for 10 mins to draw out
        the burned flavour.  Be careful not to scrape the burnt rice off the bottom of the pot when
        serving the rice.

3.     To make scrambled eggs or omelets taste rich add a couple of spoonfuls of  Sour cream,
        Cream cheese or heavy cream.  Beat together.

4.     If you want to reheat leftover pizza but dont want the crust soggy.  Pit it in a non stick pan on the
        stove, heat med low, and heat until warm.

5.     If you over salt a pot of soup or cassarole just drop in a peeled potato. The potato will absorb the
        excess salt.

6.     To warm biscuits, pancakes or muffins that were refrigerated, place a cup of water with them in
        the microwave. The moisture will keep the food moist and they will heat faster.

7.     Place a slice of bread into a bag of hard brown sugar. Within a couple of days it will be soft
        again.  I am also told a piece of orange peel also works wonders. (Have not tried it)

INDIAN SPICES - WHAT ARE THE ENGLISH NAMES

HERE IS A GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN INDIAN COOKING

Condiments and Spices

English                                                   Hindi

Asafoetida                                               Hing
Cardamon                                               Elaychi
Chilli                                                       Mirch
Cloves                                                     Lavang
Coriander                                                Dhania
Cumin                                                     Zira
Fenugreek                                               Methi
Garlic                                                      Lessan
Ginger                                                     Adrak
Mace                                                       Javithri
Nutmeg                                                   Jaipal
Oregano                                                  Ajwain
Tamarind                                                Imli
Turmeric                                                 Haldi


Cereals and grains

Millet                                                      Bajra
Barley                                                     Jay
Buckwheat                                              Kootu
Maize                                                      Makkai
Rice  - raw                                              arwa chawal
Rice - parboiled                                      usna charwal
Semolina                                                 Sooji
Wheat                                                      Gehun
Wheat flour                                             Atta
Wheat flour refined                                 Maida


I have included this because if you are like me I buy where I get the best prices, quality and range.
This sometimes entails going to an indian market and they cannot or wont tell you what the english name is.   

WHAT IS BLACK SALT

BLACK SALT

IS KALA NAMAK. A type of natural volcanic halite (the mineral form of sodium chloride  NaCI.

It is a pungent purplish to pinkish grey rock salt used in India and indian spices. It has a sulfurous hard-boiled egg aroma.   This is due to the contamination with sodium bisulfide in this rocky volcanic mineral.

Mined in the volcanic regions of India and Pakistan.


WHY IS BLACK SALT BENEFICIAL ?

Ayervedic doctors believe that SEA salt and especially ROCK SALT are the most beneficial forms of salt because they dont increase the sodium content of blood and therefore prescribe this to their patients suffering from high blood pressure. 
It is also known as a rejuvenator while aiding digestion, constipation and improving eyesight and is high in iron. 

Side effect :  Using to much can lead to stomach cramps.

WHY AM I SHARING THIS WITH YOU ?

While browsing through sites looking for different gluten/dairy free breads, I came across a bread recipe calling for black salt.
I could not understand WHY as this was not a site aimed at High blood pressure or anything along those lines.

I am quite convinced that a lot of these recipes call for unnecessary ingredients to make it sound
SPECIAL,  DIFFERENT.

People looking for information need the truth. Not garbage only there to increase sales.

TIPS TO HELP IN THE KITCHEN

Here are some tips to help you in the kitchen

1.     Take your bananas apart when you get them home from the store.
        If you leave them connected at the stem they RIPEN faster.

2.     Dont keep an array of fruits in the same bowl. This will cause them to lose their crispness and
        ripen faster.  (Unless of course you're learning to paint)
 
3.     Detach the  -  green leafy part of the carrot from the "carrrot" before storing.
        As the orange part of the carrot is actually the root the green leafy part will continue to call for
        moisture from the root thereby drying out the orange section.

4.     I have found that keeping avocadoes near your stove when cooking helps turn them from lethal
        weapons into delicious orbs ready for eating.  The other is to wrap them in newspaper in a dark
        place but if you are like me you they end up forgotten.

5.     To keep potatoes from budding in the bag put an apple in the bag.

6.     After boiling pasta or potatoes allow the water to cool off and use it to water your plants, the
        nutrients contained therein are great for plants.

7.     If you happen to have some leftover wine at the end of the evening (and you dont plan to drink
        if the next night,) freeze it in ice cube trays for easy addition to soups and sauces in the future.

8.     When boiling eggs, add a pinch of salt to keep the shells from cracking.

9.      Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminium foil. It will stay fresh longer and not mould.

10.    Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating raw.
         Peppers with 4 bumps are firmer and better for cooking.

Cheers for now. Hope these help. Let me go and feed my ever hungry family.