so i know we already had a post goin about how milk is poison and what not but i was wondering if there are other good sources of calcium in not milk form.i already drink oj and eat other dairy stuff like cheese but im kinda worried all my bones are gonna break when im 25.oh and can you take calcium supplements along with iron? i dont know if they cancel each other out or not, as some vitamins do.thanks!

Unless the orange juice is really fresh squeezed and not processed in anyway (pastuerized or homogenized), I would not drink it. Many beneficial enzymes and nutrients are destroyed by heat.

Calcium should be taken in a 2:1 ratio to magnesium and they work together to help the body absorb both. My daily vitamin supplements include a mineral complex of Calcium 1,000 mg and Magnesium 500 mg among other minerals.

Iron is actually one mineral to avoid taking in supplement form since it can accumulate in the liver and other organs having potential toxic effects.

Dark green Vegetables such as Kale and Soy Milk provide excellent sources of Calcium in the favorable 2:1 ratio with Magnesium. My favorite is Vitasoy chocolate. It can be used on cereal (organic of course) if you want also.

European cheese is good since it is based on raw milk from unsprayed meadows. If you must have dairy, consider yogurts that have live culture, such as acidophilus. The bacteria not only predigest the dairy but are extremely beneficial as they hang out in the intestines to help digest food. It is very important to reinstall friendly bacteria especially after ever taking antibiotics since those drugs kill bad and good bacteria.

thanks for the info.! im severly anemic so i already take iron pills so i guess that may be a problem huh?

One way to identify the source of the problem may be to experiment with nutrition, diet and exercise and then check with your doctor to take blood tests to see how things improve.

Nutritionally, Vitamin B12, B6 and Folic acid supplemention can help build blood.

Fresh, raw leefy green vegetables are excellent in combating iron deficiency. Green peas, leeks, parsley, spinach, even fruits like raisons and apples, etc.

As you were aware of, there are some relationships with minerals and vitamins to maximize their absorbtion. Calcium, zinc and vitamin E should not be taken with iron since they hinder absorption. Vitamin C aids in iron absorption, however.

Dr. Whitaker an alternative medicine physician recommends Enzymatic Therapy "Ultimate Iron" for iron deficiency Anemia, 400 mg of Folic Acid for Folic Acid deficiency amenia and 1,000 mg of B12 for vitamin B12 deficency Anemia. This is an article from the Dr.Whitaker website.

"Ironing Out a New Wrinkle in Heart Disease"

Twenty years ago, concerns about "iron-poor blood" made vitamin and mineral supplements containing iron very popular. But in light of recent evidence linking excess iron to an increased risk of heart attack, concerns about how to get enough iron are being replaced by concerns about how to get the iron out.

Though iron is an essential component of hemoglobin, the blood protein that transports oxygen to tissues, it is also an oxidizing agent, a substance that accelerates the production of free radicals. Free radicals are electrically charged, highly reactive oxygen molecules that damage cells, accelerating the aging process and contributing to disease. Most free radicals are produced within the body during normal metabolism, but our exposure to free radicals is increased by what we eat and drink. The animal products that fill our diet are loaded with free-radical-generating toxins, including antibiotics, pesticides — and iron.

Except for some adolescent girls and premenopausal women, most Americans are far more likely to get too much iron in their diet rather than too little. This is true even in the elderly, as shown in a recent study of iron status in 1,000 adults aged 67 to 96. In this study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, only 1% had iron deficiency anemia, whereas 13% had excess iron stores that could place them at increased risk of heart attack.

Studies Confirm Dangers of Excess Iron
The idea that iron could contribute to heart disease was first proposed in 1981, but the medical establishment was so obsessed with the cholesterol theory of heart disease that the iron/heart disease connection was largely dismissed. Yet several studies conducted in Finland have forced physicians and researchers to take iron more seriously. In the first of these studies, which included almost 2,000 men who were healthy at the start of the study, men with high iron levels had over twice the risk of heart attack as men with lower levels. In fact, the association between excess iron and heart attack was even stronger than the link between cholesterol and heart attack.

The most recent study, published in the journal Circulation in 1998, compared iron levels of men who had had at least one heart attack with those of healthy men. Those with the highest iron levels had nearly triple the heart attack risk of men with the lowest levels. The risk was greater among men who did not take antioxidant vitamins or aspirin, both of which would protect against the oxidizing effects of iron.

Protect Yourself Now
There are several ways that you can protect yourself from the dangers of excess iron. First and most important, take a high-potency antioxidant supplement — but make sure it doesn't contain iron! Second, sharply reduce your intake of red meat, which is the primary dietary source of iron. And don't go overboard on iron-fortified foods such as ready-to-eat cereal. Eating a typical American serving of iron-fortified cereal can give you several times the recommended daily intake of iron.

There is another way to reduce your iron load, if you're able to do so: donate blood. This is especially useful for men, who are more likely to accumulate excess iron than women who are still menstruating. Donating blood is a simple way to help someone else while helping yourself.

whats wrong with milk? i drink 2-3 gallons per week.

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There are numberous articles about problems with dairy and how the human body reacts. Diabetes, heart problems, immune disorders, and indigestion are among the many potential health problems related to dairy. There are some excellent alternatives to milk such as soymilk that actually reverse the damage milk causes.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0965919609/qid=1002083645/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_3_4/104-3610078-2398356

Here is a sample article from the net.

In this battle over milk's place on the new food pyramid, you have a branch of the US government (USDA--given the dual and sometimes conflicting role of protecting the nation's health and promoting its agricultural products) and the dairy industry on one side, and various physicians, nutritionists, and nutritional researchers on the other side.

Walter Willett, professor and chairman of the nutrition department at Harvard School of Public Health says increased milk consumption will lead to increased consumption of saturated fat which, in turn, will lead to increased heart attacks.

According to M. Nestle writing in The International Journal of Health Serv., the present US dietary policies evolved from food guides from the early part of the 20th century, in the context of the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) dual and sometimes conflicting legislative mandates to promote the health of Americans and to encourage the sales of American agricultural products.

The recommendation that all individuals over two years of age consume cows' milk products daily began with the 1916 food guide and has remained essentially unchanged despite later research.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the basis for all federal nutrition programs. It incorporates the Food Guide Pyramid, a tool to educate consumers. The Pyramid recommends two to three daily servings of dairy products.

Americans consuming dairy is good business for the dairy industry and promotes American agricultural products. The dairy industry, obviously, wants the dairy guidelines to remain the same. This industry has the support of the USDA.

The "other" side would like to see milk downgraded as a requirement and more choices of calcium included in these nutritional guidelines.

Consumers are, understandably, confused.
Do we need cows' milk? Will our bones break or our children's teeth fall out if we don't consume dairy products? What's a parent to believe here?

In any discussion about the value of milk in nutrition, it is inevitable that the connection between calcium, osteoporosis, and bone health is broached.

Dr. Walter C. Willett, professor and chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, has completed a study showing no evidence to support claims that milk and other calcium-rich foods significantly reduce osteoporosis-related bone fractures.

Dr. Willett told the New York Times, "There's an ongoing campaign to get every adult to drink three glasses of milk a day."

He continued, "That's obviously about increasing sales and profits."

Regarding the same ad campaign, Willett told the Boston Globe, "If we do that, we'll increase saturated fat consumption in adults. That inevitably will increase heart attack rates."

Mark Hegsted, retired Harvard professor of nutrition also doubts dairy is a preventative for osteoporosis. In an article in the Journal of Nutrition he writes, "Hip fractures are more frequent in populations where dairy products are commonly consumed and calcium intakes are relatively high. Is there any possibility that this is a causal relationship?"

Hegsted sums it up,"It will be embarrassing enough if the current calcium hype is simply useless; it will be immeasurably worse if the recommendations are actually detrimental to health."

Thanks I appreciate the information, and I am aware of how many people have some kind of problem with milk.

I drink 2-3 gallons of skim milk per week. I feel worse if I DONT have any milk for a few days, almost like withdrawl. Unless I develop some strong enough reason to stop driking it, Ill stick with it.

Among other things, I enjoy it.

If you feel like it, check out an organic market like Wild Oats or Whole Foods and get a half gallon of Vitasoy Chocolate Soymilk (it is a little expensive). Use it in Rice Crispies or dip cookies in or whatever and see if you like it. Nutritionally soy is very good for you.