Soy milk!?

[greengirl]

I've been between 90 and 100% raw for a few weeks, and love it. BUT, I've been drinking soy milk (from the store)! I know it's not raw, but I've been diagnosed with Osteopenia and I'm only 39! I'm not taking the advice of my doctor, who wants me to eat lots of dairy... but I feel soy milk is important because it's so high in calcium. I tried making almond milk, but I really don't like the taste. Does anyone have any other ideas?

[flutterfly]

I eat a lot of spinach to make sure I get my calcium. My Mother and Sister have that and I do everything to make sure I don't get it.

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi Greengirl and welcome!

Check out this thread on calcium: http://rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthr...hlight=calcium

Also, is Osteopenia the same as osteoporosis? If not, what's the difference?

Just keep in mind that your green leafy veggies and sesame seeds are extremely high in calcium. Do you like sesame seeds or tahini? I often make smoothies and put tahini in it but you can also make your own salad dressings and/or veggie dips and add tahini.

Oh, and sprouts too if you do sprouts. But you can and will get USABLE calcium that your body can break down and assimilate better on a raw diet...no doubt about that. Remember, when something is cooked to death, it loses it's nutritional value and therefore they end having to "enrich" it with vitamins/minerals. Eat lots of greens and you'll be calcium rich!

[greengirl]

I do eat spinach... vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains. But, I'm afraid I'm not getting enough calcium to reverse my condition.

[Wrecked Spark]

Hi Greengirl,

Rawkinlocs has it right...

there is FAR more calcium in green leafy vegetables than you can ever glean from a glass of milk... unfortunately, we've been so brainwashed by the American Dairy Association (all for dollars...!) that milk and dairy products are what we need. If you need a good read you could check out www.notmilk.com

Unfortunately, mainstream medical doctors are NOT required to take nutritional courses in order to graduate medical school. Nutrition is an ELECTIVE course and is generally filled with the old governement Food & Drug Administration standard of the old pyramid... grains, meats, animal products, etc. I have been fortunate to have access to a raw-food nutritionist who travels all over the world and has attended David Wolfe's raw food retreats on a number of ocassions. Try speaking with a nutritionist or holistic doctor if you're concerned. Otherwise, eat those green leafies!! You might also like to try the Calcium/Magnesium supplements found at natural health food stores. The ones most assimilated are the liquid varieties. I take mine just before bed so it's unimpeded by food and can work its magic while I sleep. Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Wrecked Spark

[greengirl]

Thank you, Rawinlocks, I never thought of a tahini smoothie!! Could you give me your recipe? A smoothie would definately satisfy my milk cravings!

Osteopenia is basically mild osteoporosis. Technically, I have osteopenia, but my test score is so high, my doctor says I pretty much have osteoporosis. When I was diagnosed two weeks ago, I started to explain about my raw food diet and how I wasn't going to eat dairy... well, that didn't blow over too well. She prescribed a slew of medications and I foolishly picked them up at the pharmacy. Afterwards, however, I did my own research and decided I am NOT going to consume dairy!

[Wrecked Spark]

Excellent!!

It saddens me to think that your doctor believes the only cure is a pill...

I applaude you for educating yourself and realizing that there are other options that will really help you to heal yourself. Does your family have a history of this? Did you drink soft drinks or pop when you were younger? What about a lot of sugary foods?

[greengirl]

Oh yeah, about sprouts... I love 'em and eat them almost daily, but I'm afraid to try the sprouting thing on my own. I guess I've been scared away by posts that others have left.

[greengirl]

Well, my mom has osteopenia too, but mine is worse than hers! And, yes, I drank a LOT of Diet Coke (probably 6 cans a day) between the ages of 18 and 38! I remember thinking that all that pop couldn't be good for me, but since it didn't have any calories I didn't care! I shudder to think of kids today -- it seems like they drink way more pop than even i drank!

[Wrecked Spark]

Oh dear.

The components in soda actually bind to the agents in calcium... carrying them directly out of your body in your urine!!! I am glad you are concerned and making efforts to stabilize and even correct the damage.

You CAN do it.

"Diet" colas also contain artificial sweeteners which have proven to be carcinogenic and severely toxic. In fact, they have proven the main culprit in many illnesses... migraines, cramps, brain fog, aches, etc... The battle of calories vs. sugars is entirely uphill... and we all know the media giants behind the fat wars currently being played out with the public as guinea pig!

Stevia is an alternative that is gaining ground, but it is still a processed sweetener.

The addictive cycle is difficult to break. Did you know that one can of soda contains as much as 20 teaspoons of sugar?! Ouch!

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi greengirl,

You're welcome! You might want to take a look at this if you haven't already seen it: http://notmilk.com/o.html

I don't have an actual "recipe" for the smoothie, but basically I just blend a banana or two, a little water, fruit of choice and a teaspoon or two of tahini (and a couple of dates if not sweet enough).

Yeah, that's all they know to do is medicate, medicate, medicate! Never getting to the root cause, just masking symptoms

[corky]

Hi Greengirl,
Good for you for looking at other ways to get yourself healthy! So it looks like you just stopped drinking pop last year?? Good for you and now that you are eating proper you can and will reverse your symptoms! Also sprouting is easy and i just do it in a canning jar with cheescloth and rinse twice daily and refrigerate and eat them when they are done--you just have to tend to them twice a day and you will be fine. I know i have read about mold and thus bacteria but i have read that the store bought ones have potential to be worse because they sit so i prefer to do it myself as i can manage them.

[Sweet lips]

Hello Greegirl,

Hope this help :)

For all the information you could possibly want to know about sprouting, click the sites below:

http://members.efn.org/~sundance/Sprouting.html
http://www.eatsprouts.com/
http://www.freshlifesprouter.com/
http://www.sprouting.com/
http://www.sprouthouse.com/
http://www.sproutman.com/
http://www.sproutpeople.com/

[Olive]

Hi Greengirl!

Osteoporosis runs in my family as well, so I've done some research on how to prevent it. Definitely stay away from dairy, since the protein/fat/calcium balance is out of whack and can actually cause calcium leaching.

If you aren't already, you should also do weight-bearing exercise, which is crucial to bone health.

For a milk sub, try blending a banana, a tablespoon or two of raw tahini and water until it's a consistency that you like. Yum!

[greengirl]

Sadly, I gave up pop only 1-1/2 years ago. But, at least I only drank one or two a day for the last few years.

Thank you, everyone, for all the sprout information! I guess I should go ahead and give it a try! Where do you get the seeds? I haven't seen any at my co-op, but then again, I haven't really looked. ;)