Dairy-Free Calcium Sources

Testimony of the Day

Adding Dairy Testimony: “I have to say, when I first heard you say I should omit dairy from my meals I panicked a little. But unbelievably, you were right! After not only removing dairy but also adding the supplements you suggested, I can now again consume lactose-free dairy without any adverse effects. I am so happy that you suggested this…it made a world of difference!” Kristen

Want to have dairy again someday? Click HERE for more help.

Food Mood Connection

When my dog, Teva, started losing her hair in patches, the first thing my veterinarian asked me was, “What are you feeding her?” Yes! What a good question! But you know what? I have never been asked that question at the doctor. Not once. Not even when I was a teenager suffering from IBS and acid reflux. I was just given a prescription. Nothing frustrates me more than getting a Band-Aid for the symptoms and not addressing the underlying cause of my issues which is why this job is so important to me.

I want people to start feeling amazing, eliminate migraines, get off cholesterol lowering drugs, increase serotonin naturally, balance hormones to alleviate PMS; and do it with food and natural supplements. That is how I become the happy and healthy person I finally became after years of IBS, estrogen dominance and low moods.

You can do it too! You deserve to be the happy and healthy person you were meant to be!

Dairy free mozzarella recipe in THIS cookbook.

Getting Calcium without Dairy

If you are trying to cut dairy and thinking you need to take a calcium supplement, I would reconsider. Calcium supplements are poorly absorbed and may be doing more harm than good!

I work with many clients who have gone through gastric bypass surgery and the one supplement they are always told to take is calcium. I am really disheartened by this. I also find it sad how people diagnosed with osteopenia are told to take calcium.

When you think of bone health, your mind probably automatically thinks calcium, but there are many pieces to the puzzle of bone health. A large piece of the puzzle is that FATS make the mesh that calcium binds to! Skim milk has got to go!

The poorly absorbed calcium supplements stay in the blood and can cause calcification of the arteries. Vitamin K2 is essential for getting calcium from the blood INTO the bones. Want to guess where vitamin K2 is found??? Organ meat! Yep, organ meat. This is why I hide ground organic liver into our chili and meatloaf/meatballs, but we also (even my children) take a vitamin K2 supplement.

I used to have plaque on the back of my bottom teeth, but with Vitamin K2 it is 100% gone! Click HERE to fine a quality Vitamin K2.

#1. Canned Salmon: 232 mg (23% DV) in ½ can with bones! If you don’t like salmon, don’t jump down to the next option just yet. I wasn’t always a fan of salmon either.  If you like canned tuna, I encourage you to try canned salmon the next time you make my Tuna “Noodle” Salad. Canned salmon has a flavor that reminds me of canned tuna without the mercury content. Plus salmon has a hefty dose of omega 3’s!

When making or purchasing canned salmon, remember it’s the bones in canned salmon that provide all the calcium, so they need to be mashed up right along with the salmon meat for all the benefits! Don’t worry, the canning process softens the bones so they easily break apart and are unnoticeable when mixed in with the rest of the can’s contents. For a hefty dose of calcium and omega 3’s, try my salmon cakes.

#2. Sardines: There’s 321 mg of calcium in 7 sardines fillets. Sounds gross right? But who doesn’t love a salty Caesar dressing? It’s the sardines that create that amazing flavor! I’m working on a dairy free Caesar dressing now:)

Sardines are one of the healthiest fish to add to your diet. Along with calcium, they also provide a large dose of vitamin D and omega 3’s .

#3. Bok Choy: There is 74 mg in 1 cup of Bok Choy. This tasty Chinese cabbage also has vitamin A and vitamin C to keep your immune system strong.

It is easy to make, just stir-fry it with roasted garlic and MCT oil for a perfect keto side dish.

#4. Seaweed (Kelp): There is 126 mg in about 1 cup raw Seaweed. Kelp is a subgroup of seaweed. Seaweed is also a great source of iodine, which helps with proper thyroid function. We all would like to blame the thyroid when it comes to weight gain. The thyroid isn’t just responsible for weight gain or loss, it also contribute to how well we sleep, it produces stomach acid, can cause high cholesterol, and helps with absorption of nutrients. Read more HERE. 

Check out a fan favorite keto Egg Roll recipe HERE.

Or click HERE for a Kelp noodle recipe.

 

#5. Kale: There is 188 mg in 2 cups chopped raw kale. Kale seems to be a love-hate relationship. It is a bitter vegetable. Many times kids turn their nose up at bitter foods early in life because children have about 10,000 taste buds but as they grow, some taste buds stop being replaced. Adults often have about 5,000 working taste buds. This is why some foods taste much more intense to children and they may prefer “buttered noodles” or bland foods. As we age the decline in number of taste buds makes more foods palatable to adults as some food’s intensity isn’t as strong. The bitter-tasting compound (propylthiouracil; PROP) is at a high level for children and makes things like kale taste “bitter or yucky.”

Kale is also filled with antioxidants. I was lucky and my son Micah asked for my Kale Chips as we were potty training him years ago.

Click HERE for my Kale Chip recipe. 

#6: Almonds: There are 72 mg in ¼ cup of almonds. Almonds are super dense in nutrition. They also provide potassium (great for the low energy and “heavy legs” when first adapting a ketogenic lifestyle), vitamin E and iron. Try one of my many recipes using blanched almond flour!

Click HERE to find. 

#7: Turnip Greens: There is 197 mg in 1 cup chopped and cooked. These tasty leafy greens comes from the turnip bulbs, and is filled with calcium, folate and antioxidants!

Saute them as a side dish or substitute sauteed turnip greens in my Artichoke Tart. 

#7. BONE MARROW: There is about 300mg calcium in a serving of bone marrow! One of the main qualities of bone marrow is that it contains other important micro-elements; such as iron, phosphorous, zinc, selenium (essential for thyroid health!), magnesium, manganese, and many other healing benefits. It contains Vitamin A in its complete form. The best thing about bone marrow is that the trace elements are already in an easy-to-absorb form and concentration for the body.

Click HERE to find my tasty Bone Marrow recipe.

#8: Oysters: These tasty bites have 106mg of calcium in 3 ounces. Not only that but they are filled with zinc which is a mineral that is essential for sperm production and thyroid health. Zinc is a mineral that I find many of my vegetarian and vegan clients to be deficient in. This is problem-some because a zinc deficiency can cause poor blood sugar regulation which leads to extreme cravings for salt or something sweet after a meal, intense PMS symptoms, poor thyroid regulation, poor taste receptors, as well as many other issues. 

#9: Scallops: Scallops have 280mg calcium for about 10 pieces.

Try my Salt Block Scallop recipe.

So as you can see, the suggestion of consuming a calcium supplement is quite over-rated and can actually cause harm and calcification of the arteries if proper nutrients like vitamin K2 isn’t consumed to get the calcium into the bones where it is needed.

If you are looking for dairy free recipes check out The Ketogenic Cookbook!

The Ketogenic Cookbook is the ultimate resource for the growing number of people who are interested in eating a low-carb, moderate-protein, high-fat diet to lose weight, improve their health, and heal their bodies from the inside out.

This first-of-its-kind collection of more than 150 real food–based recipes that will satisfy the taste buds of anyone desiring to be in a state of nutritional ketosis or simply wanting to eat healthier. Incredibly delicious recipes that are appropriate for people who need to eat a ketogenic diet therapeutically for a myriad health conditions, including:

Weight loss

Diabetes

Metabolic syndrome

Cardiovascular disease

Epilepsy

Irritable bowel syndrome

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

And a whole lot more!

In The Ketogenic Cookbook, you will also find practical advice for pursuing a state of ketosis, a unique collection of foods to help you get into ketosis, meal plans designed for specific health purposes, guidance from leading experts on ketosis, and more.

Click HERE to pre-order!

Thank you for your love and support!