Food Freedom Friday Edition 310 - Carnivore & Calcium
Conventional wisdom would have you believe that you must eat a wide range of foods, including large amounts of healthy fruits and vegetables in order to avoid becoming a nutrient-deficient mess.
Despite this advice, people are still suffering from nutrient deficiencies. This is then often addressed by taking some type of synthetic vitamin pill or ordering the latest “superfood” root powder from a handy online source.
My view is that the food in whatever diet you follow should give you the majority of the nutrients you need. If you HAVE to supplement all the time, then it you need to question the long-term health of the diet you are following. This is one of my concerns with a vegan protocol.
To me, supplements should be used for a specific ailment, and once resolved you stop. I would think that is the appropriate definition of the word supplement. You would aim to supplement an already healthy diet for a specific purpose, not to constantly need supplements because your diet is deficient.
That being said, it is important to address the nutrients needed to thrive and how to get these into your diet using real food. Today we will focus on calcium in the context of a zero carbohydrate or carnivore diet.
What Is The Carnivore Diet
On a carnivore or zero carb diet you can eat anything that is an animal product including cuts of meat, fish, seafood, dairy.
A carnivore diet is a near zero carb diet. There are, however, small amounts of carbohydrates in meat, especially liver and eggs. Dairy products also contain carbohydrate but many people avoid eating dairy for a multitude of reasons which I have reviewed in previous posts.
Furthermore, anything from the plant world, like cereal, seed oils, sugar, fruits, and vegetables are avoided. It really is that simple.
What Is Calcium?
Calcium is a mineral that helps build bones and strong teeth, helps regulate muscle contractions (and is thus very important for heart health), and helps ensure blood clots in a normal manner - to name a few.
Classic signs of calcium deficiency are rickets and osteoporosis along with numerous other diseases.
How Much Calcium Do You Need
Your personal calcium needs are probably quite individual and the the Recommended Daily Allowance’s differs depending on where you are from.
North American guidelines recommend 1000-1200mg depending on age, the UK says 700mg, but possibly a better source for carnivores to consider is that Weston A. Price says it should be 680mg.
Friends of the Weston A Price Foundation Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig say the following with regard to calcium, “sufficient vitamin D is needed for calcium absorption as is a proper potassium/calcium ratio in the blood. Sugar consumption and stress both pull calcium from the bones.”
Evaluating Your Calcium Intake
If you like tracking all your food, then do so. There are many great apps that break down all the food in amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, and the like, allowing you to see where you may be deficient.
The problem is that almost everything including most RDA’s, dietary apps, meal plans, and mineral deficiency studies, are based on the presumption that people are eating a Standard Western Diet.
I am of the belief that these things can be used as a guide, but a very loose guide as a Carnivore diet will have rather different demand for vitamins and minerals compared to other diet protocols.
For example, most people following a carnivore type diet should, in theory, be right on the borderline of getting scurvy, but this is not experienced in this population. The reason is that on such a plan you are eating less sugar which competes with Vitamin C for the same pathway into a cell. It follows that the fewer carbs and sugar you eat, the less Vitamin C you may need.
Added to that, carnivores eat zero plant foods, which means they are consuming zero oxalates.
Oxalates that are found in high amounts in leafy green vegetables, nuts and dark chocolate have been shown to bind with calcium, meaning it cannot be absorbed.
So perhaps, the fewer plants you eat, the less calcium you may need.
Oxalates are only one of numerous compounds that prevent the absorption of nutrients in the human body. Other plant components, enzymes and chemicals that wreak havoc on your nutrition include:
· Salicylates
· Saponins
· Flavonoids
· Protease Inhibitors
· Phytic Acid
· Cyanogenic Glycosides
· Goitrogens
· Glycoalkaloids
· Lectins
It can get rather complicated, but this is not necessary.
Yes, you do need calcium but, when following a carnivore diet, you may not need to worry about it too much. A well-rounded carnivore diet should provide all the calcium you need. As always check with your health care professional with all of your diet-related concerns and symptoms.
There are many carnivore foods that are rich in calcium and will provide you with your physiological needs. These include:
1. Meat
It is important to realize that all meat has traces of calcium, so if you are eating enough meat then you will likely be getting enough calcium.
This is why long-term carnivores can only eat ribeye steaks for over 20 years and not have any calcium deficiencies. There is around 60mg of calcium in a pound of Ribeye.
2. Eggs
The whites have the majority of the calcium but the yolks also contain traces of calcium. This is one of the many benefits found in the old and the classic Steak and Eggs weight loss diet. There is around 50mg of calcium in one egg.
3. Small Boned Fish
This includes fish like sardines, herrings and anchovies or any fish where you eat it whole, bones and all. There is 382mg of calcium in 100g of Sardines.
4. Bone Broth
When the bones are too large to safely eat then you can make a bone broth, which leeches the nutrients from the bones, and makes for a really nutritious drink. It can also be used as a base to make soups and stews.
The amount of calcium is hard to quantify but there is probably about 10mg per cup.
5. Egg Shells
You can grind the shells up into a powder and add them to soups, stews, and sauces. This helps to thicken them whilst simultaneously providing a calcium boost.
Just half a shell can get you 1000mg of calcium.
6. Raw Milk
Most people have an idea that milk is good for bones, as it is a good source of calcium.
This is somewhat true, but raw milk is better than pasteurized. Raw milk is significantly more nutrient-dense and these compounds are more bioavailable. It also contains more “good bacteria”. Raw milk has around 300mg of calcium per cup.
Warning: As with anything you eat raw it comes with the risk of infection. Source from high-quality farms and proceed at your own risk.
Realmilk.com is a good resource for raw milk options.
7. Hard Cheese
Ages hard cheeses are especially rich in. These also tend to be lower in lactose, so are better for low carb diets and potential allergies.
Parmesan has 330mg of calcium in a 28g serving.
8. Traditional Yogurt
Source out a full fat natural yogurt or a Greek or Balkan-style yogurt with live bacteria. These are great snacks on a carnivore diet and have similar calcium levels as milk.
If you can, why not make your own with Raw Milk. So, you have greater control over the ingredients.
9. Salmon
A simple can of Salmon with bones has around 300mg of calcium per 100g. This can be a great portable carnivore snack or meal on the go.
10. Whey Protein
If you are really struggling to get your calcium up or you are an avid gym-goer, then whey protein shakes can help with your calcium intake. Although this is not a whole food and is thus non-optimal, it could be useful on occasions. Quality is important – opt for a cold processed made from grass-fed cows.
Generally, you are looking at around 200mg of calcium per shake.
Most carnivore diet advocates say that when just starting out on a carnivore diet, you are most likely bringing some deficiencies with you and at first you may need to target certain foods that are rich in the vitamins and minerals you are deficient in.
However, once you are healed and you have been on a carnivore diet for a while there is much less of a need to track anything or worry about deficiencies. The caveat, of course, is with anything health-related always consult with your health care professional
In fact, if you look at all the long-term carnivores, none of them worry about what nutrients they are getting. They mainly eat good amounts of ruminant meat and thrive. It can be that simple.