Hi Liza,

> Hi Jean Louis and Alan,
>
> I wanted to add a few thoughts to the discussion on calcium.
>
> Copyright and Posting Notice: This post is approved for posting on the
> raw-food email list only. Contact author for permission to crosspost on any
> other e-mail list, newsgroups; bulletin board, or website, or to republish
> in any way.
>
> Copyright 1999, by LIFEF0RCE, Inc.; all rights reserved.
>
LIFEFORCE have obviously gotten some of their facts wrong. Take these three
paragraphs:
>
>WHAT ARE THE BEST SOURCES:
>
> This is also a difficult question, and a critical one. Dairy products, in
> my opinion, represent a very reliable source of calcium, because of their
> high calcium content. Goat's or sheep's milk might be a better choice for
> those who cannot tolerate either cow's milk protein or sugar. Solid dairy
> products, such as some cheeses, might be another low lactose alternative;
> or fermented products like kefir or yogurt.

>
> As far as deficiency disorders, the most obvious and critical is
> osteoperosis - a problem affecting 37 million people in the United States
> in 1997. Other bone diseases, dental problems, preeclampsia, colon cancer,
> and high blood pressure, all have been directly associated with calcium
> deficiency.
>
So we have 37 million US Americans suffering from osteoporosis in 1997,
although these people have the highest annual per capita milk consumption.
Thus there are a few other questions which need to be answered:

1. Why is that osteoporosis is practically unknown in rural China even
though they drink practically no milk at all?

2. Why did this report fail to mention the fact that the calcium in
milk is bonded to casein and that the enzyme rennin is needed to break
this bond?

3. Why did this report fail to report that the majority of people
cease or severely cut back the production of rennin after weaning
off?

4. Why is lactose intolerance associated in this report with cows'
milk alone and not goat or sheeps milk?

5. Why do some believe that those who seem to get less or no
uncomfortable symptoms (subjective) do not suffer from lactose
intolerance, i.e. even though the production of the enzyme lactase
also ceases or is severely cut back after weaning off?

6. What do you Liza (and/or the authors of this report) believe is
the purpose of humans weaning off of milk if it is such a good source
of calcium as is suggested?

7. How does weaning off take place and how come infants suddenly no
longer want or need their mother's milk?

8. Why do we do not feel an instinctive urge to suck the teats of animals
which produce milk..and would this not have been both a dangerous and
practically impossible task for early man?

> The green vegetables that have
> been mentioned by Jean Louis are good sources of calcium, also tofu set in
> calcium, mackerel, herring, sardines, and the nuts previously mentioned,
> all are high in calcium.

Leave out the fish and the tofu and I would certainly go along with
that statement.

Best regards,

Alan