I'm wondering, does everyone on this list who is avoiding consumption of dairy products take a calcium supplement? From the questions on the list this past week, it seems that there is a common assumption that if we do not drink milk, then we _need_ a calcium supplement. I'm wondering if this is true or not. Admittedly, my view on this topic, may stem from the fact that I live in a state where the Dairy Industry has strong (Wisconsin) influence, but in many ways I see the "health message" of dairy products nothing more than a lobbying/marketing effort used by the Dairy Industry to get people to consume dairy products. That doesn't mean it is valid. We can see from this list, that dairy products aren't safe for everybody and certainly aren't always "healthy". Perhaps, in a likewise fashion, we can get enough calcium without dairy in our diets and without supplements (btw, many vitamins/supplements use dairy as a binder, so for me and other milk-allergic people vitamins can be dangerous). I'm basically a vegan. I don't eat meats and I don't eat dairy products due to an allergy to animal-source proteins. If not eating dairy means that we need to take calcium supplements I would think my diet would cause that fact to show up. Yet, my doctors have tested my blood a number of times since I've been following a meat/dairy free diet and never found anything missing. I have all the iron, calcium and other important vitamin and minerals the body needs to be healthy. I don't even think much about what I eat. I don't waste energy worry about having the "right" combinations of nutrients in my diet. I just choose as wide of a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and even oils/spices/flavorings as I can. Well, I would appreciate hearing from others about this issue and their own experiences with making this decision for themselves. Thanks, Dawn :-) :-) :-)