Adrienne wrote:
It seems so difficult to even come close to recommended
> amounts of calcium once one omits dairy products from the diet.

I think the issue is really calcium consumed versus calcium excreted.

I suspect that people do not need nearly the amount of calcium that is in
the RDA, once they remove the dairy and other junk from their diet. I cannot
prove this, though recent studies I read about show that in many countries
women have the lowest incidence of osteoporosis and also very low
consumption of dairy (China comes to mind).

One theory is that dairy adversely acidifies the blood and bone mass leaches
from bones in order to buffer this acidity. The bones are a living thing and
they constantly lose or gain mass. The real issue is the amount of calcium
you are losing, which may be small, and may depend on other foods you eat.

Another thing to consider, very controversial on this list, is a natural
progesterone cream hormone replacement therapy for women who are peri- or
post-menopausal, as progesterone helps boost the body's retention of
calcium. Obviously not paleo and not natural, but some would recommend it if
you are in that category.

Then you can also try calcium sources that are not vegetable. The best ones
include sardines (with bones and skin), which are good for their fatty acid
content anyway, and bone broth. You can make bone broth by roasting bones
and then adding water and cooking them (best with some lemon juice or
vinegar added to the water) for hours. The calcium leaches into the broth,
which tastes deliciuus and can be used for soups, pot roasts, etc.

--Richard