In general, all animal products have things that leach calcium out. My wife is better read on the subject, but there are places in arctic climates where people's main source of calcium is fish bones, and those people have some of the highest rates of osteoperosis of anyone because the calcium is leeched out. But that might be from polution contained in the fish (fish can absorb lots of polution apparently), I'm not sure. Or maybe the whole thing is just something the vegans are pushing to discourage people from buying milk.

Either way, I still think the dark leafy greens (kale and collards) and broccoli are better sources of calcium than milk. Plus they have less fat than milk. They still don't come in chocolate though. :(

soy or rice milk

It takes a lot of vegetables to supply the body's daily need of calcium which is about 1000 mg per day for most people. Milk and other dairy products are the best natural sources of obtaining calcium in the diet. Many are fortified with vitamin D which increases the body's uptake of calcium. Skim milk and lo-fat cheeses and yogurt are the best for overall health. Calcium supplements are what are notoriously bad at providing calcium to the body. A large percentage of what is found in the pills passes straight through the digestive system without being absorbed. They are, however, starting to offer calcium-vitamin D combo supplements that do better.

Dairy is absolutely terrible -- for the animals involved. Veal, etc. So no thanks. BTW while I don't drink much "milk", Rice Dream is my favorite. I find soymilk heavy.

Care to back up that statement? The papers I have read indeed stated that green leafy vegs are the best source. And it doesn't even take that much to get your daly requirement. In any case, you can get calcium supplements. Swallowing a pill is all it takes, if you're paranoid about calcium.

Here's a timely reference on the subject of calcium, http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnut...ralprimer.html

I reccomend reading what it has to say on the other minerals such as magnesium, cloride etc. because they all work together.

Regards, Anthony

EDIT: OK, I forgot to add that I make my own bone broths (stock) that I have every day. It's nice in soups or just add a little to whatever savory meat, vegetable dish your cooking for a wonderful flavor. Its very rich in minerals and I reccomend it as an excelent alternative to dairy which is what the origional question was.

1 Cup of milk --> 300mg Calcium... vitamin D fortified for max absorbtion
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-B00001-01c21li.html

1 Cup of Brocolli --> 42.8 mg of Calcium --> 7 Cups of brocolli to get as much Calcium as Milk
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-B00001-01c20c0.html

1 Cup of Watercress --> 40.8 mg of Calcium --> 7.4 Cup of watercress to get as much Calcium as milk
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-B00001-01c20hq.html

to get your DV (1020mg) you can just down 2 cups of milk and get the rest of your DV from the rest of your diet.

you are just not going to be able to get you Calcium DV if you are trying to get it from green leafy vegetable and be able to do an endurance sport like cycling. how are you going to get enough macronutrients.. carbs, fats, and proteins when you are eating 14 Cups of brocolli or watercress a day...

when you are talking about vegetable, you can't just look at weight you have to look at volume. vegetables are very bulky with lots of undigestable fiber... lots of good micro-nutrients though

[Edit] this might be a way to go.. Calcium and Vitamin D fortified Orange Juice. same amount calcium as milk, plus vitamin D fortified for max absorption. i'm a little scared of soy after doing some research...
http://www.tropicana.com/TRP_Product...itaminD_42.jpg [Edit]

[Edit]ironically, Look at how much Vitamin C there is in brocolli... holy crap... maybe we should be looking to brocolli for our vitamin C instead of organgesEdit]

Goats milk is a great alternative to cows milk
 

Hello, I had a similar problem and began drinking goats milk. All the same good nutrients without the big fat particals that your body cannot digest which are present in cows milk. It also tastes great so win win!!

Replace?
 

There is no nutritional need for human beings to consume the hormonal secretions of a bovine :thumb:

veggies.

I find that I can't drink regular milk - i get sick. I used to drink lots of milk but now I feel like I have flu symptoms.
I did drink organic milk and had no symptoms. i dont' know why.

you could also try almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, goat milk, mom milk....jk.

I was very lactose intolerant and tried everything to various degrees of success.

1. Almond milk: tasty and not too sweet.
2. Rice milk: very tasty. Too many carbs.
3. Coconut milk: weird taste. I did not like this.
4. Soy milk: disliked originally but eventually found a vanilla soy milk that was decent.
5. Goats milk: disgusting taste.
I think there was a couple others but nothing stood out.

I adjusted my protein intake and reduced my carb consumption a bit. The lactose intolerance has virtually disappeared and as such I drink organic cows milk. Yum yum

Hold the gasps:

I used to drink whole milk when I was in HS, and tons of it. I loved the taste! I would still founder my self on it if I didn't know better. mmmm...

I drink whole milk. :p

i love whole milk.

I drink the lactose free milk...and for things like ice cream I take lactaid first.

no replacement necessary. I don't know a single reason TO drink milk.

Check about halfway down, a chart of calcium bioavailabilities.

The bioavailability of calcium in green vegetables largely depends on whether, and how much, it's cooked. Cooking breaks down phytic and oxalic acids, but you still don't get nearly all of the calcium out of them. Raw broccoli = very poor availability.

If you can't digest milk, there are other ways to get similar nutrition. Milk is a nice, convenient package for high quality protein and some carbs. Post-workout, if I couldn't drink milk, I'd probably replace the protein with a quality whey protein concentrate. Soy is another good source, but I'm not so sure about leaning on it for all my protein needs. Additionally, milk protein is actually a better protein, when talking human muscle protein synthesis.

Pretty sure you're referring to the alkalizing/acidifying properties of different foods. as with most long-term health problems, osteoporisis is multifactorial. It's not as simple as saying "don't eat meat! It causes osteoporosis!" (not saying that was your tone, though). Like most things, it's balance.

Here's a review of the idea in the NYT. a prime quote: "Except for hard cheeses, which are acid-producing, most dairy foods, including milk, are “metabolized to compounds that are essentially neutral,” Dr. Dawson-Hughes said."

and

"They conclude that the high fracture rate in countries that consume the most milk and dairy products results from the fact that “these affluent Western countries also consume the most meat, poultry and fish.”"

edit: note that the amounts of protein they recommend are laughable for those of us who are highly active. At 55 g of protein per day, I'd be at about 6 percent of my calories from protein. Not feasible, even if I tried. There are compromises that have to be made, and since I am about 2 standard deviations above the mean in bone density (and male), I'm not overly concerned with my daily consumption of about 1.6g of protein per kg of body weight. I also eat more fruits and vegetables than most Americans.

edit: you can do your own research on what is called Potential Renal Acid Load, which has been mostly studied due to its importance to those with renal dysfunction or gout. This site has tables of values.