More and more people today have allergies and I am often asked how one should tackle sensitivity — all the while ensuring a balanced diet.
More and more people today have allergies and I am often asked how one should tackle sensitivity — all the while ensuring a balanced diet.Many parents whose child may react to dairy products due to a lactose or casein allergy have concerns that their child is not consuming enough calcium rich foods.
Calcium is indeed essential for bones and teeth—it is also required by the heart and other muscles for contraction and blood clotting, and is needed for a healthy and efficient nervous system.
One of the topics Therese, Chef Kate and I discuss in our new book Lunchbox Solutions is that pasteurised cow’s milk, contrary to advertising, may not be the best source of absorbable calcium we can offer our family. With this in mind we ask: is it dairy or is it calcium that is most important? In our section relating to Dairy we distinguish between the importance of calcium for healthy bones and our collective reliance on all things dairy.
There are many foods that are high in “absorbable calcium”. These foods help us to ensure our children have a high calcium intake (and us too). All of the foods outlined below are relatively high in calcium.
- Brown rice
- Cabbage, especially the outer leaves
- Carob powder
- Cheese, especially parmesan, Swiss and cheddar
- Egg yolk
- Figs
- Green leafy vegetables (especially parsley, kale, broccoli and spinach)
- Hummus
- Mesquite powder
- Milk, cheese and yoghurt from goats and sheep
- Molasses
- Nuts, especially almond and brazil
- Sea vegetables (nori, hijiki, wakame, kelp and kombu)
- Sesame seeds
- Soya beans
- Tea, especially dandelion and chamomile
- Tinned fish, especially salmon, sardines and mackerel, all with bones
- Tofu
. . . . .
Jennifer Barham-Floreani
Bach. Chiropractic, Bach. App Clinical Science
Registered internationally, no longer practicing as a chiropractor in Australia.
