If you’re thinking of giving up cows’ milk, here’s everything you need to know about maintaining healthy bones.
More and more people are ditching cows’ milk in favour of alternatives such as almond and soy milk. While these options come with their fair share of health benefits, dairy contains calcium and according to the National Osteoporosis Association, cutting it out all together could lead to serious health complications later in life.
But what really happens if you don’t get enough dairy and how else can you maintain strong, healthy bones? We speak to the experts:
Why do we need dairy?
Dairy products such as milk, cheese and butter, provide us with calcium. Calcium is vital for building bone strength when you are young. Cutting out food groups during this age could put future bone health at significant risk, and specifically increase the risk of developing osteoporosis, a condition that causes bones to becomes fragile and break easily.
‘Diary in early adulthood is so important,’ says Professor Susan Lanham-New, clinical advisor to the National Osteoporosis Society and Professor of Nutrition at the University of Surrey. ‘By the time we get into our late twenties it is too late to reverse the damage caused by nutrient deficiencies and the opportunity to build strong bones has passed.’
Is diary essential for healthy bones?
While people ditching dairy is certainly nothing new (and it’s perfectly reasonable if you’re vegan or lactose intolerant), in recent years, milk products have become demonised. People have stopped consuming dairy because they think it’s bad for their health, not because they know they have an intolerance.
‘But the clean eaters aren’t always well-informed,’ says nutritional therapist Ian Marbe. ‘They say you can get enough calcium from spinach and seeds, but people need to know that these forms of calcium are much harder for the body to absorb than the mineral in cows’ milk. You have to eat a lot of leafy greens and seeds to get the same amount.’
People have stopped consuming dairy because they think it’s bad for their health, not because of an intolerance.
‘It’s particularly concerning because the people most affected and most influenced by these trends are young girls who really need to lay down their bone density now. But none of us think we’re going to get old and none of think we’re going to have a problem. But this misinformation is harmful to our future health.’
How to maintain strong bones
It’s not necessarily dangerous to cut out dairy from you diet, says Marber, but it is important to make sure you get calcium from other sources.
✔️ Foods such as bread, cereal, canned fish, nuts, seeds and leafy green vegetables contain calcium – so include lots of these in your diet.
✔️ Many dairy alternatives are also fortified with calcium and vitamin D (also essential for bone health) – so choose these if you can.
Net Doctor