1. Believing that drinking bone broth will prevent calcium deficiency
The calcium in bones will not easily dissolve. Experiments have shown that after two hours of pressure cooking, the fat from the marrow floats to the surface, but the calcium in the broth remains minimal. The only way to supplement calcium with bone broth is to add half a bowl of vinegar and simmer it slowly for one or two hours. Vinegar can effectively help dissolve calcium from the bones. It should be noted that a pressure cooker should not be used for this; it's best to use a clay pot to avoid dissolving excessive aluminum into the broth.
2. Thinking that eating vegetables has nothing to do with bone health
Many people, while loving animal products, often neglect to eat enough vegetables. They believe vegetables only contain dietary fiber and vitamins, which are unrelated to bone health. In fact, vegetables not only contain large amounts of potassium and magnesium, which help maintain acid-base balance and reduce calcium loss, but they also contain a fair amount of calcium themselves. Leafy green vegetables are generally moderate sources of calcium; for example, bok choy, napa cabbage, kale, and celery are all non-negligible vegetables for calcium supplementation. Recent research has confirmed that vitamin K in leafy greens is essential for the formation of osteocalcin, which is necessary for calcium to deposit into bones.
3. Thinking that spinach is useless for calcium supplementation
Many people know that spinach should not be eaten with tofu because it contains a large amount of oxalic acid, which combines with calcium to form an insoluble precipitate. However, they overlook another aspect—spinach also contains many factors that promote calcium absorption, including abundant potassium and magnesium, as well as vitamin K. Spinach is a recognized treasure trove of vitamin K, ranking first among various fresh raw foods. Vitamin K is heat-stable and, like carotene, requires fat for absorption. Therefore, when eating cold spinach, be sure to add some sesame oil.
4. Thinking that eating fruit for meals is beneficial for bone health
Many women trying to lose weight believe they can get enough protein and vitamins by just eating fruit, often using fruit to replace a meal. In reality, while fruit is a food that helps balance acid-base levels, it is not a good source of calcium and is severely lacking in protein. Bone formation requires large amounts of calcium, as well as collagen as a framework for calcium deposition. If fruit replaces three meals, both protein and calcium intake will be severely insufficient, which will only promote the onset of osteoporosis.
5. Thinking that drinking beverages has nothing to do with calcium supplementation
To improve taste, most beverages contain phosphates, which severely hinder calcium absorption and promote calcium loss. Cola is the most harmful among them because it contains phosphorus. If you soak human teeth and bones in cola, they will slowly dissolve! The refined sugar in it is also detrimental to calcium absorption. Therefore, anyone who needs to supplement calcium must strictly control their intake of sweet drinks. Tea is rich in potassium ions, has a low phosphorus content, and also contains fluoride, which promotes strong bones and teeth. Thus, drinking tea is beneficial and harmless to bone health. But be careful with so-called "tea beverages"; their color may be from caramel coloring and do not provide the benefits of tea.
6. Thinking that eating beef is beneficial for bones
Many people believe that Westerners have strong bones because they love to eat beef. In fact, many people who eat a lot of beef are those who are quite deficient in calcium. This is because beef itself contains very little calcium—all meats are like this. At the same time, meat contains a large amount of "acid-forming elements," mainly phosphorus, sulfur, and chlorine. These make the blood more acidic, and the body has to use calcium ions from food and bones to neutralize them, thus increasing the loss of calcium from the body and reducing calcium absorption. Therefore, middle-aged and elderly people who are calcium-deficient should appropriately control their intake of meat, whether it's red meat or white meat.
7. Believing that drinking milk is not helpful for calcium supplementation
Although some people claim everywhere that milk contains a lot of protein, which will make the body more acidic and promote calcium loss, this statement is incorrect. In fact, the protein content in milk is only 3%, while its water content is as high as 87%. Every 250 grams of milk contains over 250 milligrams of calcium, as well as abundant potassium and magnesium, plus vitamin D, lactose, and essential amino acids that promote calcium absorption. Unlike meat, milk is not an acid-forming food but a weakly alkaline one. Therefore, milk does not make body fluids acidic and will not promote calcium loss. Overall, milk is still the best food for calcium supplementation.
8. Believing that soy milk is a high-calcium food
Nutritionists often advise that people who cannot drink milk can drink soy milk as an alternative. Indeed, in many ways, soy milk is a very excellent food. However, in terms of calcium content, it is far inferior to milk, not by a factor of one or two times. This is because although the calcium content of soybeans is not too low, after grinding 10 cups of water into soy milk, the content becomes very diluted. Drinking a glass of soy milk is equivalent to eating only a few dozen soybeans, so the calcium content is very low. The real benefit of soy milk for bones is that it provides phytoestrogens, which can reduce calcium loss in menopausal women.
9. Believing that seaweed can supplement calcium
Many media articles tell you that seaweed contains a lot of calcium—but this is only true for dried seaweed. But who can eat a large amount of dried seaweed? Once it absorbs water, its calcium content is not that high. Moreover, soluble dietary fibers in seaweed, such as alginic acid, can hinder calcium absorption because they can form stable complexes with calcium, carrying it "straight through the gut." But seaweed is not entirely useless; it is a typical alkaline food, and regular consumption can help reduce calcium loss in the body.
10. Using silken tofu to supplement calcium
Many people know that tofu is the best calcium-supplementing food among plant-based foods. Soybeans themselves contain a fair amount of calcium, and a calcium-containing coagulant is added when making tofu, so people who don't drink milk consciously eat more tofu. However, silken tofu is not a good source of calcium because it does not use a calcium-containing coagulant; instead, it uses glucono-delta-lactone. At the same time, silken tofu has too much water, so its protein and calcium content are very low. Besides silken tofu, "Japanese tofu" should also not be used for calcium supplementation.