NUTRITION AMMUNITION
by Victoria Harrison
Calcium
Chinese traditionally have not included milk and dairy products in their diet so where do they get enough calcium? Do they have osteoporosis?
Answer:.
Chinese often eat entire small dried fish and lots of greens such as bak choi , gai lan, sui chum, broccoli (mostly in stems) and shui choi which are high in available calcium. Medium firm tofu, set with calcium sulphate, also provides some.
When making Chinese soups, a little vinegar or lemon juice (something acidic) is sometimes added; helping calcium leach from the soup bones into the broth. Often they chew the ends of chicken bones and one of their favourite dishes is chicken feet.
On the other hand, many western greens such as spinach, beet greens and swiss chard, are high in oxalates which inhibit calcium uptake by humans. Cornell researcher, T Colin Campbell, in his study on nutrition in China, surprisingly found less osteoporosis among the Chinese.
There are many factors involved such as helpful flouride in tea (vs. coffee which can rob calcium from bones), exercise and a lower protein diet which could influence bone health. Think about cows, giraffes, hippos, elephants, gorilla's..some of the largest skeletons are built on a green or almost green diet!
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