calcium Archives - Family Health Advocacy

Calcium Without Vitamin K2 Is A Heart Breaker

July 22, 2020February 14, 2020 by Mrs. Annette Presley, RD

What is vitamin K2 and why is it so important? Well, when you think of bone health, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Calcium, right? Don’t get me wrong, we all need calcium, but it has a dark side that most people don’t know about. Popping calcium supplements may just break your heart.

It’s not enough to just take calcium, we need to aim it at the bones. If we take calcium willy nilly without paying attention to where it goes, it will end up in our soft tissues, like arteries and joints. The last place we want calcium is in soft tissues as it can increase risk for heart attacks, strokes, and pain.

Vitamin D is another popular nutrient that is really big in the research world and is now even being prescribed for hospitalized patients. The doses can range anywhere from 1000 IUs daily to 50,000 IUs weekly. Vitamin D increases the absorption of calcium.

If you take calcium with vitamin D, you will absorb more of the calcium which might seem like a good thing. But, if you don’t have enough Vitamin K2 on hand, the calcium will end up where you don’t want it.

Everything You Need To Know About Vitamin K2

What Is Vitamin K2?

K2 activates a protein called matrix GLA. It removes calcium from soft tissues and it also activates osteocalcin which holds calcium to bone. So, if you have a lot of calcium, you need K2 to direct it.

Think of parking attendants at large events; they tell you where to put your car. K2 tells you where to put calcium. Contrary to some belief, when it comes to calcium, where it ends up is what counts. Not how much you have.

Below are some tips to support healthy bones without risking a heart attack.

Get Calcium From Food First

Good food sources for calcium include;

Sardines
Salmon with soft bones
Green leafy vegetables
Broccoli
Dried beans and peas
Sesame seeds
Dairy for those who can tolerate it

Limit Calcium Supplements To 500 mg Daily

Take Vitamin K2

You can take up to 300 mcg daily of MK-7. In foods, K2 is found in natto (a fermented soy product), gouda and edam cheese. In addition, butter from grass fed cows.

Take Vitamin D If You Need It

It’s safe to take 1000 IUs of vitamin D daily and some people need 50,000 IUs weekly. Before taking high doses of D, you should get your levels tested and work with a physician. Supplemental D should be in the D3 (cholecalciferol) form. Not the D2 (ergocalciferol) form. Also, you should have your levels checked every year or two. Learn how K2 + Vitamin D boosts your immune system.

Click here to read, Top 5 Natural Flu Busters !

Get Adequate Magnesium

Magnesium helps to convert vitamin D to it’s active form. A deficiency exacerbates inappropriate calcification, so you’ll end up with more calcium getting in your soft tissues. You especially need magnesium if you take a proton pump inhibitor for acid reflux.

Click here for more information about the importance of magnesium!

Final Thoughts

When it comes to bone health, Vitamin K2 is the nutrient you want to pay the most attention to. Calcium is only good if it is aimed appropriately. K2 is the bow that shoots the calcium arrow into the bone.

Mrs. Annette Presley, RD

Annette Presley RD, LD, is a functional nutritionist, author, speaker, and entrepreneur. She enjoys helping people live their lives well so they can stay out of hospitals and spend more time with their families and doing the things they love.

www.annettepresley.com

Ditch Soda Altogether, Diet or Not

July 22, 2020April 20, 2017 by Jo-Anne Richardson, RHN

Although the label on a diet soda may indicate that it is a healthier version of its full sugar counterpart, when you look at the studies on how diet soda impacts your health, you’ll be thinking twice before indulging again.

First things first…this post is not a debate as to which soda product to consume.

Regardless of the type of soda that you may be consuming, I want to be clear that consuming this product raises very significant health concerns.

Soda of any kind is highly acidic and can contribute to tooth decay as well as affect the pH of the body. Consuming a diet that is high in processed foods and beverages creates an acidic environment in the body, which creates imbalances in the body. To counteract the acidity of the body, calcium can be leached from bones and teeth to raise the pH closer to neutral.

Living in a state of acidity also allows for diseases to form in the body including cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, just to name a few.

This message is directed at those people that drink diet pop and truly believe that they are doing their body a service by not indulging in the more sugar-laden stuff. So, let’s get down to the nitty gritty on how drinking diet soda can specifically negatively effect your health and future wellbeing.

Tooth Decay

If you are concerned with keeping your pearly whites in good condition, then ditching your soda habits is imperative. The acidity from the pop eats away at the enamel and can cause tooth decay. Imagine how your teeth would hold up if submerged in battery acid. Well, the acidity of pop (pH of 2.5) isn’t far off from that of battery acid (pH of 1). Remember back to high school chemistry class that water is neutral with a pH of 7. With a pH of 2.5, there is no wonder that pop can wreak havoc on our body so quickly.

Cardiovascular Disease

As if there aren’t enough, lifestyle factors that can trigger the development of cardiovascular disease without a beverage that is marketed as “diet” and “sugar-free” to confuse consumers. Do yourself a favour and remove all sodas from your diet. The consumption of diet pop has been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Weight issues

Like many “diet” products that don’t help you to lose weight magically, the same is true of diet soda. The artificial sugars in soda also trigger insulin to be released, much like regular pop does, and initiates fat storage in the body. The best options are to replace pop with water and herbal teas.

Kidney Damage

Think of your kidneys as a filter responsible for cleaning out unwanted substances and excess fluid in your body and releasing it as urine. Now imagine what happens to a filter when it is full of “junk.”

It is believed that the sweeteners (“junk”) used in diet pop cause kidney function to decline with regular consumption of diet pop.

Now that you have the lowdown on diet pop, steer clear of it and any other beverage masking itself as “diet” or “sugar-free.”

Jo-Anne Richardson, RHN

Jo-Anne Richardson has almost a decade of experience managing a chiropractic office and educating patients on how chiropractic can allow your body to express optimal health. She is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and holds a Degree in Communications. She loves to experiment with raw vegan recipes, loves to salsa dance, travel and learn new holistic health information to share tips with everyone who visits the office.

Are You Still Consuming Dairy Products? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Be!

July 22, 2020January 16, 2017 by Jo-Anne Richardson, RHN

Are you a big fan of dairy milk? Did you know that humans are the only species that drink milk past infancy? Also, we are the only species to drink the milk of another animal – that grows to be 1500 pounds!!

If you are still drinking cow’s milk, it’s time to ask yourself two question. Firstly, are you a calf? Secondly, are you aiming to grow to 1500 pounds?

Dairy milk is specifically designed to nourish a baby cow. It contains all of the nutrients necessary to grow a calf into a healthy, 1500 pound adult cow. The same is true for human breast milk. It is perfectly designed to nourish a developing infant.

Dairy milk contains proteins that are much larger than those in human breast milk. As such, it is very difficult for humans to break it down effectively. Because of this, our body identifies dairy milk as an invader in our system. So in response, our bodies go into defensive mode. Dairy sensitivities and allergies can then develop which can wreak havoc on your immune system long term.

Common Dairy Misconception: But If I Don’t Drink Milk, Where Will I Get My Calcium?

The dairy industry has done an excellent job marketing milk to “protect your bones”. Assigning it as the go-to substance to fulfill your daily requirements for calcium. Studies have reported higher contents of calcium circulating in the blood stream after drinking milk. However, what these studies fail to illustrate is the source of where the calcium came from.

Milk creates a very acidic residue inside the body. In order to maintain a healthy pH internally, it must be buffered immediately by an alkaline balance. Your body’s response to this acidic effect (caused by ingesting milk) is to release calcium stored inside your bones. This will buffer the acidic levels and bring them back to a safe reading.

So, yes. After drinking milk, there is more calcium in your bloodstream. However, this is only because your body had to release it from its own storage inside your bones. For more information on bone health, click here to read, “Calcium without Vitamin K2 is a Heart Breaker”.

So Where Will I Get My Calcium?

Where do cows get their calcium? Greens! It is much easier for your body to break down and assimilate nutrients from fruit and vegetables. Especially compared to breaking down dense, heavy foods like meat and dairy products. Include the following in your diet for great sources of calcium that your body can easily use.

For some great ‘green’ recipes, click here to read, “Happy St. Patrick’s Day Recipes”.

Important Tip:

Focus on magnesium if you are worried about your bone health and calcium levels. The majority of adults are deficient in magnesium. As a result, serious health issues may develop. Having excessive amounts of calcium in the body, while having a deficiency in magnesium, can lead to the following according to Dr. Mercola:

Heart disease
Problems with your heart muscle spasming
Sudden heart attack

Be sure you are getting enough magnesium. Eat your green leafy veggies, beans, nuts, seeds, and avocados.