Day 8 – Raw Vegan Calcium and Chocolate Pudding Popsicles

After protein, another popular concern of the omnivore community is the amount of calcium vegans consume. Let me start by saying that milk actually causes bone loss.

All this time you’ve been drinking milk because you were told it’s good for your bones. However, Osteoporosis is most common in cultures that consume the most animal foods because dairy products are ultra-acidic in our bloodstream. Our bodies have to maintain a neutral pH and to do that, our body takes whatever resources are available. This means that when our bloodstream is highly acidic, our body will leech calcium from our bones to balance the pH. And so, drinking milk actually causes bone loss.

All animal and dairy products create an acidic environment in our blood and lead to bone loss. While we are on the topic, some other calcium leechers include caffeine, sugar, soda, and alcohol.

Dairy cows feed on stored grains that are laced with hormones and antibiotics. It’s cheaper to feed cows foods they aren’t meant to eat mixed with antibiotics that allow them to digest it “properly” than it is just to feed them what mother nature intended. (Similar to the attitude many people have towards their own nutrition.) Dairy farmers in the US use Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormones (rBGH) to boost their cows’ growth rates and body mass. These hormones and antibiotics are passed into the milk people drink in concentrated amounts. And of course, all these poisons lead to an increased risk of cancer. rBGH is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer and hormonal disorders in humans who drink milk.

The idea that dairy products are healthy is not because of scientific research, but because of pure marketing hype and cultural myth. No other species drinks milk outside of infancy and never outside of their own species.

So where do vegans get their calcium? Well, where does a cow get hers?
We get our raw vegan calcium from plants – just like a cow. All leafy green vegetables and grasses are high in calcium, as are celery, cauliflower, onions, green beans, avocado, almonds, hazelnuts, and sesame seeds.

All this calcium talk makes me want some of my favorite dairy product – ice cream, and raw ice cream I made! Jason told me these were too good to be healthy, but I swear, they are!

Chocolate Pudding Popsicles
makes 4

2-3 bananas
3 Tbs dessicated coconut
2 Tbsp cacao powder
2 Tbsp macadamia butter

• Blend all ingredients until pureed.
• Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

These are seriously good. They remind me of the Jello-O Pudding Pops I ate as a kid : )