One of the key strategies I recommend to reduce your Endometriosis symptoms is to remove dairy from your diet (read more about why here). But for most of us, dairy is our main source of calcium in our diets, and you may be worried that without dairy, you won’t get enough calcium.

So in this article I’ll explain the importance of calcium and how to still get plenty of this important mineral from your diet even if you don’t have diary.

Let’s start with why we need calcium.

You probably know that it is a key mineral for bones, and not just for children who are still growing. Bone tissue is constantly renewing and for that your body needs a constant supply of calcium. But it is also needed for muscle function (it helps the muscles to contract), nerve function, blood clotting and regulating blood pressure.

Calcium from your diet gets stored in your bones and teeth. And when you’re not getting enough calcium from your diet, vitamin D gets activated to stimulate your gut to absorb more calcium from your diet. Your kidneys also start to reabsorb calcium and that triggers your body to start releasing more from your bones. That can’t go on for long of course.

So it is crucial that your diet provides you with all you need of this important mineral.

Now when we look at food sources, we need to look at how much calcium they contain, how easy your body absorbs it from the food and what other foods may interfere with absorption.

There are many non-dairy foods that are high in calcium: tinned fish with bones in, such as sardines and salmon; lentils and beans; dark green leafy vegetables, including Asian leafy vegetables; almonds; sesame seeds; parsley; and globe artichokes. A somewhat odd but excellent source is eggshells. Cleaned and pulverised it can be added to smoothies, sauces, and stews to really up your calcium intake.

But just because a food is high in calcium doesn’t mean all of it gets absorbed. The bioavailability is from foods like broccoli, cauliflower, watercress, Brussels sprouts, kale and bok choy is actually higher than dairy: 50% compared to 30%!

The third factor that impacts how much calcium you get from your diet is that some foods make it more difficult for your gut to absorb it:

• Food that contain phytates, such as nuts and seeds
• Foods that contain oxalates, such as beetroot, rhubarb, spinach, and sweet potatoes
• Foods high in phosphorus, such as Brazil nuts, tuna, dried fruits, and corn.

Now, please don’t stop eating these foods! They contain important nutrients. But don’t each them in large amounts, and try not to eat meals that have a range of them together with foods high in calcium.

A fourth key factor in managing your calcium levels is vitamin D, which is needed to absorb it in the gut. Most women with Endometriosis are vitamin D deficient, so make sure you get plenty of sunshine (read more about Vitamin D here).

Perhaps, by now you’re thinking this is all too complicated, why not just take a supplement, and I’ll just take a high dose and be done with it. Before you run out to buy a some over the counter or online, you need to know a few things.

Firstly, calcium functions in tandem with magnesium so you need one with both. Secondly, what the calcium is bound to is important for absorption. There are many different compounds used for binding, but the best absorbed that gives the least gut irritation is calcium carbonate. And the third thing to consider is dosage. Many supplements come in a high dosage and seem convenient but don’t actually give you enough. A lower dose, 300mg with each meal is much more efficient.

Removing dairy from your diet doesn’t mean you can’t get enough calcium. Add lots of leafy green vegetables to all your meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and only eating small amounts of the foods that make absorption more difficult.

Would you like to have personal chat about your Endometriosis and how nutrition can help you to reduce the severity of your symptoms? Book a free Endometriosis SOS Call now!