I agree that the study about the keto diet is too small to draw any firm conclusions – just really something to think about for anyone who is considering going keto. It’s not a diet that I favor anyway, I personally follow a modified Mediterranean diet. (“Modified” means tweaked in whatever ways fit my personal preference). And just from a logical standpoint, I would have questioned whether a ketogenic approach would be appropriate for my goals.
I didn’t know that about prunes - I love them. I buy a jar of those St. Dalfour ones fairly frequently. Pretty high in sugar, but good. I definitely couldn’t do a keto diet either.
The keto diet works for some that need to loose a lot of weight. But feel like it’s unhealthy long term (and a nutritional I talked to feels same… with Atkinson even worse). The trick for people who use them seems to be keeping the weight off when transitioning back to more normal eating habits.
“be sure to take vit D with some fat.” - That an interesting tidbit. I take my calcium (500mg calcium + D) at breakfast, usually a low fat meal. Then multivitamin (incl 300mg calcium +D) at dinner. I separate them because the doctor said too much calcium at once won’t get absorbed. Perhaps I should swap that.
Good progress for me - over past 7 days food tracking, I had about 700mg calcium from food. The average in prior months had been 440mg.
I am really bad at keeping up my calcium intake and Vit D. I have osteopenia and slightly low Vit D levels. I’ve never drank milk and I don’t eat a lot of dairy. I also don’t eat sardines or calcium fortified foods. I eat some dark leafy greens but not enough. I’ve always been bad about taking vitamins and supplements. This thread is a good reminder that I need to pay more attention and pull the calcium supplement out of the cupboard.
I have added more dark leafy vegetables (especially in salads) but that only puts a dent in the daily requirement.
Just found something interesting - COOKED VEGGIES PROVIDE MORE CALCIUM
from https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/get_calcium_and_vitamin_d_by_growing_and_eating_vegetables_and_fruit
“Cooking vegetables usually always increases the amount of calcium available in the vegetable for the body to absorb, and this difference can be big. For example, cooked spinach has 245 mg/cup of calcium, while raw spinach only has 30mg/cup! Keep in mind, raw vegetables can be higher in other nutrients than cooked versions (e.g., raw spinach has three times as much vitamin C than when that same amount is cooked). Eating a varied diet that includes both raw and cooked vegetables is a good way to ensure intake of needed nutrients.”
Hmmm… maybe not all that interesting - spinach really “cooks down”, so you need many cups of raw to get 1c cooked.
Sardines are easy for me - they’ve been a favorite since childhood when my mom (and sometimes grandparents) made me sardine sandwiches.
I totally get how some people, like my husband, can’t even deal with the smell. For many years I just avoided them, in consideration of him. Now I like to have them on salads at lunch, ideally when he is not in the kitchen. I rinse the can to keep the garbage smell from annoying him.
Have seen those Costco sardines, but they scare me, never have eaten any sardines - mmmmmmm thanks for motivating me to try.
Do they taste like anchovies ( which I like)
Also, @colorado_mom the cardiologist said that he had been taking the vit d with low fat breakfast, and needed to add some fat into his meal or take later.
I will eat sardines, straight out of the can or on salad or on a cracker. Sometimes I crave them. Other times I could go a while without eating them.
I hate drinking cold milk but I like lattes. Love cooked spinach and other greens but it is hard to get enough calcium.
I have used the vitamin D drops and I liked them. I don’t see the drops I got before so I have some capsules.
I would love to lie out in the sun to get some D but I worry about skin cancer.
This is from memory, since I don’t remember to buy them more often. I love anchovies as well. I think sardines are closer to a “regular” fish, like a sole or a trout. Anchovies are saltier.
Sprats. Many “sardines” and “anchovies” are actually sprats. Riga Smoked Sprats are Mr. B’s favs. Our cats go bananas when he opens a can. Me - not so much.
Well I’ll be darned… I happened to get about 1200 mg calcium today via FOOD sources. (That was good because I am out of calcium supplements, waiting for a mailorder shipment).
Here were the major CALCIUM contributors:
Breakfast: 1/2c cottage cheese (87mg)
Lunch: Amy’s frozen palak paneer (170mg)
Dinner: 3c spring greens (90mg), 1 can sardines (250mg), 1 oz cheddar (210mg)
Snack: 1.5oz Nutrition nut mix (76mg), 1/2c greek yogurt (175mg) … with blackberries
