Ask the Nutritionist: Calcium Supplements, Yes, No, WTF?

Got questions about healthy eating and nutrition? Well, today starts a new feature at Cranky Fitness: Ask the Nutritionist! It could also rightfully be called "Ask the Dietitian," since both the contributors are RD's. I almost did call it that, but then decided to play it safe in case either of these two knowledgeable and articulate experts figures out what a silly blog this is and decides to bail.  What if I need to find someone new and have to cast a wider net?  No certification, but pretty darn sensible! Plus, half the time I spell it "Dietitian" and the other half "Dietician" and that was driving me kinda crazy. Anyway, so today's topic is calcium supplements.  Used to be simple, right? If you weren't getting tons o' dairy, and especially if you were female, you were supposed to take 'em. And my doctor still says I should, and studies are confusing. But even Jane Brody of the New York Times, not exactly known for going out on a limb with controversial advice, points out the risks of calcium supplementation, which include a higher likelihood of heart attacks and strokes. So what's the deal? Since Crabby is incapable of keeping things simple, by say, asking "should you take calcium supplements if you don't eat a lot of dairy?"... please stand by for a long-ass compound question: What are the best strategies for non-dairy calcium? Studies seem to suggest calcium supplementation has risks. Yet many folks are avoiding dairy either due to all...
Source: Cranky Fitness - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Source Type: blogs