srisky

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Sophie, I didn't mean to suggest you (or anyone) recommended excluding dairy! Apologies if it came across that way; it was just a well meant caveat at the end of my post. I don't have a strong opinion about what milk or how much to give a child over 1y, in fact I hadn't given it any thought until this thread came up.

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Ok, thanks! Sorry, not down with the mobile phone politics.

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Neither, just using them as an example. I'm actually out of contract but want to keep my current network and number. However, there are better deals through third parties than from the network provider, itself (Orange).

Fair enough, littleEDfamily. I certainly didn't mean to imply that you advised anyone to give up dairy and I agree that a dietician would be better than a GP but often you have to go through the GP (or some other specialist) to be referred onto a dietician. I just wanted clarify your statement 'There is no way we would see the rates of osteoporosis we see in the West...'. Obviously, nothing is a wonder food, hence the need for a balanced diet. Good luck with your bone scan.

littleEDfamily Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Agree wholeheartedly!!! There is no way we would > see the rates of osteoporosis we see in the West > if the calcium in the vast quantities of dairy we > tend to consume actually did our bones the good > they say it does. > I'm sorry but that's really simplistic and not very accurate. Osteoporosis is a multifactorial condition affected by exercise, diet (protein intake), lifestyle (smoking, alcohol), medications etc. For example, you could eat calcium enriched foods all day, everyday but if you don't do enough weight bearing exercise then your body doesn't see the need for it and it doesn't get laid down in your bones. An extreme example would be astronauts (obviously at the peak of physical health) who are provided with nutriously complete meals, which have been extensively researched by very clever scientists. However, the lack of gravity means there is no weight bearing and they return from expeditions with osteoprotic bones and atrophied muscles etc. As with many conditions, it is not enough just to address one factor and ignore all the others. So, just eating plenty of calcium enriched foods is not going to reduce your risk of osteoporosis, as people in the West are finding out. For anyone planning to exclude all dairy from their diet (and especially your child's) I would strongly advise consulting a medical professional (GP, dietician) to ensure that you are fully informed about achieving a balanced diet from other food sources.

Oh wise ones of EDF, do I need a PAC number to keep my number when changing to a different plan on the same network but via a third party? Eg, if changing from one vodafone plan to another via Carphone Warehouse.

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Yes, thanks Sophie. Another question: - how well is calcium, within the food items you've listed, absorbed? For example, how much sweet potato would you need to eat to absorb the same amount of calcium as from 200ml of cow's milk? I ask this, as spinach has good amount of iron and, in some cases more iron than some animal sources, but it's not absorbed nearly as well as iron from meat/fish.

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They probably (I could be wrong) would have made a supply of masala in advance - that is not in anyway implying that it's unfresh, a shortcut or not the real deal. It's common practice in Indian homes to make up a large quantity of various masalas (tea, chicken curry etc) and use it as and when instead of making a small quantity each time. Making the tea, even with the masala prepared in advance, takes 20mins or so. Either way, as long as it's not a masala tea bag!

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Masala tea bags are insipid! ETA: you can buy the masala spice mix from most Indian food shops if you wanted to make the tea at home - into a saucepan add one mug of milk, half a mug of water, a teaspoon of masala (add more if you want it spicier) and one tea bag. Bring to the boil and then simmer until the desired strength is reached. Strain into a mug and add sugar (optional but does enhance the flavour).

Sophie, I'm intrigued! I understand that cow's milk is designed for the digestive system of cows but it raises a few questions (genuine): - does this extend to all dairy products? If so, what would the alternate source of calcium be? If not, why not? - what foods are actually meant for the human digestive tract? Or, are you saying that if solid dairy products are part of the child's balanced diet then there is no need to add a glass of milk in the morning and evening?

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