I haven't kept up with the current offerings, but I notice that the topic rarely comes up on this forum any more, so I wonder why they have lost popularity. For all I know their ingredient lists have all shifted too far toward the health food side, and none of them are safe anymore. I recall that Gorilla Bars were once suggested by someone here, but when I look at their ingredient lists now, the lists are ridiculously long and contain all sorts of "healthy" ingredients that are definitely not "healthy" for us. As a rule of thumb (for MC patients), any processed food that contains more than about 5 ingredients should probably be avoided.
Is anyone reading this aware of any safe (and tasty) snack bars?
My advice reminds me of Dr. Kenneth Fine, the founder of EnteroLab. He has MC himself, and he developed what was arguably the first successful treatment for MC (the Pepto-Bismol treatment), and for many years he recommended that every MC patient should take a good probiotic. But when pressed for a suggested brand, he never could name one, because he couldn't find one that worked well for very many people. The one that he used just made most patients sicker. IOW, it boils down to unintentionally recommending something that sounds good, but doesn't actually exist.
Maybe. Are you using any Almond Milk, or any other nut milk substitute for cow's milk? They all contain at least as much calcium as cow's milk. All cereals are fortified with calcium and so are a few other foods. It's actually rather rare to find someone who doesn't have enough calcium in their diet. It doesn't take much, as long as plenty magnesium and vitamin D are available because with plenty of magnesium and vitamin D, absorption and utilization of the calcium in your diet will be very high. If magnesium and vitamin D are in short supply though, most or all of the calcium in your diet will either be wasted and discarded, or it may end up clogging arteries or being deposited in joints (bursitis), or precipitating out as kidney stones for future misery. I can only guess of course, but I have a hunch that the RDA for calcium was developed using data for a group of subjects who probably had a magnesium and/or vitamin D deficiency, simply because most people in this country do indeed have either a magnesium or vitamin D deficiency or both. If they hadn't had a magnesium or vitamin D deficiency, their calcium needs would have been far lower.Jumpindogs wrote:It strikes me that I should also take a calcium supplement since I am no longer eating any dairy or spinach and that is where I was getting my calcium. Does that make sense?
My point is that a little calcium can go a long way as long as there is plenty magnesium and vitamin D. Yes, spinach contains calcium, but its bioavailability is poor. Look at the table of food sources of calcium on the National Institutes of Health website. Note that in terms of the % Daily Value, virtually all of the foods traditionally considered to be great sources of calcium really don't contain all that much calcium unless relatively high volumes of those foods are consumed. But look at fortified cereals. Some brands contain 100 % of the daily calcium needs in just 1 cup. And when you add in Almond Milk, the total calcium content is far above normal needs. I'm sure that one of the reasons why I have trouble absorbing enough magnesium is because I eat a bowl of Rice or Corn Chex with Almond Milk on most days, and all that calcium uses up a lot of magnesium. But my bones are probably as strong as an ox. I'm getting (and absorbing) way more calcium than I need.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calci ... fessional/
That said, yes, if you are not ingesting at least the RDA for calcium, then a supplement might be helpful. I've never taken a calcium supplement, but many members here have had good luck with Caltrate + D. But be sure to take enough magnesium (or use magnesium oil or Epsom salts) along with it, or the benefits will be short-lived.
Many of us here use Doctor's Best Chelated magnesium (magnesium glycinate). It's absorbed better and less likely to cause diarrhea problems than most other types of magnesium. Another member here recently wrote me to say that after years of all sorts of health problems due to a magnesium deficiency, she finally resolved her problems and is doing great after using a product that I was unaware of. I thought that she was going to post about it, but so far she hasn't (unless I missed it). The compound is picometer-sized magnesium, IOW it's extremely small particles of magnesium.
With most magnesium compounds, we are only able to absorb a relatively small fraction of the amount of magnesium in the product. Some are more absorbable than others. But the more we take, the smaller the percentage that we actually absorb, and whatever we do not absorb remains in our intestines to cause diarrhea if the dose is large enough. That's why I recommend spreading out magnesium intake at various times during the day (such as at mealtime). if you decide to try picometer magnesium however, be careful because it is apparently extremely absorbable, and an overdose of magnesium can be as bad or worse than a deficiency, and the symptoms can be similar. I haven't tried this product yet, but you can read about it at Dr. Carolyn Dean's website if you are interested:
http://drcarolyndean.com/2012/09/pico-ionic-magnesium/
Personally, I wouldn't consider taking a bisphosphonate because of the significant health risks associated with their use. They scare me to death. I don't understand how a doctor could prescribe them with a clear conscience. They guarantee that the patient will end up with more dead, brittle bone than they started with because they absolutely prevent any formation or growth of new bone tissue. That's very unhealthy, to say the least.
You're most welcome,
Tex
