A Common Misconception about Milk and Calcium
One of the wonderful, but sometimes confusing, things about the human body is that it is more complicated than it is made to seem. For example, if you read the label or see the advertisements, an unsuspecting person might assume that their body would obtain 25% of the calcium it needs by drinking a cup of milk.

Milk, like many other “foods” has other aspects (beyond what is written on the neat little label) that actually inhibit the successful absorption of the body. This means, milk is essentially worthless for those who are drinking it for strong, healthy bones! Crazy, I know. This is a surprise for many people, and it is hidden by the dairy industry.

In order to use the calcium we ingest, we must also ingest similar amounts of magnesium. Magnesium and calcium are a great pair -- have them together and your body is much more able to use the calcium. There is very little magnesium in milk.

Green, Leafy Vegetables: Nature's #1 Source for Calcium
Green, Leafy Vegetables contain lots of both calcium and magnesium. Because calcium needs magnesium to work with it, this is a wonderful food made by nature to give us strong bones. Green smoothies are a great way to get your greens in easily and regularly.

Other raw sources of calcium
Here they are, in approximate order of highest to lowest amounts of calcium per ounce: Sesame seeds or sesame tahini, flax seeds, broccoli, almonds, seaweed, figs, mung beans, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, macadamia nuts, prunes, raisins, sunflower seeds.

Calcium's Friends: Magnesium and Vitamin D
The best source for Vitamin D is FREE! It's the sun. Enjoying one hour per day in the sun, without sunscreen, gives the human body as much Vitamin D as it needs. Magnesium can be found in green, leafy vegetables, as well as bananas, avocados, beans, nuts and seeds. By making sure to eat enough magnesium and enjoy sunlight during the day, the calcium we eat can be utilized much more effectively to produce or maintain strong, healthy bones.