What about my calcium and vitamin D??

I've been having some people asking me with concerns about not getting enough of the right vitamins, minerals and nutrients on the Paleo diet. Most concerns are leaning toward the need for Vitamin D and calcium. Lets consider for a minute what we're eating and why.

We are eating a diet that we are genetically adapted for. As paleolitic eaters we don’t worry about the low carb, sugar free, crap, and we don’t worry about quantity, we worry about the quality of the food. We eat meats, vegys, fruits and *clean fats; whole, solid foods. Avoid processed products, if you can’t find it in nature, pick it and eat, it’s not in this meal plan. No foods with added sugar or added sugar subsitiutes, as well as chemicals, nitrates, or dextrose products. We eat protein provide by animal product because they are the only food source with all essential amino acids. No soy (too much estrogen and missing essential amino acids), no liquid protein. *We eat clean, healthy fats like monounsaturated found in olive oils, and avacados, or healthy polyunsaturated fats like omega 3’s. We use vegys and fruits to provide our body with its needed carbohydrates. All in the effort to have gradual rises in blood sugar, decreased disease risks, increased stamina, energy and overall health.

Meat: Provides our protein. This must be animal meat. As we say, “anything with a face on it”. Why? Solid animal protein increase your metabolism (while you’re digesting it) and slows your appetite (by making you feel full longer). (The leaner the meat the faster the body will drop the unnecessary stored fat.)

Mostly vegys and some fruit. Our main source of carbs. Why: They are high in vitamins, minerals, nutrients, antioxidants and fiber, we avoiding the higher glycemic index foods that spike blood sugar levels (like wheats and grains). The vegys and fruits will help normalize blood glucose and insulin levels, promote weight loss, slow/prevent bone density loss (osteoporosis), and energize you.

“But aren’t we missing many essential nutrients and vitamins that we should be getting from grains?” NO! Why: If you eat a varied diet of the above food you will exceed government Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA’s) for your body. Please remember RDA's is the minimal amount the government thinks is necessary.
Below is an example of a paleo days worth of food (using a 25 year old women RDA’s).
Breakfast: salmon (12 oz), ½ cantaloupe
Lunch: shrimp spinach/vegy salad (spinach, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, olive oil based
dressing)
Dinner: 2 pork chops, 2 C broccoli, ½ C blueberries, some almonds
Snack: 1 pork chop some more almonds
2200 calories

Nutrient...................... daily intake....................% of RDA being consumed
Protein.......................... 190.0 g........................ 379%
Carbs............................. 142 g............................. -
Fat................................. 108 g ............................-
Saturated fat.................21. g..............................-
Monounsaturated fat ..54 g..............................-
Polyunsaturated fat ....21 g .............................-
Omega 3’s fat ..............6.7 g .............................-

Water-soluble vitamins
Thiamin (b1) ...............4.6 mg .........................417%
Riboflavin (b2) ............3.6 mg ........................281 %
Niacin (b3) ..................56.2 mg ......................374%
Pyridoxine (b6) ..........5.9 mg ........................369%
Cobalamin (b12) .........10.3 microg ...............513%
Biotin ............................113 microg ................174%
Folate ...........................911 microg ................506%
Pantothenic acid .........11.5 mg .....................209%
Vitamin C ....................559 mg ......................932%

Fat-soluble vitamins
Vitamin A ...................6861. RE ......................858%
Vitamin D ...................0 microg ......................0%
Vitamin E ....................26.5 mg .......................331%
Vitamin K ....................945 microg .................1454%

Macro minerals
Sodium ........................813 mg .......................-
Potassium ...................8555 ..........................-
Calcium .......................890 mg .....................111%
Phosphorus .................2308 mg ..................289%
Magnesium ..................685 mg ...................245%

Trace minerals
Iron ..............................21.5 mg ....................143%
Zinc ..............................19.8 mg .....................165%
Copper .........................3.5 mg ......................155%
Manganese ..................6.4 mg ......................181%
Selenium ......................147 mg .....................267%
Dietary fiber ................47 g ..........................-
Beta-carotene ..............3583 microg ...........-

Every nutrient except vitamin D, has exceeded the range for recommended amounts. So let’s learn a little about Vitamin D. It occurs in trace quanities in natural foods, and larger quanities in marina mammals and fish liver oils. The need for Vitamin D is very small, you can get most of it from the sun. “Vitamin D’s major biologic function in humans is to maintain serum calcium and phosphorus concentrations within the normal range by enhancing the efficiency of the small intestine to absorb these minerals from the diet.” (National Agricultural library, Article 7, Vitamin D) Which basically means it allows our body to absorb calcium to keep our bones and tissues healthy. “ …but its major influence is in the jejunum and ileum.” (the lower intestine) “When dietary calcium intake is inadequate to satisfy the body’s calcium.” Meaning it’s major function is to aid the body in absorbtion when you aren’t eating enough calcium. As you can see above, this paleo eater, is getting 111% of her recommended daily allowance of calcium. So where do we get Vitamin D if not from food, the sun. According to the FDA, “Throughout the world, the major source of vitamin D for humans is the exposure of the skin to sunlight.” If the Vitamin D is a concern for you there is always supplement available, or cod liver oil. Considering most, if not all of the vitamin D americans digest is added into the product, such as milk and juice, it's not going to make any difference if you take the vitamin in a supplement and increase your health and fitness by eating clean.