Replacement oestrogen can give relief of hot flashes, drenching perspiration, vaginal dryness, and have a major protective effect against cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women — an important consideration in this age group.

*53\114\2*

*5\114\2*

Tofu. 3.5 0Z (100g) will provide about 500mg of calcium. Discovered in China over 2000 years ago, tofu (sometimes called bean curd or bean cake), is the world’s most popular soya bean food, serving as a key source of good quality calcium for more than a quarter of the population of the globe, in regions where eating dairy products is not customary. Tofu has only been available in Western health-food stores in the last few years, and more recently in supermarkets. It is easily digested and can safely be eaten by small babies; vegetarians accept it, dieters can reduce calories with it, it is low-sodium and completely free of cholesterol. Serve tofu dishes with wholegrain breads, rice or pasta to complement the protein.

What does it taste like? The taste of tofu changes slightly the longer it is stored. Very fresh, it has a subtle delicate flavour that needs to be well seasoned; older tofu picks up flavours from the other ingredients in your recipes.

Tofu is derived from soya milk curds to which a solidifier has been added, usually gypsum (calcium sulphate) or Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate), similar to the way rennet is added to cow’s milk to make cheese. Tofu curds are spooned into moulds to be pressed and cooled. If tofu is not available in the shops in your part of the world, you could produce it yourself if you like gardening, have a space for a patch of soya beans, and the time to devote to tofu making.

Tofu keeps for about a week in its original carton in the refrigerator, but after opening it should be rinsed well, placed in another container, fresh water added and covered. Change the water daily. Tofu can be used to make creamy dips and dressings, as a substitute for all or part of the meat in minced meat recipes, and can substitute for cream cheese, cottage cheese or ricotta. For more information on this calcium-rich food, read The Magic of Tofu by Jane O’Brien (Thorsons).

Soya milk. Derived from cooked soya beans pulped in water and sieved, a V4 pint (150ml) of soya milk has only 8mg of calcium, far below that of cow’s milk, but look for calcium-fortified soya milk, preferably unsweetened. It needs refrigeration like cow’s milk and has about the same shelf-life, so it can turn sour unless handled with care. Soya milk powder is also available in health-food stores and some supermarkets.

Baby formulas may also be based on soya milk, with good amounts of calcium, easily digestible by all ages (but check with your paediatrician before giving soya milk to a premature baby).

*42\114\2*

If, on the other hand, the water seems ‘hard’, it might be giving you up to 100 mg of calcium per quart (litre), in those dissolved minerals. If you decide to have a household water softener, or a water-purifying system for drinking water, remember that such systems can remove valuable calcium as well as magnesium from the water. Check with your dealer. Softeners may also increase the sodium content of water by up to 300 mg per quart (litre), so drinking softened water is not recommended.

*29\114\2*

There is overuse of mineral oil or liquid paraffin, widely used in nursing homes and by the elderly: as little as 4 teaspoons of mineral oil twice daily is sufficient to reduce the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K and can also cause side effects with other drugs.

While fibre in your diet can be a blessing for relieving constipation, preventing diverticulitis and lowering blood cholesterol, too much bran fibre can be detrimental, increasing your loss of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and zinc. The bran from the outer husks of cereals such as wheat and oats contains phytates that interfere with calcium absorption.

Alpha cellulose (wood pulp or finely-ground sawdust) has lately been added by some food manufacturer to bread, rolls and biscuits, to increase fibre content. But wood pulp fibre has no nutritive value, and no one knows what the long-range effects of eating it will be. There could be loss of essential nutrients if you are eating many foods containing cellulose at the expense of good nutrition from other foods.

Ask yourself if you really are constipated. ‘Regularity’ can be defined as perhaps a twice-daily bowel movement for some people, and twice-weekly for others. Know what is ‘normal’ for you, to avoid laxative dependence. Doctors agree that constipation is frequently overemphasized, fostered by the manufacturers of laxative products, and older people become too concerned with the importance of having a bowel movement each day. This is a myth. Another fallacy is that wastes stored in the body are absorbed, are dangerous to health, or shorten life span. The huge sales of laxatives are based on these false beliefs.

But if you are unused to taking large quantities of milk or calcium supplements, they can be constipating, as can drugs such as pain medications, antidepressants, antacids containing aluminium or calcium, antihistamines, diuretics, anti-Parkinsonism drugs, anticonvulsants for epilepsy and iron supplements. Travel, prolonged bed-rest and certain hormonal disturbances such as an underactive thyroid gland can produce constipation, and it is well known that pregnancy can cause it. Injuries to the spinal cord and tumours pressing on the spinal cord may produce constipation by affecting the nerves that lead to the intestine.

To tone up your system without using harsh laxatives, try to get more exercise, more liquids (unless suffering from certain kidney or heart diseases), and a change in diet. Avoid the heavy use of convenience foods or soft processed foods that are low in fibre.

High-fibre food should be a necessary part of your daily meals, but used in moderation without going to extremes, as excessive quantities can cause harm, by putting you at risk of poor mineral absorption. How much dietary fibre we each need is still not certain, and estimates range between 25 and 50 grams per day. An ideal amount allows for proper absorption of minerals, vitamins and other food nutrients, while giving normal bowel movements. Although meat may look fibrous, dietary fibre is found in foodstuffs from plants and not from animals – preferably from generous portions of whole fruits (including skins), vegetables, legumes (beans and peas, for instance) and wholewheat breads rather than bran. There are about 9 grams of fibre in 0.5 cup serving of beans or peas; about 5 grams of fibre in 0.5 to 0.75 A cup of cooked vegetables or 1 oz (30 g) of raw nuts; about 3 grams of fibre in a medium-sized fruit, in 2 tablespoons of wholegrain breakfast cereals or two slices of wholewheat bread.

*18\114\2*