- Jul
- 25
Calcium—It's What's for Dinner (and Dessert and Breakfast)
Posted by Guest Blogger at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me how I get my calcium after I ditched dairy products—well, I could have ditched school a long time ago too.
When we're bombarded with commercials of adorable kids who pull apart grilled cheese sandwiches as their seemingly only source of the bone-building mineral and "Got this or that?" billboard and magazine ads, it's easy to see why family and friends are concerned when you drop the "V" bomb: You've gone vegan.
While I never tire of knowing that so many people care about my health, it's even better to know how much my body doesn't miss cow's milk. In fact, not one of my "brittle" vegan bones has broken yet. Not one! But that's probably because I eat from this list of great foods that have more calcium per serving than milk does.
Some statistics before I break out the list: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that everyone get about 1,000 milligrams of the bone-building stuff every day. Regular milk has roughly about 300 milligrams per cup, which is 30 percent of your daily value. Check out this list of foods and drinks that pack a bigger calcium punch* and don't involve any cruelty, hormones, antibiotics, or pus.
Pair any of these with a cup of soymilk and you've got an added 300 milligrams (notice that milk and soymilk have about the same amount of calcium):
6 ounces of calcium-fortified orange juice (less than a cup!): 378 milligrams
1 cup of spinach: About 300 milligrams
1 cup of collard greens: 357 milligrams
1 cup of rhubarb: 348 milligrams
1/2 block of firm, calcium-enriched tofu: 326 milligrams
The surprise finale? In a teaspoon of baking powder, there's anywhere between 217 and 339 milligrams of calcium, depending on the kind you use.
What other vegan foods help you get all the calcium you need?
*All numbers sourced from the USDA.
The following article was written by former PETA intern Jared Misner and originally appeared on PETA.org.
Posted to Home & Garden | Posted to Tags: calcium, diet, vegan
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nancy says...
July 25th, 2011, 6:34 pm
I want to add that dairy is extremely acidic. When the body becomes too acidic calcium is taken from the bones to make the blood more alkaline. Both dairy and meat leach calcium from bones due to this effect.
vegan_nutrition_lover says...
July 27th, 2011, 12:01 pm
This article is a good start, but it is clear that the author doesn't know much about nutrition. I'm a vegan, so I'm on your side, but the calcium in greens is unavailable due to oxalic acid. Suggesting baking powder as a calcium source is irresponsible. Who eats a teaspoon of baking powder? It's full of sodium, for starters.
Tina says...
July 30th, 2011, 2:30 pm
Where does vegan_nutrition_lover get her calcium. I was aware of spinach but not other greens. Do all greens contain oxalic acid? I am vegan but have severe osteoporosis. I did break 3 bones recently so I am concerned.
slg13 says...
July 31st, 2011, 10:37 am
vegan_nutrition_lover: Can you state your sourse for the calcium in greens? I've heard from numerous–very credible sources (PCRM, VRG, to name a few)–that calcium can be obtained from greens. I'd be curious to read the other side of the story. I don't think the author meant for us to go out and start downing the baking powder; it's simply an added calcium bonus when eating baked goods.
I thought I had read somewhere that calcium requirements are actually lower than the USDA's 1,000 mg requirement. The article stated that the US has the highest requirement in the world and it is actually 200-300 mg higher than most countries (sorry I can't find the source for that).
Jacob Dijkstra, M.D. says...
July 31st, 2011, 8:51 pm
Here is the copied and pasted quote from a fact sheet about calcium and bones written by the nutrition experts at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM.org) about calcium from greens, beans and fortified foods:
"The most healthful calcium sources are green leafy vegetables and legumes, or "greens and beans" for short. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale, mustard greens, Swiss chard, and other greens are loaded with highly absorbable calcium and a host of other healthful nutrients. The exception is spinach, which contains a large amount of calcium but tends to hold onto it very tenaciously, so that you will absorb less of it".
If there is any controversy, I would be certain that PCRM would be more than happy to clear this up. PCRM's Neal Barnard, M.D. frequently writes for PETA in Animal Times.
Colette says...
August 1st, 2011, 9:58 am
There is so much conflicting information about food and for me it has become rather a depressing subject. I am insulin resistant so maintaining blood sugar levels can be a challenge. Too many nuts (rich in calcium) are too high in fat and can have an adverse effect. Orange juice (calcium enriched) is a no-no as it is high GI. Most modern soy foods are not fermented to neutralize toxins in soybeans, and are processed in a way that denatures proteins and increases levels of carcinogens. They are mostly genetically engineered to allow farmers to use large amounts of herbicides, creating toxic runoff. Soy foods can cause deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D. Most fruit and veg are infected by toxins, herbicides etc. So eating healthy belongs in the history pages. The dire predictions of the future have caught up with us, unless you can afford organic food, which is what I grew up with, only back then it was known as ordinary fruit and veg and it was not so long ago – in the 70's / 80's. Take a supplement (with magnesium)!
Vegan Ecology says...
August 1st, 2011, 5:46 pm
It's unfortunate that Colette even has a point, but wallowing in today's destruction of nature will not get us anywhere close to the solution. People have to take to the soil once again- bond with it- and allow the earth to open up to us once again like a sprouted bean. We have to still lobby and fight for the right to clean soil and nutritious fruits and vegetables in abundance.