Meeting calcium needs: tips for vegans

[Guest guest]

Meeting calcium needs is super easy on a vegan diet—especially with the

availability of so many fortified plant foods.

 

Recommended intake of calcium for adults is 1,000 mg per day. Right now, the

research doesn't support the idea that vegans need less calcium than anyone

else. A few studies have suggested that some vegans may fall short of calcium

requirements, raising their risk for bone fractures. (Many omnivores don't get

enough calcium, either, of course.)

 

Here are some good sources of calcium for vegans (and for everyone else, too!)

followed by a few tips for boosting calcium intake.

 

 

 

Foods that provide about 300 mg of calcium:

 

1 cup fortified orange juice or V8 juice

1 cup fortified soymilk

1 Luna Bar

 

 

Foods that provide about 200 mg of calcium:

1 tbsp blackstrap molasses

1 cup fortified apple juice

½ cup cooked collard greens

½ cup calcium-set tofu

1 ounce of fortified breakfast cereal

 

 

Foods that provide about 100 mg of calcium

 

½ cup cooked kale, turnip greens, or broccoli

½ cup cooked soybeans

¼ cup soynuts

1 package of instant oatmeal

5 dried figs

 

 

Foods that provide about 50 to 75 mg of calcium

2 tbsp almond butter or tahini

½ cup prepared textured vegetable protein (TVP)

½ cup cooked bok choy

½ cup tempeh

 

1/2 cup cooked navy, black or great northern beans

½ cup vegetarian baked beans

1 orange

2 tbsp almonds

 

 

 

 

 

Try these easy ways to boost calcium intake

 

• Make your own trail mix and include soynuts and almonds.

 

• Whole grain cereal with fortified soy (or any nondairy milk) is a great

breakfast or snack. Add a glass of calcium fortified juice and you'll have met

half your calcium requirement before the day has even started.

 

• White beans and figs are both good sources of calcium and they are often

paired up in Italian cuisine. Cook them with onions sautéed in olive oil and

season with rosemary.

 

• Blackstrap molasses has a robust flavor that may be too strong for some

palates straight from the jar. But it's wonderful to add to baked beans, hot

breakfast cereals or baked goods, though.

 

• That old veggie standby, hummus, is a great source of calcium since it uses

both chickpeas and tahini.

 

• It's best to eat whole foods most of the time, but there is nothing wrong with

grabbing a protein bar occasionally when you are on the go. Choose Luna bars,

which are vegan and packed with calcium.

 

• Miso soup with chunks of tofu and some wilted greens is a good lunch or

dinner. Or eat like the Japanese and have it for breakfast.

 

• Try almond butter on a sandwich instead of peanut butter.

 

Make the most of the calcium in your diet:

 

The calcium content of tofu varies widely. Look for brands of tofu that list

calcium-sulfate as an ingredient.

 

Fortified soymilk is a great source of calcium, and provides isoflavones, too.

Give cartons of soymilk a few good shakes before using since the calcium can

settle to the bottom of the carton.

 

If you consistently fall short on calcium intake, make up the difference with a

supplement. It's an easy and perfectly healthful way to meet calcium needs on

any kind of diet. Use supplements between meals if possible since they can

interfere with iron absorption.

 

 

 

Author: Virginia Messina

Virginia Messina is an examiner from Seattle, Washington. You can see Virginia's

articles on Virginia's Home Page.

http://www.examiner.com/x-5670-Seattle-Vegan-Examiner~y2009m4d7-Meeting-calcium-\

needs-tips-for-vegans

[Guest guest]

Yes. I spoke with the President of the division about this. ALL Silk products are GMO free.Shen