You can’t think of strong bone, flexible joints without ‘CALCIUM’. It's famous for its ability to build and maintain your bones. Your body doesn’t produce calcium, but it is absorbed from food and supplements. Calcium is not a vitamin, it's a mineral. Yet, it is also important for muscle contraction, blood pressure regulation, nerve transmission, blood clotting, and brain function.
The Reference Daily Intake (RDI) of calcium is 1,000 mg per day for adults, whereas women and people over 50 require more calcium for several physiological needs. Calcium is found in many edibles like dairy products and is a rich source of calcium. Still a large percentage of people don’t meet these recommendations, mainly in women the deficit rate is quite more. This includes many who avoid eating animal products and dairy — though many plant foods contain this mineral.
Know about Calcium
As mentioned above, Calcium is an essential mineral that supports many functions in the body like complete bone care, bone formation, role in cartilage, joint function, brain health, muscle care, oral health, supporting many other vitamins, in menstrual issues etc.
Calcium is often associated with drinking milk and consuming dairy products. It is seen that many people don’t enjoy the smell and taste of it while many are allergic. At the same time, Vegans don’t consume any kind of animal products. In such cases, calcium deficiency becomes a big problem. With increasing age it will put you in several troubles. If you are falling into this categories It’s important to learn what these foods are so they don’t become deficient in calcium.
Here are the top 9 vegan sources of calcium, let’s get into it.
1. Leafy and Green Veggies: Though it tastes bitter, dark green veggies or leaves are good sources of calcium like spinach, bok choy, mustard, moringa leaf. Calcium-rich vegetables include okra, kale, cabbage, and broccoli.
However, vegetables also contain variable levels of antinutrients, among them one is oxalates. Oxalates (natural compounds found in plants) can bind to calcium in your gut, making it more difficult for your body to absorb. Low and moderate-oxalate vegetables like moringa, broccoli, and kale are considered better sources than higher-oxalate vegetables.
Boiling is one way to reduce oxalate levels by 30–87%. (Source: LettuceVegOut).
2. Soy: Soybean is a rich source of natural calcium. Soy milk, Soy curd, tofu and tempeh are good sources of Calcium. Minimally processed soy products can give you benefits of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Soy also contains 9 essential amino acids that are unavailable in many plant products.
3. Certain Seeds: Chia and flax seeds contain decent amounts of Calcium. Like nuts, seeds are also rich in fiber, protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant compounds. Enjoy the health benefits, such as reduced inflammation, blood sugar levels, and risk factors for heart disease with these seeds.
4. Fruit: Not many but specific kinds of fruits have calcium as a mineral. You can list Blackcurrants, blackberries, and raspberries as your calcium source.
5. Nuts: Not all nuts but but almonds are especially rich in calcium about 10% of the RDI. You can get fiber, healthy fats, and protein from nuts. Also get enriched with antioxidants and good amounts of B vitamins, magnesium, copper, potassium, and selenium, as well as vitamins E and K.
6. Beans & lentils: Along with Calcium beans and lentils are rich sources of fiber and protein. They are a rich source of folate, zinc, magnesium, potassium and iron. Certain beans and lentils support diabetes and heart health. Chickpeas, kidney beans, white beans, and lentils can be added to your diet if you are a vegan. Sprouting, soaking or cooking make them tasty and more absorbing.
7. Calcium Supplement: Calcium supplement is one of the best sources of calcium for vegans. Lifezen’s Tuskca Calcium in with Vitamin D3 chewable table is perfect for vegan as its dairy and lactose free. Also it's sugar free and contains no gluten.
8. Fortified food and drinks: Some foods and drinks have calcium added during the manufacturing process. They’re another good way to add this mineral to your diet. Foods fortified in calcium include yogurts and juices. Fortified drinks, such as orange and green juices, can also add significant amounts of calcium to your diet.
9. Molasses: Molasses is a sweetener with a nutritional punch. It’s made from sugar cane that has been boiled three times. Unlike sugar, it contains several vitamins and minerals. Calcium is essential for bone and muscle health, as well as the circulatory and nervous systems.
Dairy products are frequently thought to be the sole source of this mineral. It is, however, naturally present in a wide range of plant foods, from grains and legumes to fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.