Calcium in Plant-Based Diets
Many people avoid milk because it contains saturated fat, cholesterol,
allergenic proteins, lactose sugar, and frequent traces of contamination,
or simply because they don’t feel well after consuming dairy
products. Milk is also linked to type 1 (juvenile-onset) diabetes
and other serious conditions. Happily, there are many other good
sources of calcium.
Keeping your bones strong depends more on preventing the loss of
calcium from your body than on boosting your calcium intake.
Some cultures consume few or no dairy products and typically ingest
fewer than 500 milligrams of calcium per day. However, these people
generally have low rates of osteoporosis. Many scientists believe
that exercise and other factors have more to do with osteoporosis
than calcium intake does.
Calcium in the body
Almost all of the calcium in the body is in the bones. There is
a tiny amount in the bloodstream, which is responsible for important
functions such as muscle contraction, maintenance of the heartbeat,
and transmission of nerve impulses.
We regularly lose calcium from our bloodstream through urine, sweat,
and feces. It is renewed with calcium from bone or from the diet.
Bones are constantly broken down and made anew. Up until the age
of 30 or so, we build more bone than we lose. Later, the bones tend
to break down more than build up. The loss of too much bone calcium
can lead to fragile bones or osteoporosis.
How rapidly calcium is lost depends, in part, on the kind and amount
of protein you eat, as well as other diet and lifestyle choices.
Reducing calcium loss
A number of factors affect calcium loss from the body:
- Diets that are high in protein cause more calcium to be lost
through the urine. Protein from animal products is much more likely
to cause calcium loss than protein from plant foods. This may
be one reason that vegetarians tend to have stronger bones than
meat-eaters.
- Diets high in sodium increase calcium losses in the urine.
- Caffeine increases the rate at which calcium is lost through
urine.
- Smoking increases the loss of calcium from the body.
A number of factors increase bone building in the body:
- Exercise is one of the most important factors in maintaining
bone health.
- Exposure to sunlight allows the body to make the bone-building
hormone vitamin D.
- Eating a plentiful amount of fruits and vegetables helps to
keep calcium in bone.
- Consuming calcium from plant-based sources, especially green
vegetables and beans, provides one of the building blocks for
bone building.
Sources of calcium
Exercise and a diet moderate in protein will help to protect your
bones. People who eat plant-based diets and are active probably
have lower calcium needs. However, it is still important to eat
calcium-rich foods every day.
The “Calcium in Foods” chart on the left side of this
page gives the amount of calcium found in some excellent plant sources.
A quick glance shows how easy it is to meet calcium needs. The sample
menus each provide approximately 1,000 milligrams of calcium.
Calcium
in Foods
(content in milligrams) |
 |
| Broccoli (1 cup, boiled) |
62 |
| Brussels sprouts (1
cup, boiled) |
56 |
| Butternut squash (1
cup, baked) |
84 |
| Carrots (2 medium, raw) |
40 |
| Cauliflower (1 cup,
boiled) |
20 |
| Collards (1 cup, boiled) |
266 |
| Kale (1 cup, boiled) |
94 |
| Sweet potato (1 cup,
baked) |
76 |
 |
| Black turtle beans (1
cup, boiled) |
102 |
| Chick peas (1 cup, boiled) |
80 |
| Great Northern beans (1
cup, boiled) |
120 |
| Kidney beans (1 cup,
boiled) |
62 |
| Lentils (1 cup, boiled) |
38 |
| Navy beans (1 cup, boiled) |
126 |
| Pinto beans (1 cup,
boiled) |
79 |
| Soybeans (1 cup, boiled) |
175 |
Soymilk (1 cup, calcium-fortified) |
368 |
| Tofu (1/2 cup, raw,
firm) |
253 |
| Vegetarian baked beans (1
cup) |
86 |
| White beans (1 cup,
boiled) |
161 |
 |
| Corn tortilla |
42 |
| Rice Milk (1 cup, enriched) |
300 |
| Wheat bread (1 slice) |
26 |
| Whole wheat flour (1
cup) |
41 |
 |
| Dried figs
(10 figs) |
140 |
| Naval orange (1 medium) |
60 |
| Orange juice
(1 cup, calcium-fortified) |
300* |
| Raisins (2/3 cup) |
53 |
| Source:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.
2004. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference,
Release 17. Nutrient Data Laboratory Web site, http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp |
| *
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Vegetarian
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