Enough calcium is essential for strong bones
Calcium and vegan diet
Being on a vegan diet, calcium intake has been discussed so many times. I bet every vegan heard this neverending question “How do you get enough calcium if you don’t drink and eat dairy products?’ so many times! The truth is, calcium is one of the most abundant minerals in a human body and people exactly tend to get too much calcium!
Undoubtedly, calcium strongly influences bone health and decreases the risk of osteoporosis. However, vegans don’t have to be worried about their long-term bone health and getting osteoporosis! There are a few ways to avoid the decreasing of bone density. Calcium and vegan diet go well together!
If you are not sure what the right plant-based sources of calcium are, keep reading. In this article, I will give you a complex overview of calcium intake, how to maintain calcium balance in your body, plus I will give you a comprehensive guide about 25 plant-based sources highly rich in calcium!
Calcium in general
Calcium is one of the five most abundant minerals on the Earth. It is present in marble, chalk, limestone and finally, in the earth’s crust. Calcium is the most common mineral in a human body. 99% of calcium is found in our bones and teeth. People usually get calcium from dairy products and plant-based foods. You can also find plenty of calcium in breast milk.
Our ancestors received a very high intake of calcium in their diet. Contrary, their diet was too rich of calcium and our ancestors had an excess of calcium. They received around 1500-3000 mg per day. In a modern world, dairy products, fruit, and vegetables contain far less calcium than what our ancestors produced many, many years ago.
Humans take part in a natural calcium cycle. Animal and human bones, all shells of marine organisms and animal!s antlers decompose in a soil. They return calcium to the earth and plant-based products, such as vegetables and fruits. These again become a source of calcium for humans and animals.
Why do we need calcium?
Calcium plays a few essential roles in our bodies. Almost all calcium in the human body concentrates in bones and teeth (about 99%) and the rest can be found in blood and muscles. It is very important to keep a very specific and narrow range of calcium levels which are found in blood and in the fluids between blood cells. In a case that this level declines for some reason, vitamin D is activated. That raises blood calcium level by increasing its absorption in the intestine. At the same time, urinary calcium loss is decreases and some bones can be broken.
Bone and teeth health
The best-known function of calcium in the human body is for bone and teeth health. Calcium has an essential role for hardening and strengthening bones and teeth. It is necessary for healthy growth and the development of bones. Calcium stops helping the bone development when a human body reaches 20-25 years. In this age, the bone density is the highest.
After reaching the age of 25 years, the bone density starts declining. Calcium is again vital for a body because it helps slow down the bone density loss. Additionally, people who don’t consume enough calcium before the age of 20-25, are in a higher risk of a bone density loss and osteoporosis.
Muscle contraction
It’s a less known fact, but calcium also plays a crucial role in the function of the heart and our nervous system. Basically, calcium regulates muscle contractions. The same goes for a heartbeat. If the calcium level is not sufficient in the blood, it is taken from bones.
Every time a nerve stimulates a muscle, a little bit of calcium is released. That’s how the protein in a muscle works properly. The muscle relaxes again when calcium is pumped out from the muscle.
Calcium helps blood to clot and it transmits nerve transmitted messages. It also regulates cell metabolism. By eating enough calcium, we prevent ourselves from a high blood pressure.
Calcium and vegan diet
You can see from almost every corner and from every advertisement for dairy products that it’s absolutely necessary to consume those dairy products in order to get calcium. It couldn’t be more false! People don’t need cow’s milk to make sure they receive enough calcium. As I mentioned above, our ancestors got plenty of calcium from plant-based products, especially from fruits and vegetables.
Dairy products came into our lives as a part of our daily diet not long ago. Before that, no one publicly complained about being lactose intolerant. The phenomenon of lactose intolerance is also quite recent. When people included dairy products in their diet, they developed a genetic adaptation for drinking milk after weaning from the breast milk.
A human body naturally produces less of the enzyme lactase which digests lactose after weaning from breast milk. Many studies state that around 65% of the world population is lactose intolerant because they developed a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy. People who are lactose intolerant experience bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain and flatulence when they drink cow’s milk or consume other dairy products.
For these reasons, being lactose intolerant is quite common. In some Asian countries where people drink a lot of cow’s milk, almost everyone is lactose intolerant. The human body is just not designed to digest lactose. A vegan diet is perfectly suitable for getting enough calcium from plant-based sources.
How much calcium is enough?
Recommended daily intake
Vegans don’t have to worry about their daily calcium intake. The recommended calcium intake is 1000 mg per day for adults younger than 50 years and 1200 mg for those over 50. Especially women, pregnant women and people 50 years old and older should keep this in mind. They are more likely to get less calcium than a recommended amount.
It is crucial to get the recommended daily intake as calcium is strongly linked to a bone health. Making sure to receive the recommended intake reduces a risk of a bone fracture and a loss of bone density. For other daily intakes, see the table below.
A daily recommended calcium intake
Calcium intake versus calcium balance
Contradictionary, some people who get less than 400 mg of calcium per day are in a lower risk of osteoporosis than other who consume 1000 mg of calcium per day. How is it possible? This is because calcium balance is more important than calcium intake.
Calcium balance is a mix of calcium intake, absorption, and excretion. If the food you eat is a compromise between calcium absorption and calcium excretion, you are in a calcium balance. If you eat food which increases a calcium excretion, then you have to compensate for the loss. It works the other way around, too. If your diet maximizes calcium absorption and minimizes calcium excretion, your requirements are lower.
Calcium intake for vegans
How much calcium do vegans need? It differs from person to person because everyone’s diet is slightly different. It also depends on other factors, such as physical activity. If you are a vegan, make sure you receive the recommended daily amount. Take special care if you are pregnant or over 50 years old. A daily intake of 525 mg of calcium and less can increase a risk of a bone density loss and osteoporosis.
Broccoli and other dark green vegetables are great sources of calcium.
Calcium deficiency
If your body is in calcium deficiency, it starts taking calcium from your bones. This process is called bone mass loss. The mass inside the bones becomes weaker and more fragile. Eventually, it can cause bone fractures or even osteoporosis.
The additional symptoms of a calcium deficiency are low levels of calcium in the blood, a highly irritable nervous system, spasms of the hands and feet, muscle cramps, abdominal cramps or overly active reflexes.
Osteoporosis
Bones are usually very strong and flexible. They keep growing and remodeling themselves until the age of about thirty years old. After that, the body is no longer able to raise a bone density. Eventually, the demolition crew begins to overtake the bone builders. The process of a bone mineral density begins to diminish.
Some people who don’t receive enough calcium at a young age can develop a bone disease called osteoporosis. It is a stage in which bones weaken too much and can crack. Osteoporosis can lead to even serious results, such as fragile, porous and brittle bones. Osteoporosis means that 30-40% of existing bones have demineralized. This stage is very serious because even a small fall or bump can cause a fracture.
80% of people who suffer from osteoporosis are women. Postmenopausal women are at greater risk of osteoporosis. It’s because the bone is an estrogen-dependent structure and the level of estrogen rapidly increases after menopause. Therefore, young women should accumulate a lot of calcium before they reach a menopause.
How to prevent osteoporosis
Even a well-planned vegan diet can tend to lack calcium. These are a few steps that vegans can take in order to prevent osteoporosis:
- A sufficient intake of other minerals and vitamins which are associated with calcium, such as vitamin D, vitamin K, protein, potassium and other bone-building entities
- At least 9 servings of vegetables or fruit per day
- Including soy products, such as tofu, soy milk, soybeans and tempeh in a diet
- Don’t smoke and reduce caffeine and alcohol
- Keep sodium at or below the recommended level, which is 2300 mg/day or 1500 mg/day if you are over 50 years old
- Try to include an hour of weight-bearing exercise most of the days
25 plant-based sources rich in calcium
Overall, calcium is abundant in a wide sort of vegetables (especially in the low-oxalate green vegetables such as broccoli, bok choy, kale, watercress, green collard, and napa cabbage), fruits (fresh and dried), dandelion, mustard, turnip greens, juices fortified with calcium, almonds, tahini, non-dairy milks fortified with calcium, tofu, soybeans, mineral water etc.
Shared from: https://www.veganmotivation.com
Calcium supplements
If you are worried that you don’t get enough calcium from your vegan and well-balanced diet, you might consider taking calcium supplements. You should always take your calcium supplement with a meal because calcium is better absorbed with the presence stomach acid. That doesn’t apply for calcium citrate and calcium citrate malate. These you can take any time.
You can increase the calcium absorption if you divide your daily supplemental calcium intake into two or more doses. However, each intake of supplements shouldn’t contain more than 600 mg. The excessive calcium wouldn’t be processed anyway.
Vitamin D is strongly linked to calcium and it is essential for greater calcium absorption. Therefore, make sure you get enough vitamin D, too. You should get 10 mcg of vitamin D per day. Vitamin D3 from lichen and vitamin D2 are vegan-friendly.
There are different types of calcium supplements. They contain a variable amount of elemental calcium, which is a pure mineral. You can find calcium carbonate (40% of elemental calcium), calcium lactate (13% of elemental calcium), calcium gluconate (9% of elemental calcium) and calcium citrate (21% of elemental calcium).
Sometimes, you can experience side effects of calcium supplements. This can be bloating or constipation. Side effects usually vanish in a few days.
Calcium supplements
Bonus: Tips for strong bones and teeth
- Eat more dark green vegetable in your diet. Include broccoli, kale, green collard, bok choy and napa cabbage in your diet and eat them regularly every day. Don’t cook them in boiling water but rather steam them. That’s how you make sure you don’t lose important minerals and vitamins.
- Include calcium-set tofu. Generally, tofu is a great source of calcium. It contains calcium salt and calcium sulfate. Tofu usually contains from 120 mg to 600 mg of calcium per serving. Tofu contains isoflavones which reduce the risk of bone fracture. It is extremely versatile. For more information about tofu click here.
- Drink calcium-fortified beverages. You are able to find many fruit juices and non-dairy milk fortified with calcium. These beverages are a great source of calcium.
- Eat more almonds, almond butter, figs, tahini and blackstrap molasses. Try to replace peanut butter with almond butter. Cook more with blackstrap molasses. It is a great way how to take more zinc and iron.
- Do more workout. Weight-bearing exercises are the best. You can choose any activity from walking, jogging, dancing, hiking, step class…
- Get supplements. If you are afraid you might not take enough calcium in your diet, consider taking supplements. Make sure you take the right supplements which provide enough calcium on a daily basis.
- Make sure you get enough vitamin D. Get more sunshine. Every time you have a chance, go outside. It’s easy to maintain a right level of vitamin D during summertime. The problem may occur during winter. In that time you can buy yourself a supplement with vitamin D.
- Avoid all the ‘bad guys’. Decrease your consumption of alcohol, caffeine and don’t smoke. You should also try to keep your sodium level below 2300 mg per day. If you suffer from a higher blood pressure, you are salt sensitive or are over the age of 50, keep sodium intake below 1500 mg per day.
Calcium and vegan diet is not a big deal
Vegans don’t have to be afraid of not getting enough calcium with their diet. There are so many plant-based sources how to get enough calcium. I present 25 plant-based sources highly rich in calcium. Getting enough calcium is a great way how to prevent a bone mass loss and osteoporosis. If you are not sure if your level of calcium is sufficient, take supplements.
How do you make sure you get enough calcium? What are your tricks? Let me know in the comments below and don’t forget to share this article with your friends!
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