Calcium on a daily basis

[sergio]

I'm relying most of my calcium intake in fortified soymilk, beans, almonds and broccoli. Besides I use sesame seeds (gomashio) as a condiment almost every day. I can't find those calcium-rich green in local markets. Kale, turnip greens, collards etc are out of reach and it sucks cause I really like to eat raw greens in every meal, it would be perfect to having them.

According to some basic maths I'm doing more than ok at the moment but I'd like to know, what other foods could be useful to increase calcium intake? Any other green? Seaweed maybe? Am I missing some other vegan calcium source?

Thanks in advance.

[beforewisdom]

HTH
http://beforewisdom.com/blog/milkandbon ... g-calcium/

[sergio]

It helps

It's difficult to get those greens, but yesterday I found Bok Choy in a asian food store. The less I depend on fortified soymilk, the better.

[ColleenE]

Hey!
It's really hard to get 1500mgs of Ca a day in food alone, esp. considering not all of it is absorbed. And, I'm not a fan of having too much soy.

Since Ca is soooo important to bone density, I also add in a supplement of 600mgs 1-2x per day.

[Lordmuppet]

HTH
http://beforewisdom.com/blog/milkandbon ... g-calcium/

Just read this. Very helpful.

fyi your link to PCRM is broken

edited to say: interestingly you seem to disagree with this http://www.pcrm.org/search/?cid=126 regarding Swiss Chard

[Goob]

Hey!
It's really hard to get 1500mgs of Ca a day in food alone, esp. considering not all of it is absorbed. And, I'm not a fan of having too much soy.

Since Ca is soooo important to bone density, I also add in a supplement of 600mgs 1-2x per day.

It's very easy to get 1500 mg of calcium a day. I don't pay attention to any of that stuff and my calcium intake on cronometer is always orange, meaning it's well above the RDA. Generally i get ~2500 mg a day.

Also, absorption is not an issue. It's not only vegans that have low rates of calcium absorption, it's everyone. The RDA was set with that in mind, so you don't need to do anything to adjust for it.

[mouche]

Personally, I would worry more about vit D than calcium... and as Goob said, this is a problem for everyone, not just vegans. No point taking heaps of calcium and then not being able to absorb it through a D deficiency, which many people who live a decent distance from the equator will struggle with.

Eat a balanced varied diet, take a multivit, get plenty of sunshine and fresh air, take regular exercise including weight-bearing exercise (eg running or strength training), drink enough, keep caffeine and alcohol low, get enough sleep. Enjoy life. If you feel happy and healthy chances are you're doing fine. If you don't, go see a doctor, get some blood tests done, and figure out what to do from there.

[sergio]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not worried. I'm not the kind of guy who lives obsessed with RDA's. When I started a transition from vegetarianism to veganism I also did some maths with cronometer and daily amounts; it's relatively easy if you're having a varied diet and including everyday certain foods. I was asking for any important resource that I could have missed. I also have in mind that certain foods can give you small but significative amounts if you look "at the big picture".

Thanks for all your insights.

Goob's diet doesn't count cause he's bulking and he eats like ½ ton of beans everyday hahahaha

[beforewisdom]

It's very easy to get 1500 mg of calcium a day. I don't pay attention to any of that stuff and my calcium intake on cronometer is always orange, meaning it's well above the RDA. Generally i get ~2500 mg a day..

Would mind posting a typical daily menu for you, listing where all of that calcium is coming from during your day?

[Hiking Fox]

I don't see how it is necessary to supplement calcium unless you are pregnant, and even then it is just being overcautious for peace of mind.

[Lordmuppet]

So yeah Beforewisdom what's up with the Swiss Chard? I ask because it's often at my local farmers market so am very curious whether it is or isn't a good source.

PCRM say in the link I quoted

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

edited to add: found this from Jack Norris "I’ve said it many times before, but I’ll say it again – most vegans should drink calcium-fortified non-dairy milks (or other foods) or take a calcium supplement." in the article 'what should I be tested for'

[lobsteriffic]

It's very easy to get 1500 mg of calcium a day. I don't pay attention to any of that stuff and my calcium intake on cronometer is always orange, meaning it's well above the RDA. Generally i get ~2500 mg a day..

Would mind posting a typical daily menu for you, listing where all of that calcium is come from during your day?

I'm curious about this too, if you wouldn't mind. I usually have to drink some fortified soy or almond milk to meet my RDA.

[beforewisdom]

HTH
http://beforewisdom.com/blog/milkandbon ... g-calcium/

Just read this. Very helpful.

fyi your link to PCRM is broken

edited to say: interestingly you seem to disagree with this http://www.pcrm.org/search/?cid=126 regarding Swiss Chard

It isn't that I disagree. In that post I have a (temporarily dead) link to an article by the PCRM describing things other than calcium that matter to bone health. After that in my post, I list values for how much calcium you can expect to absorb from various foods. I got those values from a book ( "Becoming Vegetarian" by Brenda Davis) which I cite in the post. It isn't that *I* disagree, it is that those two different sources disagree.

A few years ago I contacted Brenda Davis via email to ask her questions about those charts. She got that information from a friend who is a researcher who was doing fresh research at the time. So, if you have to defer to once source or another it seems like Davis' might be more current and the safer bet.

[beforewisdom]

I don't see how it is necessary to supplement calcium unless you are pregnant, and even then it is just being overcautious for peace of mind.

Most of the recommended daily intakes tell people to get about a gram a day. At this link you can get a short list of the best food sources of calcium. Perusing that list and looking at things you like to eat all of the time you can see how it might not always be easy to get close to what you need from food alone.

[Hiking Fox]

Well, I've been vegan for 20 years, have never taken any supplement besides B12 and exercise nearly every day. I would know by now if I wasn't getting enough calcium as my bones would be thinner, I don't need a chart to tell me!