I was spoilt yesterday with an Australia Day vegan BBQ,
courtesy of L-whack. I arrived to find a plate of garlic focaccia & hummus,
a bowl of BBQ shapes, a couple of stubbies of Bundaberg ginger beer (c’mon, it’s
Australia – gotta bogan it up a little!!) waiting for me. Ready for the cooking
was some sliced potatoes, onions and some vegan burgers.
YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!
 |
| Om nom nom |
Needless to say, we didn’t need much dinner!
 |
| Sliced potatoes - add olive oil, mixed herbs & salt - drooooooooool! |
Calcium
Calcium is required
for the normal development and maintenance of the skeleton as well as for the proper
functioning of neuromuscular and cardiac function. It is stored in the teeth
and bones where it provides structure and strength.
Today I am writing about calcium. It is something close to
my heart – my father used to scare the beejezus out of me when I was younger,
stating that I would grow up and develop osteoporosis. When I was a baby, I was
diagnosed as lactose intolerant so grew up not eating much dairy. I was able to
eat small amounts of yoghurt (something to do with the acidophilus reversing
the effects of the lactose?), ice cream (it’s mainly sugar!) and when I was
older I would have milk in coffees (although every few weeks, it would all build
up and I would spend a day or 2 feeling very unwell). But I never ate cheese (unless
cheezels count?!!), nor cream (unless it was brandy cream on Christmas pudding!).
I once had a Greek salad, but picked out all the chucks of feta. However the
small crumbles of feta left behind meant I spent the next 36 hours curled up in
a ball on the bathroom floor – not fun.
Anyway, we all know the importance of calcium so that we
avoid osteoporosis and other health issues later in life – and thankfully, there
are many more sources of calcium than just dairy.
Both males & females should 1000mg of calcium every day.
Pregnant ladies, elderly people and children need different amounts. A good
guide to calcium recommendations is found
here.
|
Serving
size
|
(mg) per
serving
|
% Daily
Value
|
|
Tofu*, firm, made
with calcium sulphate
|
½ cup
|
204
|
20
|
|
Tofu*, soft, made
with calcium sulphate
|
½ cup
|
138
|
14
|
|
Spinach, cooked
|
½ cup
|
120
|
12
|
|
Kale, cooked
|
1 cup
|
94
|
9
|
|
Kale, raw
|
1 cup
|
90
|
9
|
|
Chinese cabbage,
raw
|
1 cup
|
74
|
7
|
|
Orange juice,
calcium-fortified
|
177ml
|
378
|
37
|
|
Bread,
whole-wheat
|
1 slice
|
30
|
3
|
|
Garbanzo Beans,
cooked
|
1 cup
|
80
|
8
|
|
Legumes, general,
cooked
|
½ cup
|
15 to 50
|
-
|
|
Pinto Beans,
cooked
|
1 cup
|
75
|
7.5
|
|
Soybeans, boiled
|
½ cup
|
100
|
10
|
|
Tempeh
|
½ cup
|
75
|
7.5
|
|
White Beans,
cooked
|
½ cup
|
70
|
7
|
|
Tortillas, corn
|
2
|
85
|
8.5
|
|
Brown rice, long
grain, raw
|
1 cup
|
50
|
5
|
|
Almonds, toasted
unblanched
|
28g
|
80
|
8
|
|
Sesame seeds,
whole roasted
|
28g
|
280
|
28
|
|
Sesame tahini
|
28g (2 Tbsp)
|
130
|
13
|
|
Sunflower seeds,
dried
|
28g
|
50
|
5
|
|
Molasses,
blackstrap
|
1 Tbsp
|
135
|
13.5
|
|
Soy or rice
beverage, fortified with calcium
|
250 mL (1 cup)
|
319
|
31.9
|
|
Yogurt, soy
|
175 g (¾ cup)
|
206
|
20.6
|
|
Fortified cereal
bars (per bar)
|
per bar
|
180
|
18
|
|
2 spears of
broccoli
|
90g
|
30
|
3
|
|
7 dried apricots
|
56g
|
40
|
4
|
|
Figs (approx. 4)
|
220g
|
506
|
50.6
|
|
Orange, peeled
|
160g
|
75
|
7.5
|
|
Watercress, small
bunch (raw)
|
20g
|
34
|
3.4
|
|
Curly Kale
|
95g
|
143
|
14.3
|
|
Okra, stir fried
|
40g (approx 8
pieces)
|
88
|
8.8
|
|
Red kidney beans,
canned
|
105g (3 tbsp.)
|
75
|
7.5
|
|
Chick peas,
boiled
|
90g (3 tbsp.)
|
41
|
4.1
|
|
Green/French
beans
|
90g
|
50
|
5
|
|
Baked beans
|
135g
|
72
|
7.2
|
|
Brazil Nuts (6
whole)
|
20g
|
34
|
3.4
|
|
Hazelnuts (20
whole)
|
20g
|
28
|
2.8
|
|
Walnuts (12
halves)
|
40g
|
38
|
3.8
|
|
Pasta (white),
cooked
|
230g
|
85
|
8.5
|
*
The calcium content of tofu depends on how the tofu has been processed. If it
is processed using calcium chloride or calcium sulphate, tofu may have up to
100mg calcium per 100g block. Otherwise the calcium content of tofu is
negligible.
HOWEVER, we should also be aware that there are
several factors that can affect the amount of calcium our bodies absorb. WHAT
you eat, WHEN you eat, and the natural make-up of your body can mean your body
doesn’t necessarily absorb all the calcium you consume. Sodium, caffeine &
protein in food affects how much calcium we absorb. Also the amount we sweat,
and how much we wee can also affect absorption. It’s all very complex and confusing,
and I am certainly no scientist or doctor. If you feel like an interesting
read, I recommend the
Nutrient
Reference Values for
Australia
and New Zealand - but being 315 pages, it’s a lot of
information to take in! A lot of those pages are references etc, so I guess it’s
not THAT scary!! It’s an Australian Government document, so I like to think it
holds reliable information.
My personal choice is to eat as much natural calcium as I
can, but to also take a supplement. I’m making my way through a bottle of
Caltrate at the
moment, but the vegan multivitamins that I bought last week also contain
calcium.
The combination of calcium, vitamin D and exercise also
assists the health of our bones. We all know we should ‘slip, slop, slap’ but the
sun is a natural source of vitamin D and we should all get outside for 10
minutes each day and soak up some rays.
So the moral of the calcium story is
·
Eat as much calcium-rich foods as possible – daily;
·
Take part in regular exercise, and;
·
Combine your calcium intake with vitamin D (as
naturally as possible)
