What number of instances have you ever heard that it is advisable drink milk for robust bones? Whereas your physique does want calcium, there are higher—and more healthy—sources of calcium that come with out the dangerous results of dairy. The advertising selling milk and its “superior” calcium content material is severely deceptive. The reality is, you may get sufficient calcium on a vegan food plan by consuming calcium-rich meals.
How a lot calcium do I want?
Your calcium wants rely in your age and intercourse, says Stacie Hassing, RDN, LD co-founder of The Actual Meals Dietitians, and co-author of The Actual Meals Desk. The common grownup wants roughly 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day.
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But, for girls over the age of fifty and males over 71, that jumps to 1,200 milligrams per day. One level to recollect? “Vitamin D is critical for the absorption of calcium to happen within the physique, which is why some meals like orange juice, milk, and a few breakfast cereals are fortified with calcium and vitamin D,” she says.
Regardless of the incessant promotion of milk for its vitamin D content material, this isn’t pure. All of the vitamin D in cow’s milk is fortified, simply as it’s with many forms of plant-based milk.
Calcium well being advantages
Considered one of calcium’s best-known advantages is sustaining and constructing robust bones and tooth, but it surely’s necessary for a lot of different capabilities in your physique. “Your coronary heart, muscular tissues, nerves, and circulatory system all require calcium to operate correctly,” Hassing says.
Little question, sustaining wholesome bone power is necessary. Sure, it might assist stop damaged and fractured bones when we’ve an accident, but it surely’s not simply falling that may trigger harm to our bones. Osteoporosis and osteopenia (the early onset of osteoporosis) trigger the weakening and brittleness of bones.
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The illness tends to happen in older adults as people lose bone mass as they age (beginning of their 30s), however these first three many years of your life are alternatives to construct a robust basis to forestall osteoporosis.
Roughly 10 million Individuals over the age of fifty endure from the illness, however one other 43 million have been identified with osteopenia or low bone mass. Whereas different life-style decisions may be preventative (equivalent to common weight-bearing train), getting sufficient calcium certainly helps.
However getting sufficient calcium isn’t simply good for our bones. Analysis suggests it might additionally scale back the danger of most cancers.
In January 2025, a significant research printed within the journal Nature Communications examined information from greater than 542,000 girls and steered that consuming 300 milligrams of calcium every day might lower the danger of creating the illness by 17 p.c. The researchers highlighted the calcium content material of cow’s milk but in addition famous that different dairy-free meals that include calcium even have the identical impact.
“This complete research supplies strong proof that dairy merchandise could assist stop colorectal most cancers, largely as a result of calcium they include,” Keren Papier, PhD, a senior dietary epidemiologist on the College of Oxford, instructed The Guardian.
“Calcium was discovered to have an identical impact in each dairy and non-dairy sources, suggesting that it was the primary issue liable for reducing danger.”
Are you able to get calcium with out milk?
A plethora of entire meals include calcium, however some are considerably greater than others. It’s true that there’s a vital quantity of calcium in some animal merchandise together with cow’s milk, yogurt, sardines, and canned salmon with bones. Nevertheless, an abundance of plant-based meals are additionally excessive in calcium.
“You may get the entire calcium you want from a vegetarian or vegan food plan,” assures Robert Graham, MD, Chief Well being Officer for Efficiency Kitchen and co-founder of FRESH Med in New York Metropolis.
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What’s extra, the calcium discovered in lots of plant-based meals equivalent to darkish leafy greens is extra bioavailable than the calcium present in milk. The physique absorbs roughly 33 p.c of the entire calcium in dairy, however a whopping 62 p.c of the calcium in broccoli is absorbed upon digestion.
Different high-calcium plant-based meals embrace tofu, fortified nut milks, beans, kale, tahini, candy potatoes, watercress, okra, chia seeds, and almonds, Graham says. You may also discover many calcium-fortified orange juices and cereals on the grocery store.
10 vegan sources of calcium
Whereas the record of calcium-containing plant meals is lengthy, listed here are a number of the greatest sources for vegans.
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1 Nuts and seeds
When deciding between totally different sorts of nuts, go for the almond to get essentially the most calcium. Whereas many nuts and seeds include modest quantities of calcium, almonds reign supreme at 75 milligrams per 30-gram serving (about 20 almonds).
Hazelnuts are available in at a good 56 milligrams per serving, and whereas barely decrease at 42 milligrams per serving, tahini is a flexible and scrumptious strategy to up the calcium consumption of any meal.
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2 Amaranth
Swap out the quinoa with some amaranth occasionally. With 80 grams of calcium per one-quarter cup (dry), this historic grain provides antioxidants, fiber, and a lift of calcium to any Buddha bowl. We additionally like to swap out a morning bowl of oats for this berry and almond amaranth porridge.
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3 Beans
White beans (navy beans), kidney beans, and chickpeas are the calcium powerhouses of legumes. Navy beans high the charts at 132 milligrams of calcium per one-cup serving, and kidney beans and chickpeas comply with with 93 and 99 milligrams, respectively. Use all three in a deliciously hearty mixture of vegan chili.
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4 Minimally processed soy
Tofu, tempeh, and edamame are all stellar sources of vegan calcium.
Only one three-ounce serving of tofu clocks in 10 p.c of the day by day really helpful quantity of calcium, whereas tempeh provides about six p.c of what you want (78 milligrams per 2.5-ounce serving). One cup of edamame supplies about 9 p.c of the day by day really helpful quantity.
Soy milk can also be a stable choice. Not solely does it naturally include calcium, however many are additionally fortified with as much as one-third of the calcium you want per day (that’s the identical as cow’s milk).
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5 Blackstrap molasses
We wouldn’t suggest consuming a spoonful of molasses to meet your day by day calcium wants, however this sticky substance may be included in small quantities right into a medley of scrumptious dishes.
Strive whipping up a batch of nutty muhammara dip or baking a batch of this addictive pecan-walnut cinnamon granola. Only one tablespoon of the stuff comprises 200 milligrams of calcium—20 p.c of what most adults want every day!
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6 Darkish leafy greens
There are numerous causes to up your greens consumption—calcium simply occurs to be amongst them. A humble 120 grams of broccoli (slightly over a cup) delivers 112 milligrams of calcium, and the sometimes underutilized okra comprises 77 milligrams for a similar quantity.
Different darkish leafy greens equivalent to kale, collard greens, and bok choy additionally include some calcium, although not fairly as a lot as these two choices.
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7 Dairy-free milk
Many plant-based milk merchandise are fortified with calcium to assist meet your day by day wants. Per the American Society for Vitamin, almond milk, pea milk, and flaxseed milk all have extra calcium than cow’s milk.
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8 Seaweed
Seaweed, together with kelp, nori, and wakame, is full of important vitamins. It’s among the finest plant-based sources of iodine, for instance, and it comprises iron and fiber. Plus, it comprises an excellent dose of calcium, too.
Per 100 grams, wakame comprises round 150 milligrams of calcium, for instance, whereas kelp comprises practically 170 milligrams of calcium per 100 grams.
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9 Herbs
Herbs are nice for including taste to your cooking, however they’re additionally an excellent supply of vitamins, too, together with calcium. Take oregano, for instance. One teaspoon of the favored Italian herb comprises greater than 28 milligrams of calcium. Different herbs that include calcium embrace basil, parsley, and sage.
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10 Figs
Fruits aren’t usually excessive in calcium, however one, particularly, stands out for its calcium content material, and that’s figs. One 100-gram serving of dried figs comprises greater than 160 milligrams of calcium, for instance, whereas round 5 contemporary figs include simply over 70 milligrams.
What about vegan calcium dietary supplements?
It’s possible you’ll must complement if a blood take a look at exhibits that you just’re low in calcium. But as a result of the usual American food plan is 65-percent processed meals, Graham usually recommends supplementation for many Individuals, particularly girls over the age of fifty. “Calcium is absorbed greatest whenever you take 500 milligrams or much less at one time,” he says, including that present suggestions name for 1000 milligrams to 2000 milligrams in divided doses, ideally taken with vitamin D.
The one strategy to inform in the event you’re chronically low in calcium is thru a blood take a look at, Hassing says. Indicators that you just is likely to be low in calcium embrace muscle cramping, brittle nails, simple hair breakage, poor circulation that causes tingling and numbness in your fingers and toes, and an irregular heartbeat.
Should you’re involved that your ranges are low, speak together with your physician about getting a blood take a look at. For many vegans, Graham recommends consuming meals excessive in calcium and/or taking a calcium complement to get all that you just want.
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Karen Asp is a VegNews digital author, common contributor to quite a few different publications (like Forks Over Knives, Consuming Nicely, Sentient Media, O and Actual Easy), creator of Anti-Getting older Hacks, and a vegan life-style coach and educator in Indiana.
Right here at VegNews, we stay and breathe the plant-based life-style, and solely suggest merchandise we really feel make our lives superb. Often, articles could embrace procuring hyperlinks the place we’d earn a small fee, however on no account does this impact the editorial integrity of VegNews.
