Calcium
Calcium is a major mineral: the average adult is made up of just over a kilo (around 2% of total body weight). 99% of this is found in the bones and teeth, and the remainder is used for the contraction of muscles, nerve function, enzyme activity and blood clotting.
Calcium Requirements
The UK Department of Health?s Reference Nutrient Intakes (the daily amount that is enough for 97% of people: similar to RDAs used previously in the UK) are as follows.[1]
Age/Sex
Calcium requirement (mg/day)
0-12 months
525
1-3 years
350
4-6 years
450
7-10 years
550
Teenage girls
800
Teenage boys
1000
Adult men & women
700
Breast-feeding women
no increase
Vegan Sources of Calcium
Good plant sources of calcium include:
- Green leafy vegetables: spring greens, kale, broccoli, parsley.
It is important to note that spinach is not a good source of calcium. It is high in calcium, but the calcium is bound to oxalates and therefore poorly absorbed
- Fortified foods such as soya milk
- White flour (as calcium is added by law) and white flour products
- Calcium-set tofu
- Oranges
- Ground sesame seeds (tahini)
The calcium content is high but variable and absorption of calcium from tahini is not proven so tahini should not be relied upon as a main source
- Figs and black molasses
- Drinking hard water can provide 200mg of calcium daily, although soft water contains almost none[2]
Examples of amounts of foods providing 100mg calcium[3]
Type of Food
grams
Almonds
42g
Black Treacle
18g
Broccoli
250g
Carob
29g
Chickpeas (boiled)
217g
Curly Kale (boiled)
67g
Currants
108g
Chickpea flour
56g
Figs
40g
Oranges
212g
Soya Milk (calcium-fortified)
83g
Spring Greens (cooked)
133g
Tahini
15g
Tofu (made with calcium sulphate)
33g
Watercress (uncooked)
59g
White Plain Flour
71g
Wholemeal Flour
263g
White Bread
56g
Wholemeal Bread
94g
Brown Bread
54g
Granary Bread
48g
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