Your body requires plenty of minerals and vitamins to function properly, and one of them is calcium. This mineral is responsible for the health of your bones, immune system, heart, nerves, and muscles.
As a result, it’s crucial to consume plenty of calcium-rich foods, especially if you don’t eat meat. In fact, if you’re a vegan, you might worry about not getting enough calcium since this diet doesn’t allow dairy products.
But are vegans often deficient in calcium? Should you worry about a deficiency?
Do Vegans Get Enough Calcium?
- Most vegans who follow a balanced diet that’s planned and rich in a wide variety of foods shouldn’t worry about not getting enough calcium and developing any issues connected to that.
- If you’re just starting out your journey of veganism, you might struggle with getting enough of each nutrient, including calcium. So, it’s vital to include more foods in your diet that contain this important mineral in large quantities.
That way, you can be sure you’re getting an adequate dose of calcium each day.
Are vegans prone to calcium deficiency?
In general, vegans who eat a balanced diet that includes all healthy plant-based foods shouldn’t experience any issues connected with not getting enough calcium. So, it’s not something you should be concerned about, at least in most cases.
On the other hand, some studies show that strict and unbalanced vegan diets don’t contain enough calcium to prevent osteoporosis at the later stages of life.
This is because veganism restricts your consumption of dairy products, which make for a great source of calcium.
That’s why it’s incredibly important to consume a balanced diet that’s rich in various foods containing high amounts of calcium.
How can vegans ensure they’re getting enough calcium?
Getting enough calcium is important. If you don’t do that, you might develop calcium deficiency, which is called hypocalcemia. Luckily, it’s quite easy to prevent this from happening.
Firstly, all vegans should ensure that they include plenty of calcium-rich foods in their diets. Doing so can reduce the necessity for taking supplements and vitamins.
So, if you’re a vegan who struggles with getting enough calcium from your diet, take a look at the list below and some of these high-calcium foods to your diet.
10 Calcium-Rich Foods for Vegans
1. Kale
Kale is one of the high-calcium leafy greens. A one-cup serving of cooked kale contains about 9% of your daily recommended need for calcium. In the same way, scotch kale contains 17% of your daily need for this mineral in the same serving.
Plus, all types of kale are rich in magnesium, which helps with the absorption of calcium.
2. Bok choy
One cup of shredded bok choy contains 6% of how much calcium you need each day. It’s also a good source of magnesium while containing very few calories. So, you can consume more to get an even higher dose of calcium.
3. Peas
A cup of canned green peas contains around 4% of your daily need for calcium. Cooked green peas contain the same amount, so you can consume both types.
Split peas also contain a good amount of calcium – about 5% of your daily need in a one-cup serving.
Peas are also rich in magnesium, so you can be sure that all calcium from this legume is well absorbed.
4. Tahini
Two tablespoons (30 grams) of tahini contain 10% of your daily need for calcium. This makes for a fantastic source of this important mineral. As a result, adding tahini to your diet can prevent various bone-related diseases.
5. Amaranth
One cup of cooked amaranth contains 12% of your daily need for calcium. Because of that, this ancient whole grain is considered to be one of the best sources of this mineral for vegans.
In addition, amaranth is rich in magnesium, ensuring good absorption of calcium from this grain.
6. Seaweed
All types of seaweed are excellent sources of calcium. One ounce of dried agar seaweed contains 18% of your daily need for calcium. The same serving of other types of seaweed is much lower in calcium, so it’s best to use this one to get more calcium.
There are many ways you can include seaweed in a vegan diet. You can make plant-based sushi, eat it with beans and rice, or sprinkle it on salads.
7. Broccoli
A one-cup serving of cooked broccoli contains 6% of your daily need for calcium. This makes broccoli one of the best sources of this mineral when it comes to fresh vegetables.
One cup of Chinese broccoli contains 9% of your daily need for calcium. So, alternating between these two types can help you get even more calcium in your diet.
8. Chickpeas
One cup of cooked chickpeas contains 8% of your daily recommended need for calcium. They also provide you with 20% of how much magnesium you need each day, which helps ensure that calcium gets absorbed as well as possible.
9. Watercress
One cup of chopped watercress contains 4% of how much calcium you need each day. It’s also very low in calories; just one cup contains 4 calories, so you can consume more to up your intake of calcium even more.
10. Fortified cereals
One cup of cooked oats and other fortified cereals contains 19% of your daily need for calcium. All fortified cereals, such as cornflakes, provide you with a similar amount of calcium. So, be sure to include it in your vegan diet.
Should vegans take calcium supplements?
For most vegans, taking supplements of any kind isn’t necessary, provided they follow a balanced diet. If you consume a lot of foods containing different nutrients, you’re unlikely to develop calcium deficiency or any related issues.
Still, in severe cases, it might be necessary to supplement certain nutrients, such as calcium, by taking them in pill or liquid form. The most common symptoms of calcium deficiency include……
If you suspect that you might suffer from calcium deficiency, talk to your doctor about treatment options and up your intake of calcium-rich foods, such as the ones listed above.
Conclusion
Most people following a vegan diet don’t need to worry about calcium deficiency as long as they consume plenty of calcium-rich foods. It’s important to do that since long-term calcium deficiency can cause serious bone-related issues in the future.
Because of that, some vegans, especially those starting their journey of veganism, might want to consider taking multivitamins or other supplements to compensate for the missing nutrients they would normally get from animal-derived products.
Sources: Nutrition Data, PMC, Research Gate, and Science Direct