Calcium Needs for Vegetarians & Vegans

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Calcium
Vegetarians can better absorb calcium than non-vegetarians, so they usually don't need as much. It is a good idea for vegetarians to eat at least two servings of calcium-rich foods a day. As a class, most Americans eat less calcium than the minimum recommended amount set by the National Academy of Sciences.

Some foods high in calcium are milk, cheese, yogurt, broccoli, almonds, garbanzo beans (chick-peas), molasses, kidney beans, dried figs, sesame seeds, pinto beans, lentils, bok choy, navy beans, Chinese cabbage, calcium-fortified soymilk, tofu processed with calcium sulfate and dark green leafy vegetables such as collard greens, turnip greens, kale and mustard greens.

When a person eats meat their blood becomes more acidic. The body then takes calcium from the bones to neutralize this acid in the blood. In this way calcium is lost through the kidneys. The protein derived from plant foods has less sulfur in it, which causes the bones to lose less calcium. Amino acids that contain sulfur found in meat proteins cause the body to lose more calcium when taken in excess.
Sodium or salt can cause the body to lose calcium. Drinks such as coffee, tea and soft drinks that contain caffeine cause the body to lose calcium.

Substances such as oxalates and phytates can diminish the body's ability to absorb calcium.Because spinach contains oxalates, the body cannot properly absorb the calcium that it contains.
By exercising and walking you naturally keep more calcium in the body. If a person has exposure to the sun they produce vitamin D, which helps the body with the absorption of calcium.

Milk is a good source of calcium, protein, riboflavin and calories. Not everyone can eat milk, because many people in the world can't digest it. Young children produce an enzyme called lactase, which helps the body digest lactose, the sugar found in milk. As babies become older their bodies produce less lactase, as they need less of their mothers' milk. By the time a baby become three to five years old, much of the production of lactase has stopped as the child stops breast-feeding.

When the production of lactase stops, many adults can no longer digest milk from any species. If a person cannot digest milk, they get lactose intolerance. When the milk reaches the intestines, it cannot be digested and a person may get diarrhea, gas, abdominal cramps and bloating.

People from Northern Europe and many of the people in the United States do not tend to be lactose intolerant. But many people from Asia, Africa, Native Americans, South America and the Mediterranean tend to be lactose intolerant.
A possible replacement for cow's milk is soymilk, which is often calcium fortified. Rice milk can also be substituted.

• Chickpeas (1 cup cooked) - 80 mg
• Collards(1 cup cooked) - 350 mg
• Dried Figs (5 medium) - 230 mg
• Kale (1 cup cooked) - 90 mg
• Mustard Greens (1 cup cooked) -150 mg
• Navy Beans (1 cup cooked) - 130 mg
• Raisins (1 cup) - 120 mg
• White Beans (1 cup cooked) - 160 mg

Often I see various vegetarian and vegan writers who are anti-milk advise people to add calcium fortified soy milk to their breakfast cereal as an alternative to getting calcium from milk, which naturally contain calcium. In this way people may assume that therefore soymilk is an equal source of calcium as milk and therefore one could also say that a cup of calcium fortified orange juice contains 350 mg of calcium and therefore it is as good a calcium source as milk. Many nutrition experts and natural medical practitioner do not consider calcium supplements to be the same as eating food that naturally contains calcium.

Ayurvedic Medicine, the main medical system of India where there are hundreds of millions of vegetarians, does not state that milk is bad for people. Quite the contrary it is stated to be an excellent food for many people. I can totally understand the moral reasons for being a vegan and avoiding milk because its production can help to make the meat industry a profitable business. But I do not accept the arguments that milk is unhealthy for anyone to eat. Of course in America and many Western countries it can be very difficult to get truly violent-free milk unless you have your own cows.

People also say that "in countries where dairy intake is highest osteoporosis is most prevalent. Where dairy is seldom consumed, bones remain stronger into old age." This is an assumption that assumes that all other things are equal in those countries. I highly doubt that in India where most people eat cow or buffalo milk and hardly any tofu milk that osteoporosis is more prevalent. Usually countries where they eat more milk also the people usually are better off economically and therefore eat more junk foods and meat.

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