Throughout our life, our bodies’ bones will continue to lose and create new cells in order to maintain good bone health. It is our responsibility to ensure this happens successfully, by suppling our body with the nutrients it needs to do so.
Calcium is an essential nutrient. It makes up much of our bones and teeth and plays a role in heart health, muscle function and nerve signalling. If we do not intake the recommended 700mg a day, we put ourselves at risk of reduced bone mass, and potentially suffering with osteoporosis in later life. When people think of calcium intake, they tend to turn towards dairy products however, there are many other ways in which we can consume the calcium that our body needs, from plant based sources too.
Here is an idea of how easy it might be to get your recommended daily intake of calcium:
Soya milk
Plant based milks such as almond and soya, provide around 300mg of calcium per 8oz.
Kale
Kale contains 180mg of calcium per 8oz. Kale is easy to blend into smoothies or crisp up in the oven.
Almonds
Almonds, being one of the healthiest types of nuts there is, contain 75mg of calcium per oz (this equates to about 23 almonds).
Oranges
As well as being rich in vitamin C, oranges provide us with 75mg of calcium per one orange.
White beans
Legumes are also a great source of calcium. 1 cup (155g) of white beans contains around 190 mg of calcium.
Edamame beans
One cup (155 grams) of edamame packs 10% of the recommend daily intake (RDI) for calcium. It’s also a good source of protein and delivers all your daily folate in a single serving.
Tofu
Tofu that’s been prepared with calcium also can have high amounts — you can get 86% of the RDI for calcium in just half a cup (126 grams).
Figs
Figs contain more calcium than other dried fruits. In fact, dried figs provide 5% of the RDI for calcium in one ounce (28 grams).
