Whether due to a dairy intolerance, cows milk allergy or personal choice to follow a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, getting enough calcium from plant based sources alone can be difficult to achieve. Difficult, but not impossible.

With some careful planning it is possible for vegetarians to use plant based sources of calcium to achieve their calcium needs.

A number of plants, fruits and vegetables contain calcium but can be limited because of low bioavailability or huge quantities required.

How much calcium do we need?

Calcium requirements and recommendations vary between countries These also vary according to gender and age with values typically increasing as we get older to account for reduced absorption.

In the UK, the general adult population is recommended to consume 800mg of calcium a day unless they have coeliac disease which increases it to 1000-1500mg per day.

Australian calcium recommendations are set higher at 1000mg daily for adults.

Bioavailability of calcium

Bioavailability is a measure of how much calcium is absorbed and available for the body to utilise. Many factors can influence this.

Oxalates and phytates are compounds naturally present in plants that can limit how available calcium sourced from plants is.

Cow’s milk is usually used as a reference point with 1 cup (240ml) of milk set as a standard ‘serve’ of calcium providing

A study in 1999 compared the bioavailability of various sources of calcium to 1 cup of cows milk, which has approximately 32% of the calcium absorbed.

To absorb the same amount of calcium from broccoli from that within milk, you would need to eat 2 1/2 cups of broccoli, 5 cups of red beans, 1 1/2 cups of kale or a massive 8 cups of spinach!

It’s worth keeping that in mind for any food containing calcium, just because 1 cup of kale may contain 87mg of calcium doesn’t meant that the entire amount is available and absorbed by the body.

I’ve tried to use realistic portion sizes and was fascinated to see how rich in calcium herbs are.

While it would be a fantastic way to bump up your calcium intake at 2110mg by eating 100g of dried basil, I can’t really see anyone eating more than a tablespoon at a time!

Calcium in Beans, lentils and legumes

Calcium in Nuts & Seeds

Calcium in Grains & cereals

Calcium in Vegetables

Calcium in Fruit

Calcium in Herbs & Spices

Calcium in Milk alternatives

Calcium in other foods

A plant based diet requires a lot of variety

As always, the most important thing to remember when eating a plant based diet is to include a wide variety of plants in every meal as each different component will add a little nutritional boost.

If you are looking for support transitioning to a plant based diet or want to make sure you are getting the nutrients you need, get in touch to book an online nutrition consultation.

Gemma

Plant based sources of calcium