Calcium Rich Foods
What are the best calcium rich foods? Dairy is high in calcium, but for many people it causes digestion problems. We may be lactose intolerant, or dairy may cause sinus congestion. Fortunately there are other calcium rich foods. Whole, fresh foods give you calcium and all the minerals needed to absorb calcium, like magnesium, silicon, boron and more. The Best Calcium Rich Foods: Leafy green vegetables: Broccoli, romaine lettuce, kale, collards, arugula, turnip greens, bok choy, parsley, mustard greens. Spinach, chard and beet greens contain oxalic acid, and may block calcium absorption. The wild greens purlane, lambsquarters, dandelion greens, comfrey, and amaranth leaves are also calcium rich foods. Sesame Seeds: Unhulled Sesame seeds, tahini and sesame butter. All seeds contain calcium, magnesium and other trace minerals like zinc. Sesame butter has more calcium than tahini. Read the labels to check the calcium content.How to read a food label Almonds: Almonds, almond milk and almond butter. Also try walnuts, brazil nuts, pistachios. Nuts have minerals that help absorb calcium. Beans: especially pinto beans, black beans, white beans and kidney beans are calcium rich foods. You get calcium and magnesium with beans, and they stabilize blood sugar.How to cook beans Fish: Salmon is best for Vitamin D, which help you absorb calcium. Sardines are good for calcium, since they include soft bones. Canned Salmon often contains soft bones, which provide you with calcium. Dairy: Raw and cultured dairy is best. Some healers recommend full fat dairy which has the fat soluble vitamins A and D. Others recommend low or nonfat dairy which has less saturated fat. Organically fed animals will give you the healthiest milk. Here's an Ayurvedic tradition: raw milk is more digestible when brought to a quick boil then cooled and add a pinch of ginger, cardamom, nutmeg or turmeric. The quick boil beaks down the milk protein and makes it more digestible. Herbal teas: Calcium rich teas include oatstraw, nettles, red raspberry, peppermint and red clover. Herbalist Susun Weed says these 5 herbs are safe to take on a daily basis, although red clover will thin your blood. Quinoa: The World Health Organization says that quinoa contains more calcium than milk. more about quinoa and some recipes Amaranth: is higher in calcium and protein than milk, and it contains magnesium and silicon, which helps you absorb the calcium.Amaranth info and recipes Sea vegetables: all sea vegies are calcium rich foods, including nori, kelp, arame, hiziki, wakame, kombu, and bladderwack. Hiziki is the highest in calcium. Learn about sea vegetables here Posole: this is corn that has been slaked, meaning it is cooked with wood ash in the traditional way of native Americans and Mexicans. Masa is the dough made from posole, and it's used in tamales, enchiladas, and corn tortillas. Check the label on tortillas and tamales for calcium content. Soyfoods: tofu made with calcium (check the ingredients label) and soymilk fortified with calcium. Edamame (young green soybeans)is also a good source of calcium, iron, protein and zinc. Fortified drinks calcium fortified orange juice, soy milk, hemp milk and rice milk are good calcium sources. Look for calcium on the label. Presoak beans and grains: Soak your whole grains and beans overnight. This helps to remove the phytic acid which binds calcium and other minerals. Soak rice, millet, beans, oats and other grains with a pinch of vinegar or lemon juice to help them break down a bit. Sunlight Sun rays give you vitamin D which helps your body absorb calcium. So enjoy the sun! New research shows that sunlight is essential for health. Being in the sun lifts your spirits and just feels good! Sunlight also supports your glands and hormones. Exercise While you are out in the sun, get some exercise. Gardening, walking, and playing sports all help the bones. Exercise in moderation is best. Make it fun. Get enough sleep Sleep is when the body repairs and cleanses. We need good quality sleep to support the kidneys, and the kidneys support the bones, according to Chinese healing. Sleep is the best all around balancer. Take naps, too. Dried fruit there's about 65 mg of calcium in 3 small figs, a handful of raisins, 4 dates, or 8 prunes. It all adds up. Add dried fruit to cereal and trail mix. Calcium drainers Processed, refined foods and fast foods are acidic, often full of sugar, processed carbs, and salt. The body pulls the alkaline mineral calcium from your precious bones to neutralize the acidic effect of processed foods! So we lose calcium by eating sugar, soft drinks, and too much caffeine. A high protein diet is not good for the bones, either. Other calcium drainers are smoking, aluminum based antacids, aspirin, cortisone, chemotherapy drugs, calcium channel blockers, and some antibiotics interfere with calcium absorption. Food for Thought: Dairy may not create strong bones. a 12 year Harvard study of 78,000 women found that those who drank milk 3 times a day had more broken bones than women who rarely drank milk. And a l994 study of elderly people in Sydney Australia, showed that higher dairy consumption actually relates to increased fracture risk; it doubled the risk. There are studies with Asians and Africans that show a dairy free diet of whole foods supports strong bones, even when calcium consumption is low. Having healthy bones comes from a lifestyle of calcium rich foods, exercise and sunlight and avoiding processed foods and other calcium drainers.
foods high in vitamin D help you absorb calcium |
