This post comes from nutrition enthusiast and vegetable lover Kayla Coleman.
Calcium is one of those well-known minerals we all know we need, thanks to friends, doctors, and — maybe most of all — advertisers. TV commercials and magazines are littered with dairy ads slinging slogans like “Milk Does a Body Good” and showcasing actors and rockstars with milk mustaches, flexing their photoshopped biceps. It’s true that “Calcium [helps] Build Strong Bones” and prevent osteoporosis, the weakening of bones. But it also does a lot more. Our body needs calcium for blood clothing, transmission of nerve impulses, and regulation of heart rhythm. And while cows’ milk and its byproducts like yogurt and cheese are convenient and popular sources of calcium, there are many other beneficial (and possibly superior) sources of calcium you can (and should) include in your diet.
The Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of calcium for women 25-50 years old and men 25-65 is 1,000 mg. The RDI for women over 50 and men over 65 is 1,500 mg. Some experts, including those at the Harvard School of Public Health, question these amounts and think they may be too high, but they’re ballpark figures we can use as general guidelines.
One cup of cows’ milk has about 300 mg calcium, making it one of the richest sources of dietary calcium available. Some of the plants with notable amounts of calcium include:
- 1 cup cooked collard greens: 357 mg
- fortified orange juice or soymilk: 300 mg
- 1 cup cooked kale: 179 mg
- 1 cup cooked bok choy: 158 mg
- 1/2 cup tofu: 258 mg
- 1/4 cup almonds: 95 mg
- 1 medium artichoke: 135 mg
- 1 cup cooked broccoli: 94 mg
- 1 cup cooked white beans: 170 mg
- 1 cup cooked pinto beans: 82 mg
- 1 cup cooked black beans: 46 mg
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds: 351 mg
- 4 apricots: 117 mg
- 1 cup hummus: 120 mg
While cows’ milk does have more calcium than most plant foods (except for collard greens! Where are the “Got Collard Greens?” ads?!), more and more research is suggesting that plant sources might be better at strengthening bones and preventing osteoporosis than dairy.
One reason dairy might be a less-than-perfect source of calcium is that it is acid-producing and causes the bones to release calcium in order to buffer the acid. Studies show the more animal protein you eat, like that from dairy and meats, the more calcium your body excretes.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, although consuming calcium can lower your risk of osteoporosis and colon cancer, very high amounts of calcium can actually increaser your risk of prostate and possibly ovarian cancer, and probably won’t help prevent osteoporosis any better than an adequate amount. In other words, more isn’t more..
Harvard also points out that it’s normal for people to lose bone as they age, even if they meet their calcium RDI. Adequate calcium intake is important — especially when bone is rapidly deposited, up to age 30 — but it won’t prevent all bone loss later in life, which results from a variety of factors including genetics, physical inactivity, and lower levels of circulating hormones (estrogen in women, testosterone in men). In fact, in a Harvard study of male health professionals, men who drank two or more glasses of milk per day were almost twice as likely to develop advanced prostate cancer as those who didn’t drink milk at all. In addition, the American Journal of Public Health published a 12-year study of nearly 78,000 women that found those who drank more than a glass of milk per day had a 45 percent greater chance of a hip fracture. Women who consumed the same amount of calcium from non-dairy sources had no increase.
The China Study, a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Prevention Medicine based on a series of studies collected in rural China and Taiwan, showed that high consumption of animal-based foods is associated with more chronic diseases, while those who ate a primarily plant-based diet were the healthiest. They also believe the U.S. dietary guidelines for calcium intake go too far, and bring up a thought-provoking point: in a society wrought with pizza, macaroni and cheese, yogurt, and “Got Milk?” ads, why do more than 10 million Americans older than 50 (mostly women) have osteoporosis and 34 million at risk for developing it? You’d think Americans would have the strongest bones in the world.
What did we learn today? Make sure to include calcium in your diet, at least partly from plant sources like those listed above. If you do choose to consume cows’ milk and its byproducts, don’t overdo it. Calcium does a lot to keep your body running like a well-oiled machine, but it won’t prevent osteoporosis alone — so make sure to stay active and fit as well. And don’t rely on nutrition advice from actors, rockstars, and ad agencies.
Here is a calcium-packed recipe for Kale Slaw with Peanut Dressing:
Kale Slaw with Peanut Dressing
2 large bunches kale
2 bell peppers
1 large carrot, peeled
3/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp light brown sugar or coconut sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Tear the kale into small, bite-size pieces. Make sure to use only the leaves, not the thick stems. Toss the kale with the sliced bell peppers. Slice the carrot very thin or create curls with a peeler. Toss with the kale, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the peanuts.
In a chopper or small food processor, puree the remaining 1/4 peanuts, oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes. Pulse it just a few times so that there are still peanut chunks in the dressing.
Toss the dressing with the slaw and let it sit for at least a few minutes before serving. Really try to massage the dressing into the kale — the more you do, the better the kale will be flavored. If you eat this salad the next, the flavor have had a chance to soak in even more, so it gets better with age.
**recipe from the kitchn.
