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Going more vegan and worried about calcium
Started
by Chelsea Nesvig
on January 20, 2010
Hi everyone - This is my first post here! I've read Alicia's book and love the lifestyle she promotes. I'm not going 100% vegan right now, but have mostly cut out milk, cheese, and yogurt. I've been pescatarian for the past 10 years, and am also doing my best to eat less seafood (it's hard - I love salmon and tuna and shrimp).
Anyway, with only minimal amounts of dairy, I'm worried that I'm not getting enough calcium in my diet. I know that leafy green vegetables are key, but I have a hard time going out and buying kale and chard. I tend to eat a lot of vegan burritos (black beans) and salads with lettuce and Asian food such as curries and pho. Nuts like almonds, too.
Are calcium supplements my only hope? Fortified orange juice? Should I not worry? Thoughts?
Do not worry. There is a site that tells you all of the different plant sources of calcium. Sesame seeds are calcium super stars, but tofu and soy milk also help you get calcium. Just think about how high the american rate of osteoperosis is compared to other countries where they do not consume as much dairy.
Here is the site. You have to scroll down to see the chart. http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/calcium.htm
The beautiful thing is that plant foods provide the calcium to your bones w/out the icky cholesterol and fat and excess protein. Excess protein in milk products causes your body to leach calcium from your bones. That was a dairy industry funded study that found that I believe.
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