Usually people think that the required calcium for the day can be obtained by drinking a cold, glass of milk.
How much calcium do we need? People between the ages of 19 – 50 need 1000 mg of calcium every day, 9- 18 need 1,300 mg every day and this period is very important and people over 50 need 1,200 mg of calcium. Women after menopause need 1,500mg.
Milk is not always the best choice as one cup of milk contains 300 mg of calcium and the bad news is that people cannot get enough calcium from cow’s milk.
But if you love drinking milk then it should be organic, from grass- fed cows because it doesn’t contain antibiotics and hormones. It is less processed but even this milk cannot provide the human body with enough calcium.
Have you ever wondered how vegans and ovo-vegetarians get the required dosage of calcium? Here are 5 foods which are rich in calcium:
Kale
Kale is rich in healthy nutrients. A green smoothie prepared with raw Kale has 90 mg of calcium per cup. If you use 3.5 cup of kale for preparing a salad you will get 315 mg of calcium- more from a glass of milk. So start consuming kale as it also contains phosphorus and manganese which are also very important for healthy bones.
Spinach
Spinach contains a lot of calcium- 244.8 per cup. Because we always consume more than a cup, we will get more calcium unlike from a glass of milk. It also contains manganese which improves the development of normal bone structure and joint membranes.
Collard Greens
In two cups of collard greens there are 452.2 mg of calcium, nearly 90% of your daily value intake. If you think you cannot drink the greens then you are wrong. Just prepare smoothies. Collard greens are rich in vitamin B6 and folic acid which reduce the homocysteine levels that damage the bone structure. You can also prepare them lightly steamed and marinated with lemon juice, honey, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and dill weed.
Sesame Seeds
In just a quarter cup, you get 351 mg of calcium which equals a glass of milk. Just put a quarter cup into your salad or spreading tahini on some whole grain toast. Tahini is a butter-type paste made from ground and hulled sesame seeds.
This healthy food is quite rich in calcium.
Organic Yogurt
People who love dairy products, plain organic yogurt is a great choice as it contains 447.4 mg of calcium in one cup. That’s approximately 45% of your daily value intake of calcium. It also contains 35.2% of your daily value of phosphorus which is important for formation and regeneration of bones and teeth.
There are many foods which contain calcium which can replace the dairy products and are even better option than the milk for example.
Source: http://www.foods4betterhealth.com
