By Aileen Brabazon, CNP

Milk guzzling and cheese devouring aren’t everyone’s preference. Take vegans, for example. They simply choose not to eat any animals or animal by-products, dairy included. Then there are the lactose-intolerant. Knocking back calcium-rich dairy foods would leave them doubled over in digestive distress. 

Sure, dairy is an excellent source of bone-strengthening calcium, but going without it doesn’t mean you’re doomed for osteoporosis. Nor does it mean you’ll be supplement-popping for the rest of your life. There are many non-dairy foods available that are rich in calcium to keep you humming with health. Read on for how to get your calcium fix and how to optimize the mineral’s work in your body.

How it does your body good

Calcium has many jobs to do. Besides keeping bones and teeth strong, the mineral’s functions include helping to ward off colon cancer, helping you maintain a healthy weight and keeping your blood pressure at a normal level. As well, it’s involved in the transmission of nerve impulses and is vital for the contraction and relaxation of muscles, such as your heart. 

When it comes to calcium, your body’s priority is keeping enough in your blood, primarily to ensure your heart beats regularly. If you’re not getting sufficient dietary calcium and your blood levels are low, your body pulls the mineral out of your bones and deposits it into your blood. This leads to the weakening of bones, so it’s important to consume enough calcium every day (the recommended daily amount is 1,000 milligrams for adults 19 to 50), along with the other nutrients that promote its absorption.

Soaking it up

Ingesting calcium is the easy part. The trickier thing is absorbing, keeping and using it. As Dr. Elson Haas states in Staying Healthy with Nutrition, between 30 to 80 percent of the calcium you eat is dumped out through excretion or urine. 

There are many reasons why this is so — calcium absorption and utilization is complex. Fret not, here are several ways that will help you hang on to calcium: 

1. Have Vitamin D3: It’s essential for the absorption of calcium. When our skin is exposed to the sun, our bodies make this vitamin. Getting enough sunlight is important, as vitamin D is only in a limited number of foods, including fish liver oils, egg yolks and fatty fish, such as salmon. It’s also added to fortified beverages, such as rice milk and soymilk.

2. Have Magnesium: It’s needed for the balance and metabolism of calcium (it helps move calcium in and out of bone), and it boosts the activity of vitamin D3, which enhances the absorption of calcium. Magnesium is also needed for healthy bones and muscles. For example, it works with calcium to make your heart beat regularly. Magnesium is in many foods, including dark leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and salmon.

3. Have vitamin K: This nutrient activates proteins that guide calcium into your bones. Vitamin K is crucial to bone health — low levels are linked with fractures and osteoporosis. Vegetables such as kale, collard greens, turnip greens, tomatoes and green cabbage are rich in vitamin K. 

4. Keep phosporus in check: Phosphorus, like calcium, is needed for healthy, strong bones and teeth. Ideally, you should have a 1:1 ratio of these minerals. However, many North Americans get far more phosphorus, often from having a lot of meat foods, dairy products, food additives and soft drinks, than calcium. The result: the excess phosphorus prevents calcium from being absorbed properly, and causes calcium to be leached out of your bones and eliminated from your body. 

5. Keep an eye on protein, salt, sugar, alcohol &  coffee: Too much of these items forces calcium out, encouraging it to exit through urine.

6. Look out for oxalic acid and phytic acid: Both may interfere with calcium absorption. Oxalic acid is in foods such as spinach, chocolate, Swiss chard and rhubarb, while phytic acid is in the bran (or hull) of whole grains. Keep in mind that these foods are nutrient-dense, so they should be a part of your diet. 

Get your calcium here

Sea veggies are richest sources of calcium. For example, just half a cup of wakame seaweed contains 1,700 milligrams of the mineral. (By comparison, a cup of milk has 300 milligrams.) The other advantage is that sea veggies also contain many other nutrients, such as magnesium, that are needed for calcium absorption or that work alongside it in keeping your bones, muscles and rest of your body healthy.

Many dark green vegetables also deliver a good calcium punch and provide a broad range of other crucial nutrients, such as vitamin K and magnesium. Make the likes of kale, collard greens, turnip greens and broccoli a regular part of your diet. 

Nuts and seeds, including almonds, hazelnuts and sesame seeds, along with dried figs and apricots make a mineral-rich, delicious snack. Meanwhile, canned fish with the bones in, such as sardines or salmon, offers you a wonderful dose of calcium, magnesium and vitamin D — a superb combo for absorption. Plus, fatty fish offers essential fatty acids, which may improve calcium absorption and its delivery into your bones. Another easy way to get calcium, magnesium and vitamin D in one shot is to choose fortified rice milk, soymilk or orange juice.  

References

Balch, James F. Prescription for Natural Cures. Wiley and Sons Inc, 2004.

Haas, Elson M. “Staying Healthy with Nutrition.” Celestial Arts, 2006. 

Graci, Sam. The Bone-Building Solution. John Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd, 2006.

Lieberman, Sheri. The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book. Penguin Group, 2007

Murray, Michael and Pizzorno, Joseph. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. Three Rivers Press, 1998. “Choices for Achieving Adequate Dietary Calcium with a Vegetarian Diet.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Vol 70, No. 3, September 1999.