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How do vegans get the required amount of calcium

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  • 24-08-2005 2:19pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 223 ✭✭


    Do vegans take alot of supplements to replace vitamins and minerals that they are missing out on by not eating animal products. I'm espically insterested to know here they get their RDA of calcium.


Comments

  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,091 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    no there is no need for any vegetarian or vegan to take supplements.

    here we go....

    Calcium Requirements

    Age/Sex Calcium requirement (mg/day)
    Infants & children, depending on age 350-550
    Teenage girls 800
    Teenage boys 1000
    Adult men & women 700
    Breast-feeding women extra 550

    The 1989 US recommendations are generally slightly higher. In 1994 the US recommendations for children aged 1-10 was increased from 800mg to 1,200mg daily and for young adults aged 11-24 years it was increased from 1,200 to 1,500mg. During pregnancy and breast feeding women in the USA are now advised to have 1,400mg calcium daily and American men and women over the age of 50 years are advised to increased their calcium intake towards 1,500mg because the intestinal absorption of calcium declines with age.

    Vegan Sources of Calcium
    Good plant sources of calcium include tofu (if prepared using calcium sulphate contains more than four times the calcium of whole cow's milk), green leafy vegetables, seeds and nuts. The calcium in green vegetables which are not high in oxalate e.g. kale, is absorbed as well or better than the calcium from cow's milk. Some soya milks e.g. Provamel, Plamil, Granovita are fortified with calcium. Drinking hard water can provide 200mg of calcium daily but soft water contains almost none. Other calcium rich foods include black molasses, edible seaweeds, watercress, parsley and dried figs.

    Examples of amounts of foods providing 100mg calcium
    Type of Food Calcium per 100g (g)
    Black molasses 20
    Dried figs 40
    Almonds 42
    Soya flour 44
    Parsley 50
    Kale 67
    Brazils Nuts 59
    Wholemeal bread 185
    Oatmeal 192


    any questions about any of it or any other vitamins/minerals etc.


    EDIT: a little more...

    Conclusions

    The calcium intake of vegans tends to be slightly below the recommended optimal amounts but the body does adapt to lower intakes and there have been no reports of calcium deficiency in vegans.

    I.E. Don't worry about calcium.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,128 ✭✭✭sweet-rasmus


    i was gonna say that... there's no prob getting calcium; it's everywhere!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 58 ✭✭SueA


    Soya milk has the same calcium as dairy milk, many vegetables, nuts and seeds are also high in calcium.


  • Registered Users Posts: 295 ✭✭Mentalmiss


    I got my test results yesterday. Post menopausal woman, 41 years veggie, 14 years vegan, no calcium supplements and my levels were fine as were my bone indicators.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,743 ✭✭✭blatantrereg


    A very high consumption of animal protein causes calcium to be leeched from bones. I reckon 'paleo'/Atkins style diets are probably more likely than vegan diets to result in calcium deficiency


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,079 ✭✭✭Gadgie


    Serious zombie thread.

    I think the OP was probably satisfied with the first answer they got ten years ago.


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