How to get calcium from plants

A common question that I get regarding my lifestyle change to a plant based diet is, "How do you get enough calcium?"  The answer is easy.  Our body can absorb calcium from plants better than it can absorb calcium from dairy.  Dark green vegetables like broccoli, romaine lettuce, spinach, kale and bok choy are very high in absorbable calcium.  One large salad everyday can provide more than half of the calcium required for bone health.  Nuts, seeds, beans and even oranges contain calcium.  We live in a time when nutrients, once thought to only exist in animal based food, can be measured in plants.  A shift has begun to reverse the 100 year old paradigm which led the western world to believe that milk is a necessary source of calcium.

The key to prevention of bone loss / osteoporosis  

According to Dr. Furhman, and  other doctors on the cutting edge of reforming diet and nutrition in our country, the reason we lose calcium from our bones is from excesses.  Too much dairy and animal protein can cause the blood to have a high acidity.  The body will then draw calcium from the bones in an effort to neutralize the blood, which is then expelled through the urine.  Salt also plays a huge roll in calcium loss through the urine.  When dairy is eliminated, animal protein significantly reduced or eliminated, and salt reduced, the body doesn't require as much calcium intake to maintain bone health. 

How To Easily Get Enough Calcium When You Reduce Your Dairy Intake

Interview with Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

The following list of calcium content in common plant foods was taken from the Dallas Fort Worth Vegetarian website

http://dfwnetmall.com/veg/plantfoodshighcontentcalcium.htm

Plant Foods High in Calcium Content

Some plant foods are naturally high in calcium content.

"Calcium content of foods (per 100-gram portion) (100 grams equals around 3.5 ounces): 1. Human Breast Milk 33 mg 2. Almonds 234 mg 3. Amaranth 267 mg 4. Apricots (dried) 67 mg 5. Artichokes 51 mg 6. Beans (can: pinto, black) 135 mg 7. Beet greens (cooked) 99 mg 8. Blackeye Peas 55 mg 9. Bran 70 mg 10. Broccoli (raw) 48 mg 11. Brussel Sprouts 36 mg 12. Buckwheat 114 mg 13. Cabbage (raw) 49 mg 14. Carrot (raw) 37 mg 15. Cashew nuts 38 mg 16. Cauliflower (cooked) 42 mg 17. Swiss Chard (raw) 88 mg 18. Chickpeas (garbanzos) 150 mg 19. Collards (raw leaves) 250 mg 20. Cress (raw) 81 mg 21. Dandelion Greens 187 mg 22. Endive 81 mg 23. Escarole 81 mg 24. Figs (dried) 126 mg 25. Filberts (Hazelnuts) 209 mg 26. Kale (raw leaves) 249 mg 27. Kale (cooked leaves) 187 mg 28. Leeks 52 mg 29. Lettuce (lt. green) 35 mg 30. Lettuce (dark green) 68 mg 31. Molasses (dark-213 cal.) 684 mg 32. Mustard Greens (raw) 183 mg 33. Mustard Greens (cooked) 138 mg 34. Okra (raw or cooked) 92 mg 35. Olives 61 mg 36. Oranges (Florida) 43 mg 37. Parsley 203 mg 38. Peanuts (roasted & salted) 74 mg 39. Peas (boiled) 56 mg 40. Pistachio Nuts 131 mg

Plant foods high in calcium content.

41. Potato Chips 40 mg 42. Raisins 62 mg 43. Rhubarb (cooked) 78 mg 44. Sauerkraut 36 mg 45. Sesame Seeds 1160 mg 46. Squash (Butternut) 40 mg 47. Soybeans 60 mg 48. Sugar (brown) 85 mg 49. Tofu 128 mg 50. Spinach (raw) 93 mg 51. Sunflower Seeds 120 mg 52. Sweet Potatoes (baked) 40 mg 53. Turnips (cooked) 35 mg 54. Turnip Greens (raw) 246 mg 55. Turnip Greens (boiled) 184 mg 56. Water Cress 151 mg Dallas-Fort Worth  Vegetarian Education Network.