Vegan sources of calcium?

I had my blood tested and turns out I am very low in calcium, which is no surprise considering my major source is maybe 1-2 cups of soy milk every day, and I pretty live off of mostly fruits and veggies.

What other good vegan sources of calcium are there besides soy milk? 

Thanks in advance!

 

http://carrotcafe.com/f/calevel.html

Cauliflower is a great source I've heard.  You can mash it up like potatoes is you get tired of the same ole same ole.  :)

Dark, leafy greens are rich in calcium.  Try spinach, kale, collard greens, turnip greens, beet greens, dark green savoy cabbage, etc. 

Also Blue Diamond Unsweetened Almond milk is a good vegan source. But my recommendation to you would be to take a chewable calcium supplement 500mg 2 times per day.

I am a Registered Dietitian and I work in an acute care hospital and interpret nutritional lab values all the time so I felt this info was important to tell you.

You should be aware that a low serum (blood) calcium value is not always caused by a lack of calcium in the diet. Hypocalcemia (decreased blood calcium level) is generally associated with a low albumin (serum protein) value, but that is not to say you are protein defficient because your blood albumin level is highly effected by your hydration status when your blood is drawn. So, if when your blood was drawn you were very well hydrated that would cause your albumin to be deluted (so to speak) and which in turn would artifactually cause your serum calcium level to show low.

Also, there are several drugs which can cause hypocalcemia including oral contraceptives, diuretics and aspirin to name a few.

Another common cause of hypocalcemia is a Vit D deficiency.

Again, the best thing you can do other than to be sure you are eating a well balanced diet is to add an oral Calcium supplement that has additional Vit D and magnesium. I recommend chewables 500mg am and pm. Any more than 500mg at a time your body cannot absorb.

Hope this wasn't too wordy... :)

Original Post by gddrdld:

I am a Registered Dietitian and I work in an acute care hospital and interpret nutritional lab values all the time so I felt this info was important to tell you.

You should be aware that a low serum (blood) calcium value is not always caused by a lack of calcium in the diet. Hypocalcemia (decreased blood calcium level) is generally associated with a low albumin (serum protein) value, but that is not to say you are protein defficient because your blood albumin level is highly effected by your hydration status when your blood is drawn. So, if when your blood was drawn you were very well hydrated that would cause your albumin to be deluted (so to speak) and which in turn would artifactually cause your serum calcium level to show low.

Also, there are several drugs which can cause hypocalcemia including oral contraceptives, diuretics and aspirin to name a few.

Another common cause of hypocalcemia is a Vit D deficiency.

Again, the best thing you can do other than to be sure you are eating a well balanced diet is to add an oral Calcium supplement that has additional Vit D and magnesium. I recommend chewables 500mg am and pm. Any more than 500mg at a time your body cannot absorb.

Hope this wasn't too wordy... :)

Wow, thanks so much to you and everyone else! I think I will just try and make an effort to get more protein and calcium. Both of them I know I am lacking in anyway. 

There's this thing about vitamins... I am one of those people who is suspicious about them. I read and heard a lot about how they're not that great at all, because your body can only absorb a very low percentage of it, like 10% so that vitamins basically just "pass through your system." Anyone know anything about this?

 I know you may be vitamin-wary, but my doctor told me to take a few Tums [or related brands] a day.  Those are filled with calcium.

There's this thing about vitamins... I am one of those people who is suspicious about them. I read and heard a lot about how they're not that great at all, because your body can only absorb a very low percentage of it, like 10% so that vitamins basically just "pass through your system." Anyone know anything about this?

i only heard that with vitamin C. i know that when you combine different foods your body will absorb it differently, for example it takes in twice as much iron when you eat it with a source a vita C (like spinach and a tomato together) dates are super high in calcium, and sweet and delicious... i reccomend those edit: yes i am very suspicious of vitamins too. they seem unnatural to me....

Of course it's always better to get your vitamins and minerals through eating a healthy diet, but if you are lacking an essential nutrient in your diet than taking an oral supplement can sometimes be necessary.

In general a good, all inclusive 1-a-day type multivitamin can be like a little insurrance policy. But to better absorb oral supplements try taking them in liquid or chewable form. Also as stated by another poster, there are some rules for combining nutrients to help with the bioavailability, such as taking iron with vit c rish foods and calcium with vit c as well. B vitamin supplements will serve the body best when taken as a complex (all together) vs taking 1 B- vitamin by itself over another, because they work as a network. B12 should be taken intramuscularly as an injection (if you are deficient) or in a daily sublingual (under the tongue) disolveable tablet or drop.

Also, an estimated 85% of the US population does not get and/or absorb adequate amounts of calcium from their diet. in fact, Osteoporosis is so prevalent in the aging population (specifically women) that it is almost seen as a "normal part of aging" even though it is largely preventable. I recommend chewable or liquid  calcium supplements 500mg 2 times per day to most all of my pts/client, unless they have a hx of kidney stones. Even if you drink adequate milk and eat dairy foods and other foods that are good sources of calcium, there are many calcium binders in foods that are eaten along with the calcium source that make the calcium in the food much less absorbable. Therefore, in order to absorb the 1200mg you need daily you would have to consume quite a bit more in most cases.

TUMS are not a good supplemental source of calcium. Calcium is absorbed best in an acidic environment and the calcium in antacid meds has a very low absorbability factor. This is a common recommendation from many MD's but most nutrition professionals will recommend a calcium supplement that is not in the form of an antacid.

wow. is it just me or does anyone else get extremely frustrated because they are never sure what to believe about these kind of things.

like i know that kale and other dark leafy vegetables are good sources of calcium but then some will argue that you don't absorb a lot of calcium from those sources. so you think you're okay drinking a bunch of soy milk because it's fortified but apparently you still might not be absorbing enough even if the food label says you have.

so then you take supplements and you find that unless you are taking the supplements with adequate nutrient X then you probably still aren't absorbing enough.

it's like...gah, shoot me now!!! why don't i just eat chocolate cake all day long?!?!?! not really...but really.

BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES!  OMG, it's my favorite source of calcium and iron.  A tablespoon has 20% of your calcium for a day.  It has to be blackstrap, not normal.  Get unsulphered.  It's very strong tasting, slightly bitter.  I eat it on my oatmeal or by the spoonful.  It's also good with baked beans.  Yummy.

Ah, thanks!! Blackstrap molasses, that sounds yummy.