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I ran a search on calcium on this site and a google search for raw vegan sources of calcium as well but everything I read was either unsatisfying or contradictory so I thought I'd ask you guys -
I have never had a cavity and now, after being 100% vegan raw for 6 months, I have one. I brush the same as always so the only thing that has changed is my diet. I don't take supplements and because of where I live, I do NOT have access to unhulled sesame seeds or veg like collard greens and my body is intolerant to spinach and kale (violent hurling). Should I be concerned about calcium? I've read that raw vegans require less calcium but even still - I don't think I'm getting almost ANY.
Do any of you supplement? And how much do you take a day and in what combinations (calcium/magnesium/zinc, just calcium, etc.) I'm NOT a fan of taking pills to balance me out nutritionally but I'm also not a fan of my diet contributing to poor dental health! x
What about parsley, celery, dandelion greens, lambsquarter, salsify... these all have calcium. Also, have you tried juicing spinach and kale? I have been doing a lot of research into calcium rich foods since I have a terrible sweet tooth, and most advisors have told me it probably has to do with a lack of calcium. Also, speaking of sweets, if you are eating high-sugar, high-acid fruits that will definitely show up on your teeth. I'll get back to you with any other info I find on the calcium issue.
Also, I don't supplement. I got a B-12 shot once and didn't sleep for what felt like a month. I would say avoid supplementing if you can.
Good luck :)
sesame seeds have a ton of calcium. tahini, then, would be a great way to get a lot in. chia seeds, too. chia seeds also have those other minerals you need to process the calcium.
susan121 has a point about the sugar-acid from fruit. be careful not to brush your teeth right after eating fruit or drinking fruity things, because your teeth are still sensitive from the acid and you could brush away the enamel. i make sure to brush before my raw breakfast rather than after. that may be backwards from how other people do it.
if you're not drinking the fluoridated water from your tap, fluoride could be an issue also. a google search on food sources of fluoride showed that tea and grape juice provide fluoride. i'm happy to see that because i
How about sprouted lentils? Weston A. Price was a big fan of lentils because of their calcium/phosphorous balance. They taste really good sprouted, especially the French one
Please investigate Vitamin D and Calcium.
Vitamin D is necessary for proper calcium absorption and was shown to help build bones better than calcium, even though bones are made up from a great deal of calcium.
Then the answer to your question may be another question, like are you getting enough sun through the week, or are you supplementing D.
Also, to build strong bones, weight bearing exercises were shown in studying to increase bone density. People who drink the most milk (societies) have the higher rate of osteoporosis and hip fractures as well. So more calcium may not be necessarily better for you, if that is what you are thinking. More research needs to be done, but going with what we know, exercise and get some sun.
good luck!!!
Just wanted to add that if you each a variety of foods (cooked or raw), and they are whole foods, then you shouldn't be worrying about individual vitamins and minerals, except for the ones like vitamin D which has a ton of evidence about how important it is.
good luck again!!!!
I think that rawcanadian is right, in that maybe you should pay atttention to the cofactors that help assimilate the calcium as well. You see, most of the time individual vitamines and minerals are sinergistic, and need other vitamines/minerals in order to be efficiently assimilated. For example, an very important mineral associated to the assimilation of calcium is magnesium. Furthermore, there are other minerals such as copper, selenium, zinc, etc also play an important role in this process.
On the other hand, if you decide to go with calcium supplementation, keep in mind that not all forms of calcium are created equal. Some forms are more bioavailable than the well known calcium carbonate (inorganic salt), such as calcium citrate and asparte, to name a few.
Although smoothies provide us with optimal nutritional (I certainly would never knock them as I eat at least one a day myself) they don't provide us with crucial jaw exercise. Here's what Victoria Boutenko says:
"In keeping ourselves physically fit, we seldom think of exercising our cranio-facial musculature. In the gym, people exercise all their muscles except the cranio-facial complex. Modern food is often heavily processed and, as a result, too soft. Mashed potatoes, pancakes, pasta, bread, or grated vegetables, don
i've also read some about calcium & iron having to do with hair falling out (which is happening to me). It seems like there is less calcium in vegetables than dairy, but i think there are some really good ideas here.
I think the calcium in vegetables (assuming you get a good amount of vitamin c) is more absorbable for humans than the secretion of a cow for its young.
i think that if you are eating enough vegetable to get a high amount of calcium , then you are probably getting enough vitamin c as well.
http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/vitamins-nutrition-chart.html
If not then what kind of vegetables are you referring too??
Like i mentioned in a previous post, it is not natural for ANY animals (this includes people) to worry about each individual nutrient, as long as you are eating a healthy well varietied whole food diet.
Also eating dairy is NOT a food group (except for babies), I would like to see that changed by the government, as well as grains (which are plants and don't contain any nutrients that fruits or veggies don't already have).
LOL like that will happen (somebody owns the puppets)
good luck!!
citrus, papayas, apples, dates, celery and a variety of other fruits and veggies have a good amount of calcium. as long as you're getting enough calories and you're eating an abundance of fruits, veggies/and or greens and you're getting some sunshine you should be getting everything you need. like rawcanadian said, i think vitamin d is important and i think the calcium-phosphorus ratio is important also. things like grains are high in phosphorus and low in calcium. foods like this will rob your body of calcium so it's important to eat foods that have a good calcium-phosphorus ratio. most fruits, greens and veggies have an ideal ratio.
also, if you ever eat any cooked or processed food it's important to really brush well after and rinse your mouth with water, otherwise it will lead to a buildup of plaque and tooth decay. When you eat cooked and processed foods the particles left in your teeth ferment. a lot of people blame high-fruit diets when it comes to tooth decay when it's actually that they are transitioning and still eating cooked food every once and a while and not taking the extra care needed to clean the cooked food particles off the teeth. after i changed my diet i started only brushing my teeth with water and rarely needed to floss because my mouth was so clean after eating only fruits and veggies and when i ate cooked food i didn't take any special care for a while because i got used to the ease of dental care when you eat raw fruits and veggies. my dental health started to suffer until i started really cleaning my teeth and rinsing out my mouth whenever i had cooked vegan food.
I do take a calcium supplement (600 mg and 400 IU Vitamin D) daily. I don't believe that I get enough calcium eating raw --just as I didn't eating cooked food.
Supplements might not be ideal, and there are many good points in these posts, but I take calcium because many (if not most) women in my family have had osteoporosis. I'd rather take something "unnatural" then risk the same fate, and I don't think it can be that bad for you.
If you're concerned, I would take a supplement.
hi grapefuit fanatic! most people get osteoporosis because they eat a standard american diet that is really acidifying. the body leeches calcium from the bones to try and alkalize the body eventually leaving the bones brittle and weak. meat, dairy, grains, refined sugar, etc. really do a number on our bodies ph. it's not that it runs in our genes, it's that family members often have the same diets so they get the same problems.
for a lot of supplements, the vitamins and minerals are inorganic forms of the vitamins and minerals and our body can only utilize organic forms. so a lot of supplements will make very expensive pee as your body doesn't utilize the vitamins and minerals. i think calcium supplements are organic minerals though, from ground up bones unless you get the vegetarian ones.
the healthiest, most balanced way of getting calcium is through diet. supplementation can affect the balance of other vitamins and minerals, because ratios are really important (for example: calcium-phosphorus ratios).
Thanks for all the info guys - I have a lot to think about. One thing is for sure - I definitely get enough Vitamin D! One of the pros of living in equatorial Africa :)
Thanks Kellyanne! Now I too have a lot to think about. I guess I always thought it was in the genes (probably what my parents thought too, and made me drink milk with meals) so I really appreciate your info.
I agree with Kellyanne!
I *mostly* agree with Kellyanne too (except that raw fruits/veggies get stuck in my teeth like nobody's business, which I'm sure is TMI).
The only thing I want to add is that the government RDAs for calcium are based on a Standard American Diet, which (a) promotes consumption of dairy as if that was the only source of calcium, and (b) assumes an overabundance of animal protein, which as noted interferes with calcium absorption. So the amount of calcium recommended skews overly high, and I wouldn't pay strict attention to it.