Daily calcium intake is important to keep teeth and bones strong, as well as to improve muscle contraction, heart rate and reduce irritation, for example. Discover other benefits of this mineral in: Calcium.
Thus, during the day it is recommended to ingest around 1,300 mg of calcium per day between the ages of 9 and 18, due to the growth and development of bones, while in adulthood, the recommended dose is 1,000 mg per day, which for Restricted vegetarians and vegans are much more difficult to reach.
However, calcium does not need to be ingested only in the form of milk or derivatives, such as cheese and yogurt, especially in the case of patients with lactose intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome, for example, as there are other foods that, when ingested, in adequate quantities, they are capable of providing daily amounts of calcium like almonds. See how to use almonds for osteoporosis in: 5 health benefits of almonds.
List of foods rich in calcium without milk
Some good examples of foods that are a source of calcium but do not contain milk are:
Generally, calcium is lost in the water used to cook food, which is why it is important to use as little water and as little time as possible during the preparation of these foods to ensure that calcium is preserved. However, spinach or beans, for example, must be blanched and the first water dispensed to eliminate a substance, called oxalate, which reduces the body’s ability to absorb calcium.
In addition to these foods, there are other ways to ingest calcium without lactose through foods enriched with calcium, which are easily found in supermarkets, such as soy yogurt, biscuits, cereals or bread, for example, or using food supplements recommended by the nutritionist. Another food rich in calcium is caruru, see the benefits here.
Watch this video to learn about other foods rich in calcium and how to use them correctly:
Example of a menu with foods rich in calcium without milk
A good example of a menu with foods rich in calcium, but without milk, capable of reaching the recommended doses of calcium for an adult, is:
- Breakfast: 1 cup of almond milk with 1 orange and toasted bread with fig jam;
- Colation: 1 banana accompanied by 2 Brazil nuts;
- Lunch: ½ can of sardines with bones with 1 cup of cooked broccoli and ½ cup of rice;
- Snack: almond milk smoothie with 100 grams of cherry and 140 grams of papaya;
- Dinner: spinach soup with pumpkin, carrots, potatoes and tofu;
- Supper: 1 chamomile tea or 1 strawberry gelatin.
This menu contains approximately 1100 mg of calcium, making it sufficient to reach the recommended daily doses of calcium for adults. However, the menu can be adapted to each person’s preference, substituting foods, using the table above as a reference.
See too:
