Calcium

• see further down this page for calcium-rich recipes 

Calcium is a major mineral: the average adult is made up of just over a kilo (around 2% of total body weight). 99% of this is found in the bones and teeth, and the remainder is used for the contraction of muscles, nerve function, enzyme activity and blood clotting.

Calcium Requirements

The UK Department of Health's Reference Nutrient Intakes (the daily amount that is enough for 97% of people: similar to RDAs used previously in the UK) are as follows.¹

Vegan Sources of Calcium

Good plant sources of calcium include:

• Green leafy vegetables: spring greens, kale, broccoli, parsley.
  (Spinach is not a good source of calcium. It is high in calcium, but the calcium is bound to oxalates and therefore poorly absorbed.)
• Fortified foods such as soya milk
• White flour (as calcium is added by law) and white flour products
• Calcium-set tofu
• Oranges 
• Figs and black molasses
• Drinking hard water can provide 200mg of calcium daily, although soft water contains almost none²

Examples of amounts of foods providing 100mg calcium³

Ensuring an adequate intake of calcium

A study in the UK of 34,696 adults, over five years, found that the vegans studied had a higher risk of bone fracture than the meat eaters, fish eaters and vegetarians studied. This appeared to be a result of their lower calcium intake - no increase in risk was found in those vegans consuming at least 525 mg of calcium per day - and highlights the importance of ensuring an adequate intake of calcium.⁴ Recommended intakes are given in Calcium Requirements above.

Calcium is a team player

Calcium is sometimes thought of as the 'bone-builder', but it should not be viewed in isolation. Other nutrients including vitamin D, vitamin K, protein and potassium play an important part in building bones. Exercise also helps to build bones.

Vitamin D assists with calcium absorption so it is important to ensure a supply. Expose your face and arms to the sun for approximately 15 minutes per day. If your sun exposure is limited (for example in a British Winter), or if you are dark skinned make sure that you get 10 to 20 micrograms of vitamin D2 each day from fortified food or a supplement such as VEG1 available from The Vegan Society.

Other Factors To Consider:

Salt (sodium) causes calcium loss, so opt for low-sodium salt (e.g. Losalt) and low-sodium foods.
Caffeine reduces calcium absorption so reduce your intake of caffeinated foods and drinks such as coffee and tea.
Vegetables and fruit improve calcium balance so eat plenty.
Protein stimulates bone building so it is important to ensure an adequate intake of protein, but avoid excesses. Moderate protein intake - about one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day - is probably ideal.

Further details

For more details on bone health, see please see the Diet & Bone Health page.

References

1. Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the UK Dept of Health (1991)
2. Water in the north is generally harder than in the south. Ask your water company for their latest water quality report.
3. The Composition of Foods (6th Summary ed) McCance & Widdowson 2002 Royal Soc of Chemistry & Food Standards Agency
4. Key TJ, Appleby PN, Spencer EA, Roddam AW, Neale RE, Allen NE. (2007) Calcium, diet and fracture risk: a prospective study of 1898 incident fractures among 34 696 British women and men. Public Health Nutr. 2007; 10(11):1314-20

Calcium-rich recipes

Sweetcorn Chowder

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, chopped

4 corn cobs, corn trimmed off

16floz (450ml) vegetable stock

seasoning to taste

16floz (450ml) calcium-fortified soya milk

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1.  Fry the onion gently in the vegetable oil until it starts to soften and become transparent. 

2.  Add the corn and vegetable stock and bring to the boil.  Season and reduce the heat, simmering until the corn is cooked.

3.  Add the soya milk and blend for a few seconds only to retain some of the crunch from the sweetcorn.  Reheat gently.  Take off the heat and stir in the parsley.  Serves 4-6

Spinach, Smoked Tofu and Tomato Salad

2oz (55g) leaf spinach, finely chopped

2oz (55g) calcium-set smoked tofu, crumbled

4 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 very small clove of garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon vegan red wine vinegar

squeeze of lemon

ground black pepper

1.  Place spinach, smoked tofu and cherry tomatoes in a bowl.

2.  To make dressing, mix garlic, olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice.  Season with freshly ground black pepper.

3.  Pour the dressing on to spinach, smoked tofu and tomatoes.  Toss and serve.  Serves 2.

Quiche Lorraine

PASTRY: 9oz (250g) plain wholemeal flour

4.5oz (125g) margarine

FILLING: 10oz (280g) calcium-set tofu

a little soya milk

1 onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp vegetable oil

½ packet Redwood rashers, chopped small

¾ packet vegan cheese, grated

1 tomato, sliced

1.  Make pastry by rubbing margarine into flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Add enough water to make a dough which is soft, but not sticky. 

2.  Roll out and place into a large quiche dish.  Bake for 10 minutes at 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 to set the pastry.

3.  Now make the filling: mash tofu with a blender (or fork), adding a little soya milk for moisture.

4.  Heat oil in a frying pan or saucepan and add the onion, red pepper and garlic.  Once it is slightly cooked add the rashers and cook for a minute or two. 

5.  Add to tofu mixture along with half of the packet of cheese.  Spread mixture into pastry case.  Top with remaining grated cheese and sliced tomato.

6.  Place in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes.  Serves 4.

Mushroom and Nut-Stuffed Greens

6 large spring green leaves

1 tbsp rapeseed or other vegetable oil

4oz (115g) breakfast mushrooms, chopped

2oz (55g) mixed chopped nuts

1 tbsp soya sauce

2oz (55g) breadcrumbs

1 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 small carrot, finely chopped

½ stick celery, finely chopped

14oz (400g) tinned tomatoes, chopped

1.  Carefully cut away any thick stalk from the spring greens.  Blanch the leaves in boiling water for 2 minutes until soft.  Drain and rinse in cold water to prevent them cooking any further.  Set aside.

2.  Fry the mushrooms in the rapeseed oil: once the oil has been soaked up add the soya sauce and increase the heat.  Keep cooking until the mushrooms release their juice.  Add the chopped nuts and then enough breadcrumbs to soak up any surplus liquid.  Set aside.

3.  Sauté the garlic, carrot and celery in the olive oil until softened.  Add the tomatoes and cook (10-15 minutes) until reduced to quite a thick consistency.  Season to taste

4.  Take 1/6 of the mushroom stuffing and roll a spring leaf around it – the end result should be roughly the size of a cannelloni tube.  Repeat with the remaining stuffing and leaves.

5.  Place all six rolled leaves in an ovenproof dish.  Pour over the tomato sauce.  Cover with aluminium foil and bake at 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5 for 30 minutes.  Serves 2

Curly Kale and Chick Pea Curry

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2-4 tsps curry powder  

14oz (400g) tin chopped tomatoes

14oz (400g) tin chick peas

4oz (115g) curly kale, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped - optional

1.  Sauté onion in oil until it is light brown.  Add garlic and curry powder and cook for a further minute.

2.  Add tomatoes, drained chickpeas and kale.  Bring to the boil and cook for 10-20 minutes until kale has softened to your liking.

3.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve garnished with chopped coriander and rice or salad.  Serves 2.

Irish Stew

4oz (125g) calcium-set smoked tofu

1½ tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp rapeseed or other vegetable oil

3oz (85g) onion, sliced

3oz (85g) plain white flour

7oz (200g) root vegetables e.g.  carrot, swede

4oz (125g) mushrooms, sliced

3oz (85g) celery, sliced

¾pt (430ml) light vegetable stock

1½oz (45g) red lentils

small handful fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp yeast extract

½ tsp mixed herbs

1.  Crumble tofu and marinade in soya sauce for an hour.

2.  Sauté onion in oil until transparent.  Add flour, mix thoroughly and cook gently for two minutes.

3.  Add remaining ingredients, mix well and bring to the boil.  Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Adjust seasoning to taste.  Serves 2.

Gomasio Seasoning

3-4 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp salt

1.  Put the sesame seeds into a dry pan with the salt.  Stir over a moderate heat for 1-2 minutes, until the seeds start to 'pop', smell roasted and brown a little.  Leave to cool.

2.  Grind the mixture to a powder in a coffee grinder or use a pestle and mortar.

Banana Ice Cream

6 bananas

1 floz (25 ml) lemon juice

18 floz (2 x 250 ml) Alpro soya custard

9 floz (250 ml) calcium-fortified soya milk

1.  Slice bananas and put into container with lemon juice.  Freeze for four hours or overnight.

2.  Blend the custard and milk with the frozen fruit in a food processor.  Return to container and freeze until needed.  Take out of the freezer 20 minutes before serving.