Veganism is the practice of avoiding the intake of animal products, including milk and dairy. Knowing our body needs calcium, vegans will need to get this mineral elsewhere. The same is true for people with lactose intolerance. Luckily, there are plenty of dairy-free sources of calcium that you can bank on.
If you can't consume milk and dairy products, here is where you can obtain this mineral: plants! A plant-based diet is all you need to make up for the lack of dairy.
Spinach
A cup of cooked spinach makes around 250 milligrams of calcium! In eating spinach, take note that this leafy vegetable contains oxalate, which can interfere with how your body absorbs calcium. But reducing oxalate content is fairly easy -- simply boil your spinach! Its oxalate content will be reduced by as much as 90%.
Chickpeas
A 100-gram value of chickpeas is equivalent to 105 milligrams of calcium. This legume is well-loved by vegans because it is one of the best sources of protein. It is also rich in phosphorous, folate, copper, and iron, making legumes a superfood for vegans.
There are many ways to consume chickpeas. You can make them into salads, soup, and can also be made into a gravy dip. These are also great when sprouted or boiled.
Sesame seeds
A hundred grams of sesame seeds contain about 97% of the daily value of calcium especially unhulled ones. And these seeds can be sprinkled in many types of food!
Sesame seeds are rich in selenium, zinc, phosphorous, iron, magnesium, and most of all, protein. These are best consumed when dry roasted and sprinkled atop salads, soups, or veggies. Sesame seeds made into Tahini paste are pretty great too.
Broccoli
You can get 50 milligrams of calcium per 100 grams of broccoli. And two cups of broccoli are roughly equivalent to a glass of milk but with a better absorption rate. This means that consuming broccoli is one way for our body to absorb a lot of calcium, in fact, way better than drinking milk does.
Soybeans and its products
You can get 27% of your daily value of dietary calcium from a hundred grams of soybeans. These are also legumes and there are many soy products available including soy chunks, soybean oil, soy milk, tempeh, tofu, and soy flour.
Soy milk is becoming a popular stable in vegan food because it's a suitable replacement for dairy milk in smoothies, coffee, and tea.
