Thread: Getting Enough Calcium?

I just started SW and as I don't eat dairy or meat I decided that I needed to pay particular attention to a few essential things. One of these is calcium. I use a HEA everyday to have 400ml of unsweetened soya milk,but this only gives me 60% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of calcium.
Calcium fortified soya milk has the same amount of calcium per 100ml as dairy milk, so I thought this must be a problem for other people too. And of all the portions of milk you can have as a HEA unsweetened soya is the beggest serving! So those having dairy must be getting much less calcium than me. How do you top it up? What other calcium rich foods do you include and how?

At the moment I'm just trying to make sure I have all 400ml of the HEA portion. If I don't use it up in cooking or with breakfast I make a milkshake with banana (free) or a teaspoon of cocoa (0.5 on EE). It's yummy! definately recommend it, and it relaxes me before bed. As does a hot choccy made the same way.

Would bevery interested to hear other people's thoughts on this, on whatever plan and whatever you eat!

As I don't eat much dairy the odd yoghurt and cream now and again I get my calcium mainly from green leafy veg,adding herbs,almonds.

I only started sw on Wednesday, but my 4yr hates milk and isn't very interested in cheese either, she likes yogurts but I don't like the idea of those being her only source of calcium, so I make sure she eats plenty of greens, broccoli is her fave and is high in calcium. Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by veggi

I just started SW and as I don't eat dairy or meat I decided that I needed to pay particular attention to a few essential things. One of these is calcium. I use a HEA everyday to have 400ml of unsweetened soya milk,but this only gives me 60% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of calcium.
Calcium fortified soya milk has the same amount of calcium per 100ml as dairy milk, so I thought this must be a problem for other people too. And of all the portions of milk you can have as a HEA unsweetened soya is the beggest serving! So those having dairy must be getting much less calcium than me. How do you top it up? What other calcium rich foods do you include and how?

At the moment I'm just trying to make sure I have all 400ml of the HEA portion. If I don't use it up in cooking or with breakfast I make a milkshake with banana (free) or a teaspoon of cocoa (0.5 on EE). It's yummy! definately recommend it, and it relaxes me before bed. As does a hot choccy made the same way.

Would bevery interested to hear other people's thoughts on this, on whatever plan and whatever you eat!

If you don't eat meat, have you considered doing green days which would allow you an extra hea portion if it is something that concerns you.

There are other sources of calcium as well as dairy, including lots of veggies and fish (if you eat that at all?).

I don't eat dairy (apart from the odd muller light, if my IBS lets me away with it!), so like yourself, veggi, I use unsweetened Soya as my HexA.

I take calcium supplements on the recommendation of my GP, because I'm at risk for osteoporosis. I'm hoping there's enough in the supplement to help with the weight loss as well!

I think in your book the foods high in calcium are marked with a symbol (C I think?) which may help you.

Kale will give you calcium, also are you blending your banana in your milk shake as that will be syn'd if so

do youlike tofu as that is v high in calcium.

Like a lot of the others, I eat a lot of muller lights and green veg - maybe try doing green days instead of extra easy as you are a vegetarian?

I've copied this off NHS:

In addition to milk, there are a variety of foods that contain calcium and can help children get sufficient levels of calcium in their daily diet. Some examples include:

Milk, yogurt, cheese
Broccoli, kale, spinach
Oranges
Tofu, peanuts, peas, black beans, baked beans
Salmon, sardines
Sesame seeds, blackstrap molasses, corn tortillas, almonds, brown sugar

I answered on your other thread with a list (NOT complete) of veggie calcium sources from the Vegan Society