Vegan Calcium Needs

by Amy
(Chicago)

I noticed that the Vegan Food Pyramid recommends 6-8 servings of fortified soy milk or alternatives. This is because vegans need to make sure to get enough calcium. I thought that eating meat leeches calcium from one's body and that large amounts of calcium is needed in the average American's diet because of meat consumption.

Do vegetarians really need to be concerned with calcium as long as they're eating their greens? I definitely do not eat 6-8 servings of calcium rich food a day, but more like 2-3 servings. I look forward to the development of this area of your site. Thanks!

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Hi Amy - Yes, it is true that acidic animal foods can leach calcium as your body tries to balance things with the alkaline from your bones. But calcium is very important, whether you are vegan or not. And it is really quite easy to get calcium into your diet as a vegan. In fact, you may be eating more than you think.

Calcium is found in foods like dark green leafies such as kale, broccoli, collard greens/mustard greens/turnip greens. Calcium is also found in green beans, asparagus, oranges, figs, most nuts and seeds, white/kidney/navy beans, calcium-fortified beverages and foods, and blackstrap molasses, to name a few.

In fact, if you are eating a well-balanced vegan diet, it would be very difficult to NOT have the proper number of servings of calcium in your diet.

I cover this topic in my weight-loss course Get Down With Sass!, as we discuss the vegan alternatives to traditional calcium sources such as high-fat animal products (milk and cheese).

Hope this helps. xo