We need more than calcium for strong bones

This is a great chart by Viva! to show plant based calcium rich foods. The reason I use this chart in my clinic so much is because not only are these foods great for calcium, they are also great sources of other essential nutrients needed for bones that are not really talked about.

The beauty of Mother Nature is that she delivers nutrients from the plant world in the right ratio of calcium to magnesium for example (where as dairy you just get loads of calcium and hardly any magnesium). They also deliver vit A (in the form of beta carotene), vit K, Vitamin C, boron, manganese and zinc. All bone essentials. Plus phytoestrogens which have a stack of research about them being protective and preventing fractures.

We don’t need a dairy herd to survive! And we also won’t be a pool on the floor with brittle bones without one either!

We can easily get enough calcium from plants (and don’t worry about oxalates stopping mineral absorption as cooking breaks then down a little bit, or add a squeeze of lemon to raw spinach in your smoothie and if our gut is functioning well they will be broken down further there). The RDA is 700mg calcium per day:

100g tofu – 350mg
100g soya yogurt – 110mg
100g chickpeas – 100mg
100g of pinto beans – 110mg
80g kale – 180mg
80g spinach – 120mg
100g bok choi – 75mg
2 tbsp linseed – 50mg
1 cup of broccoli – 42mg
30g almonds – 72mg