Authors: Madhu Gadia

The Indian Vegan Kitchen (8 page)

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Bone Up on Calcium

A healthfully planned vegan diet—rich in a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains—can adequately supply all the calcium needed for optimal bone health. To increase your calcium absorption, be sure to get enough vitamin D and plenty of exercise.

FORTIFIED AND ENRICHED FOODS

Do you sometimes wonder about the difference between fortified and enriched foods? Both terms mean vitamins or minerals were added during processing to make food more nutritious. Enriched means adding back nutrients that were lost during processing, such as B vitamins in grain products. Fortified means adding nutrients that weren’t originally present in the food, such as vitamin D in milk.

Vegans appear to have similar rates of brittle bone disease (osteoporosis) as compared to meat eaters and milk drinkers. Some studies suggest that vegans may not need as much calcium as recommended for the general population, because they seem to absorb and retain more calcium from food. The typically high-protein diet of nonvegetarians may actually decrease calcium absorption and increase its excretion through urine. Vegans should eat adequate plant-based protein, but excess is not beneficial.

WHERE’S THE CALCIUM?

Only foods with significant amounts of well-absorbed calcium are listed here. Spinach provides calcium but also has oxalates and may not be as well absorbed.

Source:
Bowes & Church’s Food Values of Portions Commonly Used
, by Jean A. T. Pennington and Judith Spungen Douglass, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2005.

So, what is the calcium advice for vegans? Osteoporosis is a devastating disease and everyone—including vegans—needs to make sure they get adequate calcium. Based on our current scientific evidence, vegans should consume the RDA amount of calcium.

For Better Vegan Bones:
Adequate calcium intake is a challenge for a majority of people, irrespective of milk intake. In the last few years, the number of calcium-fortified plant foods has increased tremendously, making it easier for everyone—including vegans—to get the calcium they need.

You can easily fulfill your calcium requirements by following these recommendations:

Eat calcium-rich foods every day such as broccoli, beans, and almonds. See Where’s the Calcium? (page 40).

Make sure the soy or grain beverages and fruit juices you consume are fortified with calcium and Vitamin D. Use calcium-set tofu.

Spread consumption of calcium-rich foods or supplements over the course of a day, rather than all at once. We absorb calcium more efficiently when a small amount is taken at a time.

If you’re not getting at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day (1,200 after age 50), take a calcium supplement. Calcium citrate malate is an excellent choice, as it is the form most readily absorbed. Make sure to include adequate calcium during early childhood years and pregnancy.

Get adequate vitamin D through sun exposure and fortified foods to help absorb calcium.

Exercise regularly; include weight-bearing exercises such as walking and lifting weights.

Iron for Energy

You probably know the importance and benefits of iron in your diet to prevent iron-deficiency anemia. But did you know that your body needs iron in the complex process of energy production?

Not getting enough iron in your diet can be an issue whether you are vegan or not. Foods of plant origin contain nonheme iron, which is not as well absorbed as the heme iron found in animal products. But not to worry, you can improve the absorption of nonheme iron, and also get enough iron, with these simple rules: