The topic of calcium is hotly debated in the context of plant-based nutrition. The main point of contention is whether we can get enough calcium by eating a plant-based diet based on whole foods and eliminating dairy products.

To understand this important topic, let’s answer the key questions.

How much calcium does a person need?

The recommended daily allowance for calcium for most adults is between 1,000 and 1,200 milligrams. However, plant-based health experts believe these rates are high for one simple reason: A diet high in animal protein has a high rate of excretion, meaning you have to take in more calcium to make up for the inevitable loss. When you eat a plant-based, whole-food diet and reduce your salt and caffeine intake, calcium excretion rates are significantly lower, so it makes sense that vegans/vegetarians need less calcium.

How much less? A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that “People with a low but nutritionally adequate intake of sodium and protein need approximately 500 to 741 milligrams of calcium per day.”

Can you get enough calcium from plant foods?

Like iron, magnesium and copper, calcium is a mineral. It is found in the soil, from which it is absorbed by plant roots. Animals get calcium by consuming plants rich in this mineral. So although we are all conditioned to believe that calcium comes from milk and dairy products, the real source is the earth. Not surprisingly, a plant-based, whole-food diet provides us with the calcium we need.

A varied, plant-based diet that includes vegetables, leafy greens, legumes, and fruits and excludes dairy products provides enough calcium to meet our needs.

Note that your body will adjust to the amount of calcium you are getting. Studies show that in a relatively low calcium diet (415 milligrams per day), the intestines are more efficient at absorbing calcium and the kidneys are better at it. save. In the case of an excess of calcium (1740 milligrams per day), the intestines block its absorption, and the kidneys excrete it more intensively. This is an example of how our body protects us. Unremoved excess calcium is stored in soft tissues (heart, kidneys, muscles and skin), which makes us vulnerable to disease.

So your calcium needs are met. Is always. The “disease” of calcium deficiency does not exist with a sufficiently high-calorie and varied plant-based diet based on whole foods.

How much calcium intake is actually absorbed?

What matters is not how much calcium we got, but how much of it our body absorbed. For example, 1 cup of milk contains about 300 milligrams of calcium, but only 30% (90 milligrams) is actually absorbed. This is called bioavailability – the availability of calcium to the body. Vegetables rich in calcium allow the body to absorb this mineral at a level of about 40%.

Calcium contained in tofu has approximately the same degree of assimilation as in dairy products – about 31%. However, just 150 grams of firm tofu contains as much calcium as 1 cup of milk (300 milligrams), while tofu has more protein, much less saturated fat, and about a tenth of salt.

What factors lead to calcium loss?

Many factors contribute to calcium loss, from age (older people lose more calcium) to vitamin D intake (people who are deficient in vitamin D3 tend to lose more calcium).

Sodium, protein and caffeine play a major role in calcium loss.

Sodium. This is our biggest enemy when it comes to calcium loss. For every thousand milligrams of sodium (which is 2.5 grams of table salt), the kidneys excrete approximately 40-60 milligrams of calcium.

Protein. As protein intake increases, calcium excretion in the urine also increases. If you double the amount of protein in your diet, then calcium loss through urination will increase by 50%.

The feature of protein to cause calcium loss is especially interesting when it comes to dairy products, which have always been considered one of the best sources of calcium. You lose a third of the calcium you get from milk and more than two thirds of the calcium you get from cheese.

Caffeine. It acts as a diuretic remedy and literally pulls calcium out of your body.

In contrast, many green leafy vegetables provide plenty of easily absorbable calcium without causing calcium loss!

Can the problem be solved by taking calcium supplements?

Studies show that calcium supplements help reduce the risk of fractures by 10% (hip fractures are not considered). However, at the same time, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and stroke, the formation of kidney stones, and gastrointestinal disorders increases.

In a recent study of more than 36,000 postmenopausal women, “calcium supplements with or without vitamin D were associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, and these risks occurred in different subgroups defined by important baseline characteristics. These data suggest that targeted calcium supplementation for specific subpopulations, such as young adults and people with low dietary calcium intake, is unacceptable.”

But if we don’t drink milk or take calcium supplements, what happens to our bones?

A recent study addressing this very important issue compared bone mineral density between avid vegans and traditional dieters. The results were striking: despite the fact that vegans get significantly less calcium and protein from food, they have no less bone density than their omnivorous counterparts.