Foods to Include in Your Diet to Get Enough Calcium
Happy New Year everyone, wishing you a fabulous year this year with exceptionally good health and delicious food. As usual I am not doing resolutions but have a word for 2022 and it is:
CRUISE
That feels really good to me so you will be seeing me use it a bit. What’s your word for 2022?
The plan with newsletters this year is to post weekly still and to keep to a schedule of
Week 1: Nutrient info
Week 2: Produce review
Week 3: Cooking tip
Week 4: Subscriber’s request
So here I am first week into the year with some nutrient info and I have decided to go for the big one, Calcium.
Calcium is a really big nutrient concern for so many of us. We need to have enough calcium; it is essential for bone growth and bone repair. If we don’t get enough there is a very big chance of developing osteoporosis when we are older.
But guess what? We don’t have to be afraid of developing osteoporosis we just have to make sure we get enough calcium. It takes a bit of work at first and I really suggest printing out the food lists I share with you. You can also book in for a 1 hour session with me to make sure you really are getting enough calcium on a daily basis. Email Veet to book a session.
Calcium table
Recommended Daily Intake of Calcium
As well as calcium we need to make sure we have enough vitamin D for the calcium to be absorbed by the bones. Between 5 and15 ug daily.
And for women we need to make sure we are getting enough oestrogen. That works out when we are menstruating but in menopause and post menopause we do need to make sure we eat enough foods with phytoestrogens in them.
Food lists for Calcium, Vitamin D and Phytoestrogens are below. I really suggest printing them out and putting them up on your fridge and making sure you eat foods from these lists daily. I definitely would be adding herbs to every single meal you cook.
Then there are a few things you need to consider to ensure your body absorbs the calcium it needs.
- Cut out processed foods and preservatives.
- Soak grains, legumes and nuts (especially almonds, brazils and cashews) to remove the phytic acid that can inhibit the absorption of calcium.
- Wilt leafy greens, don’t eat them raw as the oxalates can inhibit the absorption of calcium.
- Limit animal products including dairy.
- Limit alcohol to occasional use.
- Cut out smoking
- Exercise regularly including resistance exercise 3 times a week. Ensuring you eat a meal with good protein content after resistance exercise.
- Consider adding these foods that are helpful for keeping up bone density
The recipe this week has enough calcium for 1000mg for 2 people. If you need 1300mg increase the amount of herbs.
Amaranth and Tofu Filled Pumpkin
If you can’t get amaranth then use quinoa instead. I wanted to fill 2 small butternut pumpkins but they didn’t have any at the market so I used a Japanese pumpkin. You could also fill zucchinis, potatoes or capsicums with this filling. Even pumpkin has 21 mg of calcium for every 100g.
Enough for 3 to 4 people with a salad
Ingredients
1 small Japanese pumpkin or 2 small butternut pumpkins
300g firm tofu crumbled
2 cups cooked amaranth or quinoa
½ cup almonds
4 cup leafy greens cut small ( I used silverbeet, kang kung and moringa)
1 cup broccoli cut small
¼ cup currants
25g fresh sage finely cut
4 bay leaves
50g parsley finely cut
2 onions finely diced
8 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp tamari
Chilli (optional)
2 splashes of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp miso
Tahini sauce
8 tbsp tahini
Juice 1 lemon
Water to thin
Method
- Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Place on a baking tray and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the flesh is soft.
- Place the cooked amaranth in a mixing bowl.
- Place the oil in a wok with the onion, bay leaves, garlic and a couple pinches of salt, sauté for a few minutes then add the leafy greens and herbs and cook until wilted. Add the tamari, currants and miso and ¼ cup water. Cook until miso is mixed through. Transfer this into the bowl with the amaranth.
- Add another splash of oil to the wok and cook the tofu for 5 minutes, add the almonds and cook for a few minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the veggies.
- Mix everything together, taste for pepper and salt.
- Fill the pumpkin with the mixture and place in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to heat through.
- For the tahini sauce, place the tahini and a pinch or two of salt into a bowl with lemon juice and water to thin.
- When the pumpkin and filling is warmed through drizzle on the tahini sauce.
# If you make this recipe please share on facebook or instagram to #veetsvegancookingschool
What’s the Food Analysis all about?
Having a food analysis done really shows you if you are getting enough of the essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients your body needs in order to stay healthy. It helps highlight any areas that may be lacking in your diet in terms of nutrition. In addition you will receive food lists to help you move forward with adding more nutrients, vitamins and minerals into your meals.
If you have always wondered if you are getting it right in terms of what you eat then you the food analysis session is for you.
Taking it One Step Further
Do you want to make 2022 the year where you got your nutritional needs sorted out and you gained the confidence to cook food that nourishes you and keeps you strong and healthy?
The VIP package has been designed for just that. You will get a food analysis and then work with me over 4 sessions where we menu plan together and I get the recipes needed in the menu plans to you.
In addition you receive a shopping list and 2x cooking classes (in person classes are 1 hour in duration, online they are 1 hour 20 minutes)
I have 5 VIP packages available for January. Who would like to jump on board?
Three Day Vegan Foundation Cooking Course
1 More Spot Left
I have one more space left in the face to face Three Day Vegan Foundation Cooking Course. Would love you to join in this life changing course.
Donation
These newsletter can take up to 2 hours to write and at least an hour doing the recipe and photos and cost me $80 to have them put up on my website and sent to you. If you feel to donate to the cost of the newsletters I will be forever grateful. If you are a regular donator you will also receive 5-10% off any of my courses or sessions.
Calcium Rich Foods
Foods High in Phytoestrogens
Soy- tofu, tempeh, soy beans
Flax
Broccoli
Sesame
Mung beans
Rice
Miso- soy
Tempeh
Alfalfa
Dried apricots
Green beans
Almonds
Cashes
Walnuts
Peached
Yam
Strawberries
Foods for Vitamin D
Need to get in the sun ideally around 10 am or after 2 pm for 20 minutes daily with 30% skin exposed.
Mushrooms if they have been left out in the sun for 10 minutes
Seaweed- kelp, dulce, nori
Have a wonderful week everyone.
Veet
