What I eat in a day: calcium edition
Wondering how you can get all of your calcium needs met with plants? This one’s for you!
Why is calcium important?
“Calcium is a mineral your body needs to build and maintain strong bones and to carry out many important functions. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body.
Almost all calcium in the body is stored in bones and teeth, giving them structure and hardness.
Your body needs calcium for muscles to move and for nerves to carry messages between your brain and every part of your body. Calcium also helps blood vessels move blood throughout your body and helps release hormones that affect many functions in your body. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium.”
How much calcium do we need?
Adults age 19-50
1000 mg
Women >50 and men >70
1200 mg
Ages 9-13
1300 mg
This is a day of eating plants.
reference: Cronometer
Everything I ate on May 5, 2024 part 1.
Everything I ate on May 5, 2024 part 2.
This is the nutritional content of the same day’s food.
My Cronometer report for May 5, 2024: energy and nutrient targets summary.
I typically consume anywhere between 1700 and 1900 calories in a day. I’m 5’1”. The reason I add that is — getting enough calories is important. BUT a calorie is not a calorie. The nutrition contained in calories is important, if the goal is maximum healthspan — the number of healthy years vs. lifespan without good health.
I don’t typically eat tofu, beans and nuts in the same day. You very well may, if you have greater calorie needs. Consider this day a typical day of eating for me, with that exception. I had those three items in the fridge, ready-to-eat and I was curious to see how they impacted reaching my calcium goal.
I don’t buy plant-based yogurt regularly “for calcium” or “for gut health,” but I have been on a recent ‘kick’ which is typical of my diet — I get into something, I eat it everyday, my enamor lessens or more likely I find something else I love, and I move on.
Check out this previous What I Eat in a Day post for more healthy-eating-on-a-plant-based-diet ideas.
My Cronometer report for May 5, 2024: energy and carbs breakdown.
One of the most significant benefits of a plant-based lifestyle?
Fiber!
“Only 5% of men and 9% of women are getting the recommended daily amount of dietary fiber.”
How does this relate to calcium?
There’s no fiber in dairy. Or any other animal products.
How much fiber should we be consuming daily?
25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Many would argue that’s the low end of a good range to target for optimal health.
Vitamins & Minerals
My Cronometer report for May 5, 2024: vitamins and minerals breakdown. I take a vitamin D supplement.
Protein
My Cronometer report for May 5, 2024: protein breakdown.
A plant-based person getting too much protein? Priceless. 😉
Fat
My Cronometer report for May 5, 2024: fat breakdown.
In an earlier blog post, I shared the importance of Omega-3 fatty acids.
So where did most of my calcium come from on this day of eating?
Everywhere!
That’s great, but what were the top sources?
My Cronometer report for May 5, 2024: top sources of calcium.
Would you have guessed that my top source of calcium was arugula?
Me neither!
Note I eat an entire (5 ounce) box of arugula. That’s the base of my salad.
My salad.
tl;dr
Eat a variety of plant foods. Make these whole foods the majority of your daily food intake. Your optimal levels of macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins and minerals will follow.
The more (whole, unprocessed) vegetables you eat, the better you’ll feel. It’s not a 1:1 relationship, it’s a 1:many relationship (the ripple effect).
If you’d like help getting started, reach out.
Did anything here surprise you? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for reading!
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