calcium

Whether you're vegan, lactose intolerant, or just need a nutrient boost, it's good to know that milk isn't the only source of calcium. Aside from nuts and fortified cereals, tofu, and orange juice, fruits and veggies help offer the 1,000 mg of calcium you need every day. Check out the list below to see how produce stacks up in the calcium department and for ideas about new ways to get more of this important nutrient into your diet.

Keep reading for more vegan sources of calcium.

Not eating animal products means a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and although it can also be used to lose weight, it's important not to skip out on valuable nutrients that often come from meat and dairy.

Vitamin B12
Most women need 2.4 mcg of this vitamin each day. It's essential for maintaining a healthy nervous system as well as healthy blood cells. Found mostly in poultry, beef, fish, and dairy products, this B vitamin has vegan sources as well including fortified cereals, fortified soy milk, kale, spinach, and nutritional yeast.

Iron
The RDI of iron for women is 18 mg, and while animal products contain iron, there are tons of vegan foods high in this mineral as well. The body needs iron to make hemoglobin, which helps carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body, which is why an iron deficiency often causes fatigue. Be sure to include fortified cereal, fortified soy milk, beans such as garbanzos and lentils, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, potatoes, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, and peanuts in your vegan diet.

Keep reading to find out what other nutrients vegan diets might be missing.

Willow Jarosh and Stephanie Clarke are registered dietitians and founders of C&J Nutrition. We consulted them to see if certain foods or beverages prevent calcium absorption and what you need to know to fulfill your daily dose.

FitSugar: Can food or beverages block calcium absorption, and why does this occur?
C&J Nutrition: Yes, certain foods/beverages can inhibit calcium absorption. Foods that contain oxalate can reduce the amount of calcium you absorb because the oxalate binds with calcium in your intestines. So, not as much calcium can be absorbed from your intestines and therefore passes right through you. 

FS: Which foods block calcium absorption?
C&J: Foods that contain oxalates are rhubarb, beets, okra, spinach, Swiss chard, sweet potatoes, tea, chocolate, and soy products. Foods rich in phytates can also block absorption, and they include fiber-containing whole-grain products and wheat bran, beans, seeds, nuts, and soy isolates. But, it's not recommended that people stop eating these foods. As long as you eat a varied diet and get adequate calcium intake each day, the small amount of calcium absorption inhibition from phytates or oxalates shouldn't be a problem. In fact, the small amount of inhibition from these foods is even accounted for in the dietary reference intakes!  Alcohol intake can reduce calcium absorption, but the amount of alcohol it would take to create an effect on calcium status isn't known. 

FS: Which does the body absorb better: calcium from food or calcium from supplements?
C&J : Either. But keep in mind that our bodies can only absorb around 500-600mg of calcium at a time, so don't take your calcium supplement with a glass of milk. Bottom line: Don't avoid foods that contain oxalates or phytates, but be sure to get the recommended amount of calcium each day (1000mg for women between 19-50 years of age), and eat a daily variety of fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, lean protein, and healthy fats.

The average woman requires 1,000-1,300 mg of calcium a day; and, while a serving of milk, cheese, or yogurt are easy ways to digest calcium, what if you are vegan or lactose-intolerant? Here are some unexpected plant-based foods that will help you load up on your calcium intake.

1. Curly Kale – About 3/4 cup of cooked curly kale offers 143 mg calcium.
2. Okra – Stir fry about eight okra for a dose of 88 mg calcium.
3. Red Kidney Beans – Add 1/2 cup of beans to a salad for 150 mg calcium.
4. Almonds – 12 whole almonds equates 62 mg calcium.
5. Tahini Paste – Spread one heaped teaspoon over toast like peanut butter for 129 mg calcium.
6. Apricots – Eat four small apricots for a midmorning snack to get 117 mg calcium.
7. Figs – Instead of dessert, indulge on four figs for a heaping 506 mg calcium.

If you are curious about your own daily calcium intake, try using the calcium calculator.

Mom's choice of what to eat is important both during pregnancy and after baby has arrived. But while everyone warns her of the perils of drinking or caving into her cravings while pregnant, some moms are surprised to find out just how important their diets are when it's time to breastfeed.

A vegan French couple recently found out the sad way. The lack of nutrients in mom's milk meant that their baby suffered from serious vitamin B12 deficiency and eventually died. While the deprivation seems to have been accidental, the couple are now being charged with neglect and could face time in prison.

While the story is alarming, maintaining your vegan lifestyle as a breastfeeding mom is still possible with careful thought about what should be part of your diet. Read on for what you need to know about some essential nutrients after the break.

On my last visit to my doctor, I was surprised to find out that bone strength peaks in women by the age of 35. After that, the body stops producing new bone and gradually loses bone mass. And in certain cases, bone loss can result in osteoporosis. Not only can osteoporosis result in a reduction of height, it leaves the body more susceptible to bone fractures. My doctor says that it's extremely important to maximize our bone strength now, to avoid the onset of problems later. Luckily, this can be done through proper diet and exercise.

Here are the two most important thing to consider for bone health:

• Eating enough calcium and vitamin D is essential for healthy bones. Studies show that calcium and vitamin D are a must when it comes to bone health, and that we benefit more from eating these nutrients versus taking supplements. The RDI of calcium for women is 1,000 mg a day and for vitamin D, it's 200 to 400 IU.
• Strength train for stronger bones. Weight bearing exercises will help make our bones stronger. Make sure to target areas that are susceptible to bone loss, like your shoulders, arms, spine, wrists, hips, and legs.

We all (hopefully) know by now the secret to losing weight is to burn more calories than you consume. But eating the right foods doesn't hurt either. High fiber filling foods are a dieter's best friend, and a new Johns Hopkins/Bloomberg School for Public Health study highlights the importance of calcium and vitamin D for weight loss. The college student study participants who came closest to eating three servings of dairy a day along with an otherwise healthy diet gained less weight than their peers that ate little or no dairy. Added bonus: the dairy eaters also lost some belly fat. Yet the bone-building mineral calcium might not be assisting weight loss; chances are it's the vitamin D found in dairy.

Michele Stanten explains the connection between vitamin D and weight loss in her new book Walk Off the Weight:

Extra body fat holds on to vitamin D so that the body can't use it. This perceived deficiency interferes with the action of the hormone leptin, whose job is to tell your brain that you're full. And if you can't recognize when you're satiated, you're more likely to overeat.

Current recommendations for daily intake of the vitamin, also known as the sunshine vitamin since the body synthesizes it from contact with the sun's rays, is 200 IU, but many health practitioners think the amount should be upped to 1,000 IU daily. Obtaining sufficient vitamin D from natural food sources alone can be challenging, so taking a supplement if you're falling short is a good idea. And don't skip the egg yolks either! There's about 17 IU of vitamin D in one egg yolk.