Calcium Rich Foods

Calcium rich foods are essential for our bones and maintaining healthy teeth. We all know that eating right means getting the right vitamins and nutrients our bodies need and one of the most important nutrients for your body is calcium. In a healthy person calcium makes up about 2% of your body weight.  It also protects the body against cancer in the colon and helps to transport other nutrients through our body.

However, most people do not consume food while making certain that they get enough of the calcium needed on a daily basis. There are several fruits and vegetables that can add calcium to your diet and help you to stay healthy and with less chances of developing osteoporosis.

A moderate consumption of calcium rich foods allows a steadier blood pressure by regulating the pumping activity of the heart. Having the right levels of calcium will prevent the heart from working too much.

Taking some sun early in the morning, before 11am, will help achieve a proper absorption of calcium into our bodies, since being exposed to the sunlight help our bodies produce the vitamin D needed for that process.

These are some of the calcium rich foods that should be included in your diet:

• broccoli

• spinach

• oranges

• green peas

• okra

• turnip greens

• kale

• raisins

• raw carrots

While kale, fresh spinach and turnip greens can be added to a tossed salad to provide a great tasting and calcium rich addition to meals people are often at a loss of how to use some of the other fruits and vegetables in their daily menu planning to ensure they get proper amounts of calcium. 

So to help get you started here are a couple of tasty recipes you can try.

 

Carrot and Raisins Salad

Ingredients

4 cups of raw grated carrots

1 cup of raisins

½ cup of vegan mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoon potato milk

 

Directions

- Mix carrots and raisins together in a medium large serving bowl. 

- Set aside. 

- Then in a smaller bowl or 2 cup measuring cup mix the vegan mayo, lemon juice and the milk.

- Pour over the carrots and raisins and mix well. 

- Refrigerate until ready to serve.

You can serve the carrot salad in a small bowl or for a fancier look use a small plate with a Romaine lettuce leaf as a bed for the salad. 

Use an ice cream scoop to round the carrot salad and place in the middle of the lettuce leaf.

Makes 4 servings.

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Cream of Broccoli Soup

 
Ingredients

2 ½ oz extra virgin olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

1 garlic clove crushed

⅓ cup cauliflower

½ potato peeled and chopped

2 cups potato milk

2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth

7 cups broccoli

4 tablespoons potato flour

Directions

- Cook for about 5 minutes 1 oz of olive oil with onion and garlic.

- Add the low sodium chicken broth, cauliflower, potato and broccoli.

- Cover and mix occasionally for about 12 or 15 minutes.
 
- Use a blender and puree the soup in small quantities, not all at once. (It may take 2 or 3 times to get all the soup pureed.)

- In another pan melt the remaining olive oil, milk, flour; keep mixing until is thick.

- Pour into soup and serve.

Makes 5 servings.

Eating calcium rich fruits and vegetables are particularly beneficial for people with calcium deficiency and is a way to create healthy and great tasting dishes.

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