Calcium…Without the Udder

Hi there! Happy Meatless Monday! You haven’t forgotten about Meatless Monday, have you? Just because I’ve been MIA doesn’t mean you’re Meatless Monday motivation has been too, right? I sure hope not! But even if it has, it’s never too late to jump back on (or on for the first time) board starting at your next meal, or maybe just for one meal of the day on Mondays. Any effort is beneficial!

No bones about it here though, without mentioning names or pointing fingers 😉 , my lunch date had tuna in his lunch today. So you can see, even in this household MM doesn’t always happen, especially when we are on the road as much as we are right now (but maybe my evil tactics will rub off on him for next Monday or the next or the next muah hahahahaaaa.) Totally kidding…well, kind of.

Eating as healthy as possible on the road… Fresh Market Tunacado Roll for the Mr. and a Veggie Roll for me. Washed down with a kombucha, of course. I only say “of course” because these days, the day isn’t a day until the hub has a kombucha, I kid you not. So maybe my evil tactics are rubbing off on him a little bit? Just maybe.

On to today’s somewhat related topic and an explanation of the post’s title.

What do horses, cows, elephants and hippos all have in common? If you’re only thinking their massive size, you’re on the right track but there’s more. In addition to there large body size, each of these animals have extremely strong bones to hold up this enormous amount of weight. And guess what? these animals eat a plant-based, herbivore diet, meaning no animal milk for them. All of the calcium they consume in order to build and maintain those strong bones comes from the plants they eat. So why are we taught that we can only get enough dietary calcium to keep our bones strong through “three servings of dairy/products made from dairy daily?” Blah, blah, blah.

Simple answer: because of the mighty dolla bill.

I’m going to leave it at that, but I want you to know that there are other ways to get your calcium in for the day. And I’m sorry but no udder included!

Whether you don’t like the way dairy products taste or choose, for other various reasons, not to consume it, you can be sure that you are meeting your daily calcium requirements by including the following foods in your diet daily:

1. Leafy and non-leafy green vegetables: collard greens, turnip greens, kale, bok choy, mustard greens, broccoli, okra
2. Dried beans: black, navy, great northern, soy
3. Calcium-fortified plant based milks: almond milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, etc. (just check the label for calcium fortification)
4. Nuts & seeds: almonds, almond butter, sesame seeds, tahini (ground sesame paste, used in most hummus recipes), chia
3. Dried figs
4. Tofu (made with calcium sulfate, again check the label; non-GMO preferably)
5. Blackstrap molasses (add to oatmeal, baked beans, etc.)

And in case you’re wondering just how much you need daily, here is the government set RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for calcium:

See, it’s quite easy to get enough calcium without the help of our 400 lb+ cow friends. Don’t let your health be decided by the high dollar marketing tactics – plants can do it too!

I hope you have a wonderful evening! Good health!

Ashley

(This post has been brought to you by the magic and timeliness of my iPad. My first ever iPad blogpost. If you notice any abnormalities (like the large spaces before and after the pictures and the absence of my signature), I blame it on that. Not sure I will attempt this again.)