In this article, we are discussing different foods high in calcium. Calcium is a mineral that is essential for the functioning of our body. It helps in building strong nails, teeth, and bones and also helps in nerve movements, muscle relaxation, and contraction. It is also excellent for enzymatic and hormonal secretions in the human body.
Calcium deficiency can lead various problems that include loss of muscle movement, convulsions, nervous disorders, lethargies, loss of appetite too. Calcium is therefore very much helpful in our daily diet. Without the adequate and proper amount of calcium, there can be a number of health problems.
However, an excess of calcium can also be injurious to the body. It may cause kidney stones, heart strokes, and soft tissue calcification. You can also read this related article Foods rich in Potassium on our website.
Benefits of Calcium:
- Calcium is not formed by our bodies; hence, it is essential to include it through diet. This important nutrient necessary for our body.
- Calcium is important for the proper development of the teeth and bones. It is very vital for children as well as adults. In early 20’s, it should be included for the proper development of the bones. During the 30’s it’s important to due to the slowing down of our bones.
- Calcium can, in fact, help you stay slim by helping you weight loss. So, including it to your diet with calcium rich foods will help you stay healthy and in shape.
- It is vital, especially for women, to take enough amounts of Vitamin D and calcium because the lack of calcium can cause hormonal imbalance and can also lead to Premenstrual Syndrome symptoms (PMS).
- Enough amount of calcium consumption in your diet also helps prevent cancer. It also helps you prevent breast cancer, ovarian cancer and also colorectal cancer.
- Most of the calcium consumption are for the bones to be absorbed. However, a proportion of calcium plays an essential role in nervous and muscular functions too. This is because nervous and muscular contractions and relaxations actually aid the heart to stay healthy and function.
Top Foods High in Calcium
1.) Soybeans as a Foods High in Calcium
Soy products like Soy beans, Soy Milk and tofu are some of the best sources of calcium. Eat some cooked soybeans that contain 175mg of calcium. You can also add soybeans in different dishes. Tofu is a good food for people who wants to stay fit and slim. Include tofu intake in your daily diet to get enough amount of calcium infused in your diet. Soy nuggets also fall into the category of calcium rich foods. You can include it in your daily dishes to increase their quantity and the overall richness of the food.
2.) Okra as a Foods High in Calcium
Okra is another beneficial food high ion calcium. It is a very common vegetable loaded with calcium. A cup of okra contains about 175 milligrams of calcium. Hence, you can make a dish with okra lone as well as you can also make it is a side dish with chicken or any type of meat. This will help boost the nutritional value of your meal. So make sure you don’t over cook them, either cook it or boil it to get enough of the calcium.
3.) Almonds as a Foods High in Calcium
Almonds are also a great food high in calcium. This is one of the easiest food you can have at any time of the day. You can use almonds for dressing your salads, smoothies or fruit juice to increase the nutritional value of your dish. You can also roast them a bit with a bit of salt and munch on them. About 100 grams of almonds provides you about 264 milligrams of the daily requirement of calcium intake. You may combine almonds with your meat or fish too to help enhance the nutritional value of the dish. You can also take almonds with a glass of milk to give you the best infusion and amount of daily calcium.
4.) Oranges as a Foods High in Calcium
Oranges are loaded with calcium. You can have them alone or try it with some other dish like cakes or smoothies. Orange juice can also be a great help infusing calcium in your daily diet. Just about 1-2 oranges in a day can be beneficial for the calcium intake. Half a cup of oranges will give you about 50 milligrams of calcium.
5.) Spinach as a Foods High in Calcium
Green vegetables are should be a part of your regular diet. When we talk about spinach, you know how popeye uses to have spinach to get stronger. So in same way spinach is a good source of calcium. Include spinach in your salads, soups, and curries. Boiled spinach contains most of the calcium about 250 miligrams. It is not necessary that it is limited to soups, smoothies but cab be combined with continental dishes as well as in pasta to boost other nutrients as well.
6.) Blackstrap Molasses as a Foods High in Calcium
Blackstarp molasses is another great food high in calcium. Just a tsp of blackstrap molasses contains about 137 milligrams of calcium. You can use it to make sweetend food. You can also use molasses in sweetened dishes instead of white suger ato make sweetened. However, if you are a diabetic patient try to avoid highly sweetened foods.
7.) Sesame Seeds as a Foods High in Calcium
Sesame seeds have an extensive variety of usages in food. They can be sprinkled over and roasted a bit over chicken or meat dishes. They can also be mixed with vegetables because they have a very exclusive taste. They can also be used as a dressing for various snacks. About ½ cup of sesame seeds will give can fulfill the need of the day. A half cup consists of about 500 milligrams of calcium. So, start including sesame seeds in your daily meals right away.
8.) Brazil Nuts as a Foods High in Calcium
Nuts are always crunchy and tasty. You can always have a handful of nuts if you are not too much worried about the oil or calorie content in them. About 10 Brazil nuts can give you 90 milligrams of calcium. Nuts are high in calcium content with various other nutrients.
9.) Celery as a Foods High in Calcium
Celeries are great foods high in calcium. About 2 ½ cups provides you with 85 milligrams of calcium. Celeries can be combined, blanched with brown breads and consumed as a snack. You can also cook it with some other side dish for dinner or supper. It can be added to salads too.
10.) Broccoli as a Foods High in Calcium
Broccoli is one of the best foods high in calcium. One cup cooked Broccoli will provide you about 156 gm of calcium. Broccolis are not only good sources of calcium but are excellent for your health too. If you are on diet, you must try to infuse broccoli in your meals. They will help you control your weight as well as give you your daily desirable calcium boost. If you are on diet then broccoli is one vegetable that you must eat.