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How Do I Get Enough Calcium To Stay Strong? Can I Get Enough From Plant-Based Foods Alone?

May 15, 2023

Time to get nerdy! Today we’re talking about calcium, where your body stores it, how it’s used, and what happens if we develop a deficiency. There are several related variables here, so we’re going to have to cover some details about blood chemistry to ensure you understand how to support your body’s supply of this critical nutrient.


Calcium is a very common nutrient in the body. Almost all of the calcium in your body is stored in your bones and teeth, with roughly 1 percent distributed through the rest of your body. Some of the critical functions of calcium in the body are:


  •  Bone and Teeth Strength
  •  Blood clotting
  •  Nervous system regulation
  •  Regulation of heart rhythm
  •  Maintaining muscle function


Pretty cool that one nutrient can help with all that, right? The cool stuff just keeps going though. You see, with most of the body’s calcium in bones and teeth, it’s inaccessible to the systems we mentioned above. But! The body can use the bones as sort of a ‘calcium reserve’, and when blood calcium levels drop certain hormones trigger the release of calcium from the bones to maintain the balance in the blood.


This super cool feature can also function as a warning system to an informed consumer. You see, if your body fails to replenish calcium from dietary sources (we’ll get into some of those reasons later), then tapping into the ‘reserve’ over a long period can create a host of conditions such as Osteoporosis, Insomnia, and night leg cramps. If you experience any of these symptoms we strongly suggest you ask your doctor to test your bone density and test your blood calcium levels. Setting aside some of the more precise medical tests, there are some things that we can all do to improve the levels of this critical nutrient, both in our bones and in our blood.


As with all of our Open Eating principles, as you learn to listen to your body’s signals, you won’t need to just ‘guess’ if a certain supplement is right for you, or if you have too much or too little of certain foods in your diet. I’m taking the time to review with you the detailed information listed below as an exercise in Open Eating. First, we need to understand the potential underlying condition, then we need to arm ourselves with information on actions we can take to make that condition better or worse, then we execute those actions that make the most sense, and last of all we observe the feedback from our own body, then repeat the cycle. In this way, we are continually empowered to improve our health and live with a clarity that is unbeaten by any other way of eating. Ways to improve calcium levels without just drinking milk:


  1. Other great sources of calcium include beans, tofu, dark green vegetables (spinach for the win!), and even nuts.
  2. Pair consumption of calcium-rich foods with nutrients that promote calcium absorption. It’s not enough to just consume calcium, you need it to enter your bloodstream. Some examples of foods to help here are:
  • Vitamin C: guava, tomatoes, strawberries, and citrus.
  • Vitamin D: A healthy lifestyle with moderate sunlight and a healthy liver will allow the body to synthesize this mineral internally. If you struggle with this vitamin, consider adding salmon, mushrooms, and buckwheat to aid in your calcium absorption.
  • Magnesium: Deficiency in the blood over the long term can lead to eventual calcium loss. Nuts are a fantastic source of magnesium and so are beans!


As you may imagine, just like there are foods that promote calcium levels in the blood, there are foods that inhibit calcium absorption. If you’ve been paying attention to the American diet, perhaps it will come as no surprise that the following foods inhibit calcium absorption:


  • High-salt foods
  • High-protein foods
  • High-fat foods
  • Caffeinated beverages


Sometimes as we Open Eat we need to take a fine scalpel to our dietary habits, making simple, but defined choices. Other times we can take a weed whacker to our food habits and find large improvements. The list of foods that inhibit calcium absorption is that sort of example. When I look at that list I notice that the list lands very neatly on the offerings from fast food restaurants and convenience stores. You may be shocked at how much your health improves If you’re focused on whole foods right from your kitchen! Alternately, some restaurants offer whole foods- look for places with quinoa or Buddha bowls and salads as entrees (careful about the dressing!).


Happy Open Eating!