Calcium

How do you get your calcium if you are a vegan? You have to be a bit more creative and use vegetables, beans and seeds rather than just drinking a glass of milk.

Kale, turnip greens, collard greens, bok choy, mustard greens, Swiss chard, lettuces, rhubarb, spinach, dandelion greens, artichokes, broccoli and other dark green vegetables are all excellent sources of calcium.

Almonds contain more calcium than other nuts. Most beans are fair sources of calcium, as is soy milk and tofu. Some fruits with good calcium levels include figs, papaya and raisins. Sesame seeds and tahini are very high in calcium.

Other non-dairy sources of calcium include raw parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, raw Spanish peanuts, corn, wheat, brown rice,oats and pumpkin seeds. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a grain that contains as much calcium as an entire quart of milk.

The U.S. daily recommended intake of calcium is between 800mg and 1,200mg. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends only 400-500 milligrams of daily calcium. If you eat one cup of beans, four tablespoons of tahini and five figs you will have gotten over 500 mg of calcium.

Non-dairy sources of calcium are usually good sources of fiber, folic acid, magnesium, potassium and even protein. Plant-based proteins are more alkaline than animal proteins. Meat and milk are very acidic sources of protein and actually cause the body to leech calcium from the bones in order to neutralize the acid.

Water

We all know we should drink more water, but we really don't know how much or why we need it. Many experts suggest that you drink half of your body weight in ounces, i.e., if you weigh 160 pounds, divide that in two and you should be drinking 80 ounces of water per day. To make that easy, divide the 80 by 8 which shows you that you need to be drinking ten 8-oz. bottles or glasses of water each day. If you drink alcohol or caffeine, you need to add another 8-oz. for each glass of tea, wine or cup of coffee you drink. If you work out or sweat, add another glass of water. If you live in an arid climate, add one or two more glasses per day.

An easy way to keep track is to purchase a carton of 8-oz. (half-pint) bottled waters. Use a big marker to mark your initial and the number on the lid. If you weigh 160 pounds, mark 10 bottles. If you drink coffee or alcohol or live in an arid climate add 3 or 4 more bottles to your shelf. Start with #1 and number them through 12 in case you need more than your ten. Keep all those bottles in the refrigerator (or your portable ice chest) and try to drink all of them during the day. Don't drink them too close to bedtime or you may not get a good night's sleep.

Keep your plastic bottles out of the hot sun and don't leave them in a closed-up hot car or you will want to replace them. If you can keep them cool, just refill them as you use them so they will be ready for the next day.