Are You Getting Calcium When You Eat Cheese? If You Eat A Vegan Diet, You Might Not...

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Nutrition enthusiast or not, you may know that snacking on some cheese cubes and crackers gives you some protein and Calcium, not just fat.

The average adult, between the age of 19 and 49 needs 1,000 mg of Calcium every day, according to the Dietary reference intakes. 

It's convenient to add some cheese to a meal and get some protein and that much needed Calcium in your diet.

Adding cheeses to my food was how I was getting my Calcium. Notice how I said "was"?

I'm not fully vegan, as I still eat meat, but I had to start avoiding all dairy, due to a bad intolerance. Getting my Calcium in has been a struggle without a supplement.

When I initially said goodbye to dairy, I started to get used to various vegan alternatives, and as I found ones that tasted good, I started subconsciously tricking myself into believing that I was, at the very least, getting my calcium by eating them.  

Well....don't those vegan cheese alternatives have Calcium and protein in them? You know the ones that actually taste good and make you feel like you're actually eating cheese?


CHAO--- 0mg Calcium


Vio Life--- 0mg Calcium

Daiya Mac & Cheeze--- 205 mg Calcium


Unfortunately, not all brands are created equally, as you can see above. Unless you are eating one of the few brands that actually add in some protein and Calcium, such as Daiya or Follow Your Heart, you're not getting any Calcium from that vegan cheese. Check that Nutrition Facts Label and see if your favorite brands add Calcium to them. If not? Consider switching to one that does, or make a mixture with your favorite and one of the brands that does have Calcium in it.

Remember the average person needs at least 1,000 mg of Calcium each day.

So don't forget to get that Calcium from other sources like broccoli, tofu, beans, milk alternatives that are fortified with Calcium or even from Calcium supplements under the care and advice of your Doctor. Always talk to your doctor before taking any supplements.

If you would like to read a little more on Calcium and good sources for it, check out the reference I utilized: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-Consumer/  





References:


Photo Credits:







-AF

Comments

  1. ksu internsMay 3, 2022 at 5:27 PM

    This was very informational! I'm really glad vegans can know what to look forward to when shopping in the store. And also what to watch out for when shopping! CV

    ReplyDelete

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