Getting Enough Vegan Calcium

by Leslie

Question:

I don't eat soy and am trying to be vegan. Can you outline a typical day with basic everyday foods that would meet my calcium and protein needs without soy? When I try to add up my protein each day it seems to always come up short. Thanks!

Answer:

Thanks for asking about vegan calcium. This is actually a really common fear that new vegans (and those interested in veganism) have, so hopefully this response will help other people as well.

You can definitely get all your nutritional needs without soy. In fact, most of the vegans I know tend to eat less soy than non-vegans. I know that sounds nuts, because many non-vegans think of the vegan food world revolving around tofu. But, there are so many soy derivatives like soybean oil and soy lechitin that are in literally every processed food product on the market.

Calcium is abundant in plant sources, and you can get plenty on a regular vegan diet focused on whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits, with nuts/seeds as snacks. I have two pages that I think will help you-- one about vegan calcium and one about vegan protein. Both pages contain charts from the FDA detailing grams of calcium and protein in foods.

If you want more detailed information on both calcium and protein, you could also check out my ebook called A Fresh New Vegan You, which offers meal plan ideas to make sure you are getting plenty of each.

The last resource I can think of to help you is Vegan Meal Plans, a month-long meal plan for weeknight dinners that I put together. It focuses on fall and winter vegetables and has menus, recipes, nutritional information, and pictures. People tend to find it quite helpful in ensuring they are getting their nutritional needs.

I hope that helps alleviate your worries about soy and vegan calcium!

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