10 foods that have more calcium than cottage cheese

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

They can be found in any supermarket and will not hit your pocket.

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Why do you need calcium

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body. It is required for:

• Maintaining bone health (getting enough calcium helps reduce the risk of fractures, osteoporosis, and diabetes)
• contraction and relaxation of blood vessels;
• muscle contractions;
• transmission of nerve impulses;
• secretion of hormones.

According to the norms of the Norm of physiological requirements for energy and nutrients for various groups of the population of the Russian Federation of Rospotrebnadzor, adults need to consume 1,000 mg of calcium per day, and the elderly after 60 years - 1,200 mg per day.

However, consuming this substance and assimilating it are not the same thing. Calcium metabolism occurs with the participation of other nutrients: protein and vitamin D. Without them, you can suffer from calcium deficiency, even formally covering its norm.

How calcium is absorbed

Calcium is absorbed in the intestines: it enters the cells, passes through them and is released into the blood. On this path he is helped by calcitriol - the active form of vitamin D. It increases the penetration of calcium into intestinal cells, accelerates its transfer and release.

For vitamin D to be converted to calcitriol, insulin-like growth factor 1 is needed, and protein is required for its production. Research has shown that tripling the amount of protein in the diet (up to 2.1 g per kg of body weight) increases intestinal calcium absorption by 8%.

Thus, you should consume enough protein along with calcium, and also spend more time in the sun or choose foods rich in vitamin D.

Calcium, mg per day	Protein, g per day	Vitamin D, mcg per day
1 000–1 200	65-117 for men 58–87 for women	10

Foods rich in highly absorbable calcium

Many people think that the most calcium is in cottage cheese, but this is not the case. Here are a few products that surpass it in this regard.

1. Eggshell

One eggshell contains 2 g of calcium. It weighs about 5 g and, when ground, fits in one teaspoon.

1/2 teaspoon of eggshells, crushed, covers the daily requirement for dietary (that is, consumed with food) calcium. For comparison: cottage cheese would take 1, 2 kg.

At the same time, due to the content of soluble matrix proteins, calcium from the shell is perfectly absorbed by the body.

To prepare the powder, wash the shells well. Then boil it for 5 minutes to kill possible bacteria, dry it and grind it in a coffee grinder to a flour condition. Consume ½ teaspoon daily, for example add to ready-made meals.

2. Parmesan and other cheeses

Parmesan cheese is the leader in the amount of calcium among all dairy products. 100 g of the product contains 1,184 mg of calcium - more than the daily requirement. At the same time, it contains a lot of protein (38 g per 100 g of product) and 0.95 μg of vitamin D.

Other cheeses also contain a lot of calcium and substances important for its assimilation. For example, 100 g of Dutch, Poshekhonsky, Swiss cheeses contain 1,000 mg of calcium, 24-26 g of protein and 0.8-1 μg of vitamin D.

Thus, by eating 100 g of cheese per day, you completely cover your need for dietary calcium and get a tenth of the daily value of vitamin D.

Keep in mind, however, that cheese is a high-calorie food rich in saturated fat. If you eat 100 g of cheese a day, it is better to refuse other fatty foods. There is good news for fat lovers: the more calcium you consume, the less fat is absorbed.

So if you're looking to consume more calcium and protein, cheese is a great source of nutrients.

3. Sesame

Sesame is the absolute leader in the amount of calcium among plant sources.100 g of these small seeds contain 975 mg of calcium and 17.7 g of protein.

True, there are also pitfalls here. First, no one eats sesame with spoons. Most often, it is added to baked goods and other dishes, which means that it will be problematic to consume 100 or even 50 g per day.

Of course, you can make halva or kozinaki from sesame seeds, then you can eat more seeds at a time, but such products, as a rule, contain a lot of sugar and calories, and this is not very useful.

The second pitfall of sesame, like most other plant sources of calcium, is phytic acid. It is an antinutrient that reduces the absorption of calcium and other minerals. Phytic acid makes up 1–5% of the weight of grains, legumes, oil seeds and nuts.

Fortunately, you can deal with the negative effects of phytates by pre-processing foods. Soak the sesame seeds in water for 4 hours and then lightly fry.

4. Sardines in oil

Canned sardines are consumed with bones, so they are high in calcium: 382 mg per 100 g of product. They also contain 24.6 g of protein and 6, 8 mcg of vitamin D (68% of the daily value). And although calcium in sardines is much less than in the same sesame, due to vitamin D, it will be absorbed better.

In addition, 100 g of sardines canned in oil contains only 208 kcal and 11.5 g of fat, half of which is polyunsaturated. Therefore, you can safely eat 100-150 g per day, do not give up other products and not risk your figure.

5. Almonds

100 g of almonds contain 216 mg of calcium and 21.9 g of protein. This nut contains a lot of phytic acid, but you can reduce the amount by soaking the almonds for 12 hours before eating.

And don't eat too much: a small handful of almonds, which you can easily eat in five minutes, contains about 250 kcal, and 100 g contains 581 kcal.

6. Garlic

100 g of garlic contains 181 mg of calcium and 6.4 g of protein. If you like garlic, add it often to meals and snacks: it reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, has anti-tumor and antimicrobial effects, and helps to normalize glucose levels.

7. Parsley

100 g of parsley contains 138 mg of calcium and 3 g of protein. Of course, few people will be able to eat a large bunch of these greens, but you can often add them to dishes.

Also, 100 g of parsley contains 133 mg of vitamin C, which neutralizes phytic acid. You can add greens to every salad or legume dish to help your body neutralize the effects of phytates.

8. Milk

100 g of milk contains 120 mg of calcium and 3.3 g of protein. Calcium from milk is well absorbed thanks to lactose, and protein has the highest absorption rate possible - 1.0.

Milk is rich in saturated fat, so if you have high cholesterol, go for low-fat milk. Also, make sure you are not lactose intolerant: people who are deficient in the enzyme lactase will not benefit from calcium absorption and will provide themselves with digestive problems.

9. Hazelnut

100 g of hazelnuts contain 114 mg of calcium, 15 g of protein and 628 kcal, so if you do not count calories, you should not eat more than a handful of these nuts per day.

10. Soy

100 g of cooked soybeans contains 102 mg of calcium and 16.6 g of protein. The phytic acid in soy does not significantly affect calcium absorption. To eliminate even the smallest impact, soak the soybeans overnight.