As we Vegans/vegetarians get older how should we insure Vitamin D and calcium intake?!


Question: As we Vegans/vegetarians get older how should we insure Vitamin D and calcium intake!?
Answers:
Vitamin D = go outside, your body produces it's own vitamin D in the sunlight
Calcium = eat green leafy veggies!. There's lots of calcium in lots of different vegetables!. Alternatively, you can drink soy milk, which has the same amount of calcium as cows milk!.

Here's a good list of the veggies:
http://www!.vrg!.org/nutrition/calcium!.htm

Dietary Vitamin D is only naturally found in fish, which is a no go for you, so stick to fortified stuff, also eggs have a little bit - not as nearly as much as fish though!. OJ, soy milks/cows milk, breakfast cereals are all commonly fortified!. Plus there's always supplements!.

Good luck!Www@FoodAQ@Com

CALCIUM-Since you don't eat meat, you're body is already better at absorbing calcium than meat-eaters!. You need 16mg of calcium for every gram of protein your diet contains!. Sodium also impedes calcium absorption so limit it to < than 2000 milligrams per day!.

Good vegetarian sources are:
~ Skim milk
~ Mozzarella part skim
~ Plain yogurt

Some good sources vegan sources are:
~ dark green leafy veggies such as kale, swiss chard, collards, mustard and turnip greens
~ broccoli
~ chinese cabbage
~ tofu w/ calcium
~ legumes such as pinto, black, garbanzo
~ almonds and sesame seeds
~ dried figs
~ soymilk and orange juice fortified w/ calcium!.

VITAMIN D is a hormone that regulates the body's calcium balance!. you should get 20-30 minutes of sun (no sunscreen) on your skin 3 times per week to make enough vitamin D to get you through the winter!. Older folks may not absorb as much but you should try to get as much as possible!.

Eggs, milk, margarine are vegetarian sources!.

~ Bran flakes
~ Corn flakes
~ Grape Nuts
~ Raisin Bran
~ Rice milk (Rice Dream)
~ Soy milk (Edensoy and Westsoy)

!.!.!.!.!.!.!.are vegan sources of Vitamin D

About a cup of each is a sufficient enough amount Www@FoodAQ@Com

Vitamin D and Calcium
Vitamin D and calcium are important in bone formation!. Vitamin D can be obtained from sunlight exposure!. Vegans who get little sunlight, or those who live at high latitudes, should take a vitamin D supplement,or consume fortified soymilk or rice milk!. Vegans should also get 3 servings of high calcium foods each day, such as kale, broccoli, collard greens, and fortified soymilk & orange juice!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Welcome to my world! I was feeling 'not quite right' for a couple of years, then finally they figured out I had a Vitamin D deficiency!. My recovery was nothing short of a miracle in terms of health, stamina, fitness, and general well-being! D deficiency is VERY common these days because so many folks work indoors and use sunscreen when outdoors!. Being a Vegan/Vegetarian really has little to do with vitamin D deficiency!. There are very few natural dietary sources of D besides sunshine and a couple of fatty fish like herring!. Everyone thinks milk is so great, but there is actually only a minimal amount of D in fortified milk, and that is added artificially!. Many people now believe that the US RDA for Vitamin D is too low to promote optimal health!. My personal choice has been to get more sunshine when possible and take D supplements, which I increase dosage in the Winter months!. I also have my D levels tested regularly!. Note: Calcium is important!.!.!.but you can not properly absorb calcium with out adequate levels of Vitamin D!

With all due respect to the other responders who have provided a lot of great info: If you (like me) have been diagnosed with a D deficiency, you REALLY have to work to get it back to normal and up to optimal!.!.!.and that requires a lot of vitamin D over a long period of time!. It took me 9+ months to reach my optimal levels!. I did not fully begin to recover until AFTER my levels were truly optimal!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Studies show that the elderly do not get enough vitamin D from sunshine because they have a tendency to stay indoors, not because of an absorption difference!.
http://www!.medscape!.com/viewarticle/5008!.!.!.

As a vegetarian, your best calcium source is plain yogurt!.
http://ods!.od!.nih!.gov/factsheets/calcium!.!.!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Older folks don't get enough vitamin D, because they don't spend enough time in the sun!. If you were really a vegetarian/vegan for 35 years you would know where we get our calcium!. Now stop trolling YA and go sit in the sun and have some soy ice cream!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Milk is not as great a source of calcium as the ads would lead you to believe because excess protein causes calcium loss!.

www!.vrg!.org has a list of calcium-rich foods!. Chickpeas are an excellent source of both calcium and iron, and many beans also have calcium!. Www@FoodAQ@Com

15 minutes of sunshine each day and calcium supplement!.

Or just go Omnivore like the rest of us!Www@FoodAQ@Com

well you can get vitamin d from sunlight so go outdoors a lot, otherwise vitaminsWww@FoodAQ@Com

I hear green leafy vegetables have vitamin D!. I drink milk to get calcium!. Www@FoodAQ@Com

well drink more milk and go for a jog in the morning!.Www@FoodAQ@Com





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