Health benefits of a plant-based diet: PART I - The Calcium & The Magnesium
Did you know? The Social Gardener Cafe is a social enterprise of the Riverdale Hub. The Hub supports underserved, marginalized, and minority women and youth by acting as a safe community space and training grounds for their development. Maintaining proper health for these vulnerable groups is critical to society and the health care system which supports our busy lives.
Calcium, magnesium, and potassium are electrolytes and nutrients essential to the female diets (as women usually need more calcium than men) to maintain healthy bones, tissues and muscles as well as to reduce the effects of stress on our lives. Getting enough of these nutrients in our diets can be challenging for marginalized women in society but with a little effort, you can make a significant impact on your health with just a few small changes.
Here are some ideas for change, many of which I use to counter the creeping osteoporosis that began in my life as I approached 50 years old, and which made a difference in the way I feel and function.
Grains such as quinoa, amaranth, and teff are excellent sources of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Brown rice, oats, barley, wheat, and spelt also contain calcium and magnesium.
Nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables include rhubarb, figs, currants, avocados, oranges, grapefruit juice, and pineapple juice. Prunes, raisins, peaches, apricots and dates are calcium-packed. Tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, radishes, garlic, beet greens, spinach, turnip greens and swiss chard are excellent choices to stave off calcium deficiencies which can be detected with a simple bone density test.
Nuts and seeds include pumpkin, almonds, cashews, pistachios, sesame, brazil nuts and chia seeds are very important to your diet as well.
Don’t forget legumes! Legumes include soy, tofu, yogurt, white beans, kidney beans, northern beans, lima beans, pinto beans and black beans. These are also good sources of calcium.
All of these food suggestions have a balance of magnesium and calcium that will keep your health in check before deficiencies can start to cause a problem in your body. Protecting your body with a plant-based diet will reap many rewards for your health including increased energy and metabolism, and (women, hear here!) reduce your risk of osteoporosis as you age.
Take it from me! I modified my diet to include the foods mentioned above and my osteoporosis (bone density loss) has levelled off to a great extent. I am far more prepared for old age now than when I was not including these foods in my diet years ago.
