How can I meet calcium needs on a plant-based diet?
A plant-based diet means eating mostly, not only, plant foods. So you can get most of your calcium from dairy products, which provide calcium in concentrated amounts in a well-absorbed form. Current federal recommendations for adults of 1000 to 1200 mg of calcium per day can be met by a variety of healthy foods that includes 2.5 to 3 servings of milk, yogurt or cheese. You can also choose plant-based options for some or all of those servings. The amount of calcium in one dairy serving can come from one serving of calcium-fortified orange juice, calcium-fortified bread, or calcium-fortified soy milk or soy yogurt. Tofu is another option, though check the label because the calcium content varies widely. A number of dark green leafy vegetables also provide calcium but these alone will not supply calcium needs because of the body’s limited ability to absorb the vegetable form of calcium. To get an amount of absorbed calcium from vegetables equivalent to one serving of dairy products requir
