Calcium plays crucial roles in your body. It’s well known for its ability to build and maintain your bones. Yet, this mineral is also important for muscle contraction, blood pressure regulation, nerve transmission, and blood clotting.
1. Soy foods
Soybeans are naturally rich in calcium. สมัคร ufabet
One cup (172 grams) of cooked soybeans provides 13% of the DV%.
Foods made from soybeans, such as tofu, tempeh, and natto, are also rich in this mineral. Tofu made with calcium sulfate contains 683 mg, or 53% of the DV, per 3.5 ounces (100 grams).
Tempeh and natto — made from fermented soybeans — provide good amounts as well. One 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of tempeh covers around 7% of the DV, whereas natto offers about 17%
Minimally processed soy foods are also a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, they’re one of the rare plant foods considered a complete source of protein.
That’s because — while most plant foods are low in at least one of the nine essential amino acids. Soybeans offer good amounts of all of them.
2. Beans, peas and lentils
In addition to being rich in fiber and protein, beans and lentils are good sources of calcium.
The varieties providing the highest levels of this mineral per cooked cup (about 175 grams) include:
- winged (goa) beans: 19% of the DV
- white beans: 12% of the DV
- navy beans: 10% of the DV
- black beans: 8% of the DV
- chickpeas: 6% of the DV
- kidney beans: 4% of the DV
- lentils: 3% of the DV
Moreover, beans and lentils tend to be rich in other nutrients. including iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium, and folate. However, they also contain antinutrients like phytates and lectins. Which lower your body’s ability to absorb other nutrients.
Soaking, sprouting, and fermenting beans and lentils can reduce antinutrient levels, making them more absorbable.
What’s more, diets rich in beans, peas, and lentils lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. And decrease your risk of conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and premature death.