Tahini is the richest vegan food in calcium. A tablespoon provides 6% of the recommended daily intake. Tahini has significantly more calcium than other common spreads, such as peanut, almond, cashew, or cow’s butter!
Tahini is vegan food high in calcium
Tahini is a great vegan source of calcium. It has between 140 and 430 mg of calcium per 100g. The calcium content mainly depends on the processing methods and sesame variety.
Tahini from roasted sesame kernels, which is the most common type, has the highest calcium content. It has 426 mg of calcium per 100g.
A tablespoon of tahini has about 64 mg of calcium. This dose is more than 6% of the recommended daily intake.
1 oz of tahini has 121 mg of calcium, which is 12% of the Daily Value.[1]
Tahini is the richest spread in calcium
In fact, tahini is the richest spread in calcium you can add to your favorite toast or snack.
How much calcium in peanut butter & other vegan spreads?
Another great dietary source of calcium is almond butter. It’s the second-richest common spread in calcium! A tbsp provides 5% of the Daily Value.
Other common butters are poor sources of calcium, though.
First, peanut butter has almost 90% less calcium than tahini! It has less than 8 mg of calcium per tablespoon.
Cashew butter is also a poor dietary source of calcium. It has only 61 mg of calcium per 100g. A tbsp provides less than 1% of the DV.
Moreover, chocolate hazelnut spread has 108 mg of calcium per 100g. A tablespoon has 16 mg of calcium. This dose is less than 2% of the DV. Chocolate hazelnut spread has about 74% less calcium than tahini!
Mayonnaise, mustard, and ketchup contain negligible amounts of calcium per serving as well.
Does cow’s butter have more calcium than tahini?
Actually, cow’s butter has substantially less calcium than tahini. It has only 48 mg of calcium per 100g. A tablespoon of butter has only 6.7 mg of calcium!
Even cheese isn’t a great dietary source of calcium. A serving of cottage or cream cheese provides only 2% of the recommended daily intake of calcium. Other types of cheese have more calcium. But, they have more calories as well.
Cow’s milk and yogurt are the dairy products that contribute the most to the daily calcium intake.
How to eat tahini to get more calcium?
Actually, there are various ways to incorporate tahini into your diet. You can use it as the main ingredient to sandwiches, dips, sauces, or oatmeal.
In fact, tahini is the ultimate post-workout food.
Do we absorb calcium of tahini?
Calcium absorption varies by type of food. Dairy products and fortified foods have the highest absorption rate. It’s almost 30%.
Plants contain certain compounds, such as oxalic and phytic acid, that decrease calcium absorption. These compounds form indigestible salts with calcium, substantially decreasing its absorption!
How to eat tahini to increase calcium absorption?
Above all, we should avoid eating tahini or any other food high in calcium with foods containing oxalates.
For instance, calcium absorption rate of spinach, which has high levels of oxalic acid, is only 5%. On the contrary, plant-based, calcium-rich foods, such as broccoli, kale, or cabbage, which don’t contain these anti-nutrients, have a similar absorption rate of calcium as milk.
Other foods high in oxalic acid, which we should avoid consuming with tahini, are collard greens, sweet potatoes, rhubarb, and beans.
In addition, we should eat tahini with foods high in vitamin D. Vitamin D is required for calcium absorption and maintaining adequate calcium levels in blood.[2]
Also, too much caffeine and phosphorus may affect net calcium absorption.
Can I depend on tahini to meet my daily needs of calcium?
Certainly, tahini is a great dietary source of calcium. It contributes to the daily calcium intake. But, we should consume reasonable amounts. Tahini has many calories. Even so, 1-2 tbsp of tahini a day support weight loss.
Tahini helps the body burn belly fat, as it contains compounds that involved in energy metabolism. Also, tahini is high in protein. It has a superior nutritional value. Tahini is far more nutritious than peanut butter!
Other common vegan foods have less calcium
There is a wide variety of vegan foods high in calcium. Whole grains, beans, and even certain fruits contain decent amounts of calcium.
Kale, arugula, soy, white, black, and pinto beans are only a few plant-based foods high in calcium.
There are certain seeds that contain more than 1,000 mg of calcium per 100g! But, we consume tiny amounts. They can’t help us meet our daily needs.
Tahini has the highest calcium content per serving than all other vegan foods!
