Calcium-rich foods: beyond dairy produce

Some years ago, our bone health was linked solely to how much dairy produce we consumed each day. Although it is true that dairy produce is a good source of dietary calcium, consuming a lot of dairy produce encourages you to ignore other foods and it can put your nutrition out of balance. However, according to a study published in January 2014, Feskanisch and his collaborators at JAMA Paediatrics, concluded that a higher consumption of milk during adolescence was not linked to less risk of hip fractures (the main type of osteoporosis fracture) in older adults. 

Today, the recommendation is to keep various factors in mind in order to develop good bone health. Among these are: 

• Have an active life and spend time outdoors, avoid a sedentary lifestyle and, in order to produce vitamin D, get some sunshine on your skin frequently, but in moderation. This vitamin is absolutely essential for bone health. 
• Avoid tobacco and alcohol consumption. 
• Follow a nutritional diet that includes vegetables, legumes, wholemeal grains, nuts such as almonds and hazelnuts, dried figs, fish, etc. and don’t exclusively depend on diary produce. When planning daily meals, include broccoli, kale, watercress and turnip tops among the vegetables. For legumes, its worth prioritising soya and chick peas. Small oily fish provide a lot of calcium because, most of the time, as with anchovies, whitebait and the smaller sardines, the bones are also eaten.   

It is also important to know that there are elements among the vegetables that make it difficult to absorb calcium. These include oxalate and phytic acid. Both of these can be reduced through cooking techniques such as soaking and removal of water, toasting, germination and fermentation. 

KALE CRISPS

Ingredients (for 2 persons)

- 250 g kale

- 20 ml extra virgin olive oil

- 10 g grated lemon zest 

- 0.5 g garlic powder

- Salt and pepper

Time: 15 minutes

Preparation:

• Wash the kale leaves and drain them thoroughly. Cut out the hard stalk in the centre of the leaf. Cut the leaves into small pieces (you can do this with your hands). Spread them out on an oven tray covered with baking paper. Separate the leaves as much as possible so they don’t overlap too much and so that they cook properly.  
• Rub the kale with the extra virgin olive oil, and then, sprinkle on the garlic powder and the lemon zest. 
• Preheat the oven to 180ºC with heat from above and below. When the oven is hot, place the tray in the oven and bake for 8-9 minutes. Check them for the last few minutes to prevent burning the kale crisps: they should not go brown.  
• When you remove the crisps from the oven, use a cooling mesh to cool them on and then put them into a hermetically-sealed container to keep them crunchy. You can also serve the crispy kale straight from the oven. 

SARDINE “FRITTATA” 

Ingredients (for 4 persons) 

- 4 eggs

- 160 g tinned sardines

- 80 g onion

- 50 g pine kernels

- 40 ml extra virgin olive oil

- 2 garlic cloves

- Salt

Time: 20 minutes

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Peel and chop the onion and the garlic. Sautee them in a frying pan with olive oil and then drain them.
• Beat the eggs and drain the sardines. Mix the beaten eggs with the sardines, onion, garlic and some of the pine kernels. Season. 
• Put the mixture into an ovenproof dish.
• Bake for around 10 minutes at 180ºC.
• Remove from the oven, add the remaining pine kernels and serve.

Ingredients (for 4 persons)

- 120 g chopped dried figs

- 80 g shelled walnuts

- 80 g red apple, peeled

- 20 g grated coconut

- 20 g poppy and sesame seeds

Time: 20 minutes

Preparation: 

• In a bowl, beat the chopped figs, the walnuts, the apple pulp and the coconut until they are evenly mixed. 
• When you have a manageable mixture, shape it into small balls. Coat half of the bonbons with sesame seeds and the other half with poppy seeds to create some variety. 
• Leave them to rest in a cool, dry place for at least 2 hours. Place each fig and walnut bonbon in a paper case.