We have been a little rowdy in Peru since we realized that a well known evaporated milk is actually not milk (and that we don’t know how to read food labels). But why do we drink cow milk at all? I stopped drinking milk a year ago, by a personal decision, and found that many of my friends were doing the same. I wondered, and what about the calcium? Español aquí.

Calcium is extremely important, not only to strengthen our teeth and bones, but also for our muscles, cells and nerves to work properly. You know, the important things. Specialists recommend adults consume approximately 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day. Perfect. And how can we get it? Here are some alternative sources of calcium to dairy and how much calcium is packed with each serving, as recommended by Health.com. Get ready to look at them in a different light.

This recommendation is especially important for women, considering that those over the age of 50 are advised to increase their daily intake of calcium to 1,200 milligrams. I take this recommendation very seriously since I am predisposed to osteopenia, which is a condition in which the bones contain less calcium than normal, but not so little as to call it osteoporosis. I am all for prevention, so pass me the sardines.

1. Collard greens
268 milligrams of calcium in a cooked cup
Collard greens are a vegetable with green leaves that are usually served cooked and mixed in with chickpeas in Perú. I’m personally going to think of ways to eat more of this.

2. Broccoli
86 milligrams in 2 raw cups
Did you know that this leafy vegetable gives you twice as much vitamin C as an orange? Plus, there are studies associating a high consumption of broccoli with a reduced risk of cancer.

3. Kale
101 milligrams of calcium in a raw cup
A serving of this green leafy vegetable also makes up your daily dose of vitamin C and double what’s recommended for vitamin A. It also provides a vitamin K, which helps your blood clot when you have a booboo.

4. Edamame
98 milligrams of calcium in a cooked cup
These super vegetables, that have been a favorite in Japan and China for thousands of years, are among the few foods that contain all the nutritional values ​​of a protein and don’t come from an animal. You can eat it whole, cooked in salted water.

5. Bak Choy or Chinese Cabbage
74 grams in a raw cup
This vegetable that is also common in foods of Chinese origin also adds vitamin A, C and potassium to your diet. It cooks easily and can be found all year round.

6. Figs
121 milligrams in half a cup of dried figs
This fruit has the well-deserved reputation of being an excellent source of fiber and potassium. It also gives you magnesium that is used in over 300 biochemical reactions your body makes for your muscles and heart to work well, and strengthen your bones.

7. Oranges
74 milligrams in an orange and 27 milligrams in a cup of juice
Orange is a well known source for vitamin C and antioxidants.

8. Sardines
351 milligrams in a 3.75 oz. Can
This fishy alternative is also a generous source of vitamin B-12 that is good for your bail and nervous system to be healthy. It also has vitamin D, which is excellent for our bones and is very difficult to obtain through food.

9. White beans
63 milligrams in ½ cup cooked beans
Good news for bean lovers, they are also a good source of fiber, protein and iron. The starch in the beans is also good for increasing your metabolism.

10. Tofu
434 milligrams in ½ cup
There is a good reason why vegetarian diets contain consider so much tofu: it is a good source of calcium as well as protein. Those who eat it appreciate its versatility for absorb the different flavors of food it is cooked in.

11. Almonds
75 milligrams of calcium in 28 grams (more or less 23 almonds)
These nuts have a well-deserved reputation as they contain almost 12% of protein that you need in the day. In addition, they are rich in vitamin E and potassium. Eating them in moderation gives you “good” fat that helps reduce bad cholesterol for your heart.

Photos: Pixabay / Canva

Since going back to work in May, becoming a part time blogger (again) has really made me think about what’s important. I truly love sharing posts and hearing your feedback. There is no greater enjoyment for me than knowing I can be a voice for Peruvian flavors and healthy living. Time is a problem again, but I’m not willing to give up. So I’d like to propose a new posting schedule to bring you two recipe posts a month, and a little something in between. While I would love to see you every week, I am happy to see you every two weeks! Español aquí.

Because I recently shared a post on Instagram for #10thingsabout me thanks to Mariela Manduca (@privileged_foodie), I’d love to tell you more about why I am such a big supporter for a healthy lifestyle. As a petite latina who enjoys eating her veggies and doing exercise, I am often mistaken to be on a diet or overly trying to be thin. This is mostly by my family, who believe that eating abundant servings of potato and rice will help me look like Sofia Vergara. The truth is that I want to be healthy and here is why.

1. I don’t want to get sick
With parents who have had health issues throughout my life, I consciously choose to prevent. My father has hypertension, and his cholesterol and triglyceride levels often spiked up. He really scared us at his worst. Picture three women (my mom, sister and myself) rushing him to the ER in pijamas in the midst of night, more than once. Add to that, that my mom is a breast cancer survivor. Enough said.

While I cannot stop things I have no control over, I believe in prevention. Plus, in my experience it’s not just you who goes through an illness. Your family who loves you goes through it with you. I love my family so much, I couldn’t do that to them. I know that what will come, will come, but not if I can help it.

2. I want to be my best self
Growing up, I was a fairly meager teenager in a society that valued curvy silhouettes unlike my own. Or at least that’s what I thought. I let it get to me and I developed body image issues. Luckily, I learned how to manage them through the years. However, it sounds better said than done. It was a long and quiet journey. I think that people don’t talk about this enough. I want people who struggle with this to know that they are not alone.

I managed by being healthy, which meant incorporating regular exercise sessions and lifestyle practices to my life. These include muscle training three times a week (or trying) and eating balanced meals with lots of vegetables. The results reflected on my body. Please don’t get me wrong. I don’t have a perfect magazine body. I have my best self and that’s good enough for me.

3. I enjoy it
I often raise an eyebrow when I hear someone saying that they want to go on a diet or that they want to exercise only for summer. Experience has taught me that you are more likely to commit to something when you enjoy it. That’s why I like wiggle in recommendations for getting into healthy lifestyle practices, which mean to me that something is a habit of choice. I was blessed to have a good foundation. Because of my parent’s ailments, my home Peruvian meals were always vegetable based. It rubbed off on me and now I cook like my mom.

Remember how I joined the gym since I was 15 years old? Lucky for me I love doing sports, even though I’m not exceptional at it, working out just fits in. A trivia fact is that I am a die hard fan of Robin Gallant who is a petite Canadian vlogger who makes amazing youtube fitness exercise videos.

Photos: Pixabay/Mucha Ale