Choices for achieving adequate dietary calcium with a vegetarian diet

To achieve adequate dietary calcium intake, several choices are available t hat accommodate a variety of lifestyles and tastes. Liberal consumption of dairy products in the diet is the approach of most Americans. Some plants p rovide absorbable calcium, but the quantity of vegetables required to reach sufficient calcium intake make an exclusively plant-based diet impractical for most individuals unless fortified foods or supplements are included. A lso, dietary constituents that decrease calcium retention, such as salt, pr otein, and caffeine, can be high in the vegetarian diet. Although it is pos sible to obtain calcium balance from a plant-based diet in a Western lifest yle, it may be more convenient to achieve calcium balance by increasing cal cium consumption than by limiting other dietary factors.