You Can Absorb More Calcium From These Vegetables Than Milk (But It's Complicated)

Calcium does amazing things for our bodies. You've probably heard that it's important for maintaining strong bones, but it's helpful for a number of reasons, including preventing cancer, preeclampsia, and diabetes. You've also probably been told that the best way to get your daily dose of calcium is by drinking milk. Now, research is showing that we might be able to get more of our daily calcium requirements by consuming more leafy vegetables. They may be even better at delivering calcium than milk. Now, we're not saying you need to give up dairy, especially because some types have more protein than an egg, but supplementing it with a few leafy greens could make it worth your time.

But many leafy vegetables, like spinach, taro, or swiss chard, come with a hidden cost. Oxalate crystals, also known as oxalic acids, are found in many plants. They sometimes form as raphides which are tiny, needle-like crystals, and most plants use them to keep herbivores from consuming all of those leaves they worked so hard to produce. In humans, oxalates can cause painful mouth sores, kidney stones, swelling, or even death in rare cases. So, to get at the calcium without the pain you've got to prepare the greens before eating. Luckily, it's not as hard as it sounds and there are multiple ways to do it.

The easiest way to ensure you get all of the calcium without the oxalic acid simply involves cooking your veggies before putting them on the dinner plate. A 2005 study found that using heat helped reduce the calcium oxalate with the most effective way being boiling the vegetables in water. Steaming and baking also showed some levels of success, just not as much. Plus, researchers have found that cooking your vegetables won't make them lose their calcium content, so you're getting all of the benefits without having to worry about a mouth full of needles.

You can also try to incorporate leafy greens with lower levels of oxalic acid to help hedge your bets while you find the right prep method for your palette, like arugula, bok choy, or cabbage.  However, keep in mind that eating boiled vegetables alone isn't going to give you all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function well — especially if you make skipping breakfast a habit. Instead, try to keep your diet as well-rounded as possible with whole grains, fresh fruit or vegetables, and limited sugar.