12 WAYS TO BOOST YOUR CALCIUM continued
10. You may read that vegans run the risk of calcium deficiency because the calcium in vegetables, like iron, is bound by the fibers and phytates (mineral-building chemicals in plants) in the vegetables and may interfere with calcium absorption.
This theoretical worry may be balanced out by the lower phosphate content of vegetables. Phosphates interfere with calcium absorption, but this is not an issue with most vegetables apart from corn. Also, that most people have the enzyme phytase in their stomachs, which breaks down the phytic acid in vegetables and allows the calcium to get through.
11. Ignore what you read about losing bone mass while breastfeeding. After weaning, breastfeeding mothers regain any bone mass they may have lost. Some even get a perk by regaining more.
12. Lack of exercise may contribute as much, or more, to osteoporosis than lack of calcium. Weight-bearing exercise (just about any exercise except swimming or cycling) not only builds muscle, it builds bone.
