Get Your Cereal Fix & Some Calcium Too

If you google Paleo and calcium, all the links that pop up will say something along the lines of "people worry about getting enough calcium on Paleo, but they are silly because you get all you need from your veggies!" I google this a lot, because I am fairly certain I am not getting enough calcium in my diet. After reading the articles again and again, I tell myself that I am one of these silly people and am perfectly on track. The general gist of the websites is that USDA recommendation is 1000 mg-1200 mg of calcium per day, but "some experts argue you only need 600-800 mg" and "if the calcium you are consuming is 100% absorbable then only 300-400 mg." The first website I linked to then goes on to tell me that I am jet set if I eat sardines with bones, sesame seeds by the quarter cup and a cup of leafy greens at every meal. Now, I eat my greens, but I am definitely not eating sesame seed crusted sardines. The second website, I linked you to follows its statement up with a chart showing that NO foods are 100% absorbable so that 300-400 mg number is basically useless.

I quit tracking my food daily when I started Paleo, but log it every now and then just to see how I am doing on my macro and micronutrients. I decided to log in for a normal week of Paleo eating just to see whether or not I was being silly about not getting enough calcium. Guess what? Over a week period, I had 4 days of getting between 230-350 mg of calcium, two days around 500 mg and one whopping 650 mg day. So guess what google - stop telling me I am being silly.

These websites are however really helpful in providing tables of foods rich in calcium - I will direct you to one from Chris Kesser's website here. No, I am not ready to add sardines to my daily diet, but I am making an effort to incorporate more calcium rich foods. I eat greens at least once a day if not more, so the next highest up on the list for me to reasonably turn to is almonds. I had taken a hiatus from almonds almost altogether to experiment with other nuts, not realizing that while almonds are a good source of calcium, pistachios, walnuts, cashews and macadamia nuts don't share that same property. In addition, I haven't been adding almonds to dishes because I usually have plenty of healthy fats in them already. I haven't been making/eating an entire jar of almond butter because I wanted other kinds of nut butter and I haven't been making almond milk, because I couldn't really find a place for it in my diet - I wasn't snacking, drinking smoothies, having coffee, cereal, etc. Well guess what, almonds are making a comeback and I am making a place for them in my diet.

Conveniently, I have also been looking for alternatives to eggs on top of eggs on top of beef, chicken, shrimp for breakfast. While I am not giving up my protein for breakfast, it is a convenient time to get in some almonds. Smoothies with almond milk and/or almond butter and protein powder, such as Great Lakes Collagen Hydrosolate (it doesn't coagulate), are an easy option, especially when you're on the go. 

For you cereal lovers that cannot imagine giving up their Wheaties, the granola recipe I've created below is awesome over almond milk and takes care of appx. 4o% of yoru recommended calcium intake (it depends on the ratio of water to almonds in the almond milk). I've been enjoying it for breakfast alongside some protein. The BEST thing about this granola is that is uses the leftover almond pulp from making the almond milk so none of that calcium-rich almond goodness is wasted (or your $$$). The SECOND BEST thing about this granola is that its delicious and the LAST BEST thing about it is that you can make it with whatever you have in your pantry. My latest batch featured cashews, pumpkin seeds and pistachios. You can double, quadruple, triple this as you see fit and keep it in an airtight container for up to a week.

Grain-Free Granola/Cereal

Servings: 2

Ingredients

1/3 c almond pulp
2 tbsp raw nuts (cashews, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, etc.)
1 tbsp seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, etc.)
1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

Pre-Oven Mix

1 tbsp cacao nibs (or another tbsp nuts, seeds or coconut)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 tbsp honey or molasses or maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsps dried fruit (raisins, goji berries, currants, cherries, etc.).

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Spread almond pulp on baking sheet and bake in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes to dry it out.
2. Whilst the almond pulp is drying out, add nuts, seeds, coconut, cacao nibs, cinnamon and salt to food processor. Pulse until mixture is coarsely chopped. NOTE: If your coconut is very finely shredded you can leave it out of the food processor and combine it in step 3. 
3. Combine almond pulp and nut/seed mixture in a bowl.

4. In a small dish or bowl, mix honey, coconut oil and vanilla together.

5. Stir honey mixture into nut/almond mixture. 

6. Add dried fruit and stir.

7. Spread mixture out onto lined baking sheet and place back in oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring mixture two or three times during baking time. 

Post-Oven Toastiness

8. Remove from oven and let cool completely, mixture will crisp up as it cools. 

9. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a week.