By Odette Olivares, VRG Intern
Latin American gastronomy is the result of traditional indigenous cuisine enriched by ingredients that Spaniards, Africans, Portuguese, French, and people from other cultures brought on their arrival to Latin America. The diet of indigenous people used to be rich in plant foods with moderate quantities of insects, fish, and meat. They did not use to consume milk, cheese, or other dairy products, yet they were apparently able to get enough calcium from their diets.
Latin American ingredients with 30 to 40 mg of calcium per portion that can add to your calcium intake, include eggplant, tamarind pulp, carrots, blackberries, lupin beans, black beans, red kidney beans, nixtamalized corn flour, green onions, pigeon peas, dried apricots, lentils, Jamaica or Hibiscus flowers, walnuts, and guavas.
To see more, go to https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/foods_calcium.htm
Read this article in Spanish here: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/Alimentos-veganos-Latinoamericanos-y-Altos-en-Calcio.pdf