Calcium, the most common mineral in the human body, increases bone mineral density. While dairy products contain large amounts of calcium, you may not like dairy products. Some vegetarians don't eat any dairy, so look to plant foods for calcium. Sesame seeds, which comes from the Sesamum indicum plant, contain calcium. Sesame seed oil, which is pressed from the seeds, does not contain any calcium.
Sesame Seed Oil Uses
Many Japanese, Chinese and Korean recipes use sesame oil for cooking. Unlike the sesame seeds, which go rancid quickly, sesame oil itself resists oxidation and rancidity, due to the presence of sesamol, a natural preservative in the oil, the Vegetarians in Paradise website explains. Its long shelf life makes it a popular oil for cooking, although it's relatively expensive. Tahini, a paste used in dishes in the Middle East made from toasted hulled sesame seeds, does contain calcium, around 153 mg per tablespoon.
Sesame Seed Oil Ingredients
Sesame seed oil consists entirely of lipids, or fat, with 13.6 g of fat per tbsp. Sesame oil makes up around 44 to 60 percent of the sesame seed, according to Vegetarians in Paradise. The oil contains more unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats than saturated fats. The only vitamins found in sesame oil are fat-soluble vitamins E and K. The oil contains no other vitamins or minerals.
Sesame Seed Nutrition
Whole sesame seeds contain 280 mg of calcium per 1-oz. serving. Men and women between the ages of 19 and 50 need 1,000 mg of calcium per day, while women older than 51 and men older than 70 need 1,300 mg per day, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. Sesame seed, unlike sesame oil, supplies both protein and carbohydrate as well as minerals such as iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc in addition to calcium. Sesame seeds also contain vitamin A in addition to the B-complex vitamins as well as vitamins E and K.
Considerations
If you want to increase your calcium intake, sesame seed oil has no benefits over other oils. Sesame seeds can make a healthy snack high in calcium if eaten unhulled; hulled seeds contain less calcium. A 1-oz. serving of whole sesame seeds can supply up to 28 percent of your daily calcium needs. Crush or pulverize sesame seeds to get the maximum calcium absorption from them, the website Ellen's Kitchen recommends.
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