Tahini is a calcium-rich paste made from roasted sesame seeds. Calcium is needed for a variety of biochemical reactions to occur in your body. Tahini is used as in ingredient in Middle Eastern dishes. It's used with chickpeas to make hummus and with eggplants to make baba ganoush.
Calcium
Calcium is one of the major minerals. Your body contains more calcium than any other mineral. You need calcium for strong bones and teeth, normal blood clotting time, and for muscle and nervous system function. Calcium is found in dairy products, bony fish and green leafy vegetables, and it's also found in nuts and seeds, such as sesame seeds, the ingredient for tahini.
Recommended Intake of Calcium
The Institutes of Medicine have determined the dietary recommendations for calcium based on age and gender. Children from age 9 to 18 need the most calcium: 1,300 mg per day. Adult females need 1,000 mg per day until the age of 50, then 1,200 mg per day after that. Adult males need 1,200 mg per day until the age of 70, then the recommendation goes up to 1,200 mg.
Calcium in Tahini
Two tablespoons of tahini have 128 mg calcium, which is similar to the amount of calcium found in a half cup of milk. The American Dietetic Association considers tahini to be a good source of calcium for vegetarians.
More Tahini Nutrition
Two tablespoons of tahini also have 5 g protein, just under 16 g of fat, 6 g carbohydrates, 2.7 mg iron, 28 mg magnesium, 10 mcg selenium, 1.4 mg zinc, 1.6 mg niacin, and 29 mcg folate. The fat is mostly made up of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. There's 2.2 g saturated fatty acids, 6 g monounsaturated fatty acids and about 7 g polyunsaturated fatty acids.
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