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  5. 26 High-Calcium Lunches That Help Promote Healthy Aging

26 High-Calcium Lunches That Help Promote Healthy Aging

Leah Goggins headshot
Leah Goggins Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD April 27, 2022
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
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Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps

Calcium is important for numerous reasons: it helps support bone health, heart health, nerve function and more. Everyone needs their fair share to function at their best—and as you get older, you may need more of it than you did previously. These lunches pack in 200 milligrams of calcium per serving (about 20% of your daily needs), so you can be sure you're eating a delicious lunch and supporting your overall health. Recipes like our Cauliflower Gnocchi Caprese and Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps are tasty midday meals you can enjoy at home or pack for work.

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Creamy Spinach Pasta with White Beans

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Here, we whir up fresh spinach and kale with cream cheese and Gruyère for the luscious sauce that highlights this rich pasta dish. Paired with beans, it makes a filling vegetarian meal.

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Cauliflower Gnocchi Caprese

Cauliflower Gnocchi Caprese
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This super-easy dish is perfect for summer. Store-bought frozen cauliflower gnocchi are crisped up in a pan, then tossed with mozzarella cheese, plenty of basil and balsamic vinegar for a hearty and healthy spin on the classic caprese salad.

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Baked Falafel Sandwiches

baked falafel sandwich
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This street-style falafel sandwich is herbaceous, tangy and rich. The falafel gets nice and crispy in the oven while the veggies inside keep it simple and fresh. Make the tahini sauce (see Associated Recipes) ahead of time for easy prep. Wrapping the sandwich in foil makes it a perfect bring-along lunch and helps hold it together for eating on the go.

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Quinoa-Black Bean Salad

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Enjoy this quinoa and black bean salad as a delicious and quick vegetarian main dish or as a side for grilled chicken or steak. And don't forget the leftovers! They make an easy lunch on the go.

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Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps

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Stuff crisp lettuce leaves with a savory filling inspired by PF Chang's famous lettuce wraps. These low-carb wraps made with tofu, mushrooms and daikon radish are an easy vegetarian dinner that beats takeout! Garnish the wraps with julienned carrots for added crunch.

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Feta, Kale & Pear Salad

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The crunchy seed topping is the perfect textural juxtaposition to a creamy dressing, soft pears and tender massaged kale salad. Tossing it all with mint, feta and red onion gives it a Middle Eastern flair.

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Caprese Sandwich

Caprese Sandwich
Credit: Photographer / Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist / Christine Keely
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This caprese sandwich is fresh from the basil and hearty from thick, crusty ciabatta. The sun-dried tomatoes deepen the flavor. Topping the bread with a layer of basil leaves and using toasted bread helps to keep the sandwich from getting soggy if you need to make it a few hours ahead.

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Chicken Caprese Sandwich

Chicken Caprese Sandwich
Credit: Photographer / Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist / Christine Keely
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This chicken caprese sandwich has all the classic flavors of a caprese salad with an added boost of protein from grilled chicken. Using store-bought grilled chicken makes assembly quick and easy. This sandwich for one is made in a skillet, but would work equally well in a panini press if you have one on hand.

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Fruit, Veggie & Cheese Plate

Fruit, Veggie & Cheese Plate
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This healthy fruit, veggie and cheese plate is easy and affordable to pull together for a fun snack-style dinner at home or can be packed up and enjoyed as an outdoor picnic.

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Build-Your-Own Grilled Cheese

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It's called a grilled cheese, so why not make it on the grill? Multiply this recipe by the number of people you're serving, then set out all the toppings and let everyone make their own creations.

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Salmon Caesar Salad

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This easy Caesar salad subs creamy Greek yogurt and buttermilk for the traditional egg yolks and olive oil and mixes in mildly bitter radicchio in addition to classic romaine. Using just a small amount of flavorful Parmigiano-Reggiano shaves calories and sodium too.

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Sweet Potato-Black Bean Burgers

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These vegan sweet potato-black bean burgers spiced with curry powder are easy to make. Blending the mixture with your hands gives you a soft, uniform texture then the outside gets crispy by cooking in a cast-iron pan. To make this recipe gluten-free too, use gluten-free oats and serve the patty in a lettuce wrap, omitting the bun.

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Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

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This Mediterranean quinoa salad is chock-full of fresh veggies that marinate in a bright, fresh dressing. It's an easy vegetarian dinner recipe that can also be made ahead as a healthy lunch option.

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Turkey & Cheddar Lettuce Wraps

Turkey & Cheddar Lettuce Wraps
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Crispy green lettuce leaves hold the filling inside this low-carb turkey wrap. It's perfect for lunch or a quick, easy dinner on the go.

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Greek Meatball Mezze Bowls

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With a variety of flavors and textures (and a whopping 30 grams of protein!), these Mediterranean-inspired meal-prep bowls will keep you fueled all afternoon. The turkey meatballs are adapted from Greek Turkey Burgers with Spinach, Feta & Tzatziki by Hilary Meyer. Look for premade tzatziki near the specialty cheeses and dips at your grocery store or make your own (see Associated Recipes).

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Shrimp Cobb Salad with Dijon Dressing

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We've replaced chicken with shrimp in this delicious and easy spin on the classic Cobb salad. This satisfying salad takes just 20 minutes to make, so it's perfect for weeknight dinners, but it's elegant enough to serve to guests.

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Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad Bowls

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Pasta salad is a classic summer side dish, but adding protein (leftover grilled chicken is perfect here) and extra greens makes it a super-satisfying lunch. We use baby spinach, but arugula or baby kale works too. Top with a bright and tangy basil vinaigrette just before serving. The great news is that these easy meal-prep lunches take just 20 minutes to prepare--that's 4 days of lunches in less than 30 minutes.

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White Bean & Avocado Sandwich

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White beans mash seamlessly into a creamy protein-packed spread for a satisfying healthy sandwich that makes for an easy lunch or dinner. Mix it up by trying it with canned chickpeas or black beans. This vegetarian sandwich recipe is also a fiber superstar: avocado, beans, greens and whole-wheat bread team up to give it 15 grams of fiber, more than half of what most women should aim for in a day.

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Tex-Mex Pasta Salad

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A light and creamy green-salsa dressing highlights this easy pasta salad with Southwestern flavors.

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Chicken & Cucumber Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce

Chicken & Cucumber Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce
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We love the crunch from sliced cucumber and jicama in these savory chicken lettuce wraps. Serve with the simple peanut sauce for an easy dinner recipe that will impress kids and adults alike.

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Sweet & Savory Hummus Plate

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Fresh veggies with dip, juicy fruit and even a sweet treat make up this easy-to-make picnic dinner that's great for packing up or enjoying at home. Plus, this combo excludes the most common allergens and food intolerances (it's free from dairy, eggs, soy, nuts and gluten) so just about everyone should be able to enjoy it without worrying.

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Avocado Toast with Burrata

Avocado Toast with Burrata
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Burrata (cream-filled fresh mozzarella cheese) takes this avocado toast recipe to the next level for a decadent, yet weekday-friendly breakfast.

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Superfood Chopped Salad with Salmon & Creamy Garlic Dressing

superfood chopped salmon salad
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Curly kale forms the base of this salad, but you could use chard or spinach. To the greens, add a multitude of chopped veggies, such as broccoli, cabbage and carrots. Finish with rich salmon for protein and a drizzle of creamy yogurt dressing to bring it all together.

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Chicken Freezer Burritos

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Transform leftover chicken into a hearty burrito filling! You will be thrilled to have a stash of frozen burritos on hand that you can microwave for an instant healthy lunch or on-the-go dinner for a busy night.

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Tofu Poke

tofu Poke
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This fast vegan version of poke (the traditional Hawaiian salad of diced raw fish tossed in a soy-sesame sauce) swaps in extra-firm tofu for fish while loading your bowl with vegetables and crunchy toppers like pea shoots and peanuts. Serve over brown rice instead of the zucchini noodles to add a hearty boost of fiber.

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Prosciutto, Mozzarella & Melon Plate

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This perfect picnic for two is great for an outdoor date night or even just a quick, romantic dinner at home. The fresh fruit, vegetables and cheese pair perfectly with prosecco for sipping. Chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert make the meal extra-special.

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    1 of 26 Creamy Spinach Pasta with White Beans
    2 of 26 Cauliflower Gnocchi Caprese
    3 of 26 Baked Falafel Sandwiches
    4 of 26 Quinoa-Black Bean Salad
    5 of 26 Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps
    6 of 26 Feta, Kale & Pear Salad
    7 of 26 Caprese Sandwich
    8 of 26 Chicken Caprese Sandwich
    9 of 26 Fruit, Veggie & Cheese Plate
    10 of 26 Build-Your-Own Grilled Cheese
    11 of 26 Salmon Caesar Salad
    12 of 26 Sweet Potato-Black Bean Burgers
    13 of 26 Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
    14 of 26 Turkey & Cheddar Lettuce Wraps
    15 of 26 Greek Meatball Mezze Bowls
    16 of 26 Shrimp Cobb Salad with Dijon Dressing
    17 of 26 Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad Bowls
    18 of 26 White Bean & Avocado Sandwich
    19 of 26 Tex-Mex Pasta Salad
    20 of 26 Chicken & Cucumber Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce
    21 of 26 Sweet & Savory Hummus Plate
    22 of 26 Avocado Toast with Burrata
    23 of 26 Superfood Chopped Salad with Salmon & Creamy Garlic Dressing
    24 of 26 Chicken Freezer Burritos
    25 of 26 Tofu Poke
    26 of 26 Prosciutto, Mozzarella & Melon Plate

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    26 High-Calcium Lunches That Help Promote Healthy Aging
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