| You’re careful about calories and fussy about fat. You crunch the numbers and keep track of your daily diet. But how conscious are you of calcium, the mineral that keeps men and women strong and healthy? Calcium plays an important role in strengthening bones and teeth. But what many people don’t know is that it also helps muscles and nerves function properly. Calcium isn’t something your body can manufacture itself, so it relies on your diet to meet its needs. Bones and teeth store about 99 percent of the calcium in the body, with the remaining 1 percent usually found in blood, muscles and other bodily tissues and fluid. If your body isn’t getting enough calcium from the foods you eat, it will take the mineral out of your bones, essentially robbing them of some of their strength. A calcium deficiency can eventually lead to osteoporosis, which is the loss of bone mass. Because bones are continually repaired throughout your lifetime, it is essential to get enough calcium, no matter your age. Taking care of your bones now will aid you in later years. It is currently recommended that adults ages 18-50 consume about 1000 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day, while adults ages 51 or older need 1200 milligrams. (It is also worth noting that adequate consumption of vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium.) The best sources of calcium are, of course, dairy foods. Just one cup of milk or yogurt contains 300 milligrams of calcium. Other good sources include cheese (200 mg. per ounce) and cottage cheese (77 mg. per 1/2 cup). Use caution with dairy products, however. While you can meet your calcium needs with three to four dairy servings per day, watch out for extra calories and fat. Often, these foods come in non-fat or low-fat varieties, many of which taste just as good as the full-fat versions yet still contain the same amount of calcium. Green, leafy vegetables are high in calcium, but low in calories. One cup of spinach contains almost 250 milligrams of calcium, while a cup of kale has almost 100 milligrams. Broccoli contains 80 milligrams, making it another healthy vegetable to include in your diet. Other excellent sources include canned sardines (325 mg per 3 oz), canned salmon (180 mg per 3 oz), nuts such as almonds, legumes like garbanzo beans or peas, and fortified tofu (130 mg per 1 cup).15 Simple Ways to Increase Calcium ConsumptionThere are many easy ways to boost your calcium intake by sneaking these foods into your daily diet:
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Reviewed by Dan Brennan, MD on October 22, 2020
- Why You Need Calcium
- Foods With Calcium
Your body holds an abundance of calcium. Around 99% of this mineral is stored in your bones and teeth. The other 1% is in your blood and soft tissues. Eating foods rich in calcium is critical to growing and maintaining strong bones. It’s also an important nutrient for healthy cell function. Your body requires calcium to support muscle and nerve function, regulate blood pressure and hormone levels, as well as facilitate communication between cells. Calcium is essential for nearly every process in the body. Your body can’t produce calcium. You need to get calcium through foods and supplements, but your body can better absorb it from food. Calcium is also present in some medications such as antacids. The recommended daily amount of calcium is 1,300 milligrams (mg) per day for adults, children, as well as pregnant and lactating women. Calcium serves as a critical nutrient for: Cellular Function Your body maintains a certain level of calcium in your blood at all times, so that your cells can properly function. A dip in calcium blood levels will trigger your body to borrow calcium from your bones.
Bone Health
Your bones continually break down and rebuild. Before age 30, the rate that you build bone is higher than the rate that you break it down. Beyond age 30, the rates reverse. This is why people who are elderly have more brittle bones that are more at risk of breaking.
Osteoporosis occurs when there is an imbalance between bone building and bone breakdown. To lower your risk of developing osteoporosis, you should strive to make the strongest, densest bones before age 30. One way to prevent bone loss after age 30 is by consuming enough calcium. This will lessen the amount your body has to take from your bones.
Blood Pressure Control
Calcium helps blood vessels contract and relax, and is therefore needed to maintain healthy blood pressure. Recent studies show that to get this benefit, the calcium must be sourced from food rather than supplements.
Decreased Risk of Kidney Stones
Calcium also prevents kidney stones from forming by decreasing the absorption of oxalates, which are found in many plant foods like spinach, beets, raspberries, and sweet potatoes. Oxalates are associated with a higher risk of developing kidney stones. Only calcium from food — not supplements — can help reduce this risk.
While many supplements are available, scientists recommend that at least half of your calcium intake should come from your diet. These eight foods are some of the best sources of calcium available:
Products like milk, yogurt, and cheese are rich in calcium and also tend to be the best absorbed sources of it. Calcium is not absorbed as well from plant and fortified foods.
Dry-roasted soybeans are a good source of calcium. A half-cup contains 230 mg of calcium, making them an excellent source of calcium for those who follow a vegan diet.
Cooked kale, spinach, and collard greens are all good calcium sources. Collard greens having the highest amount: a half-cup provides 175 mg of calcium.
Orange juice and cereals are often fortified with calcium. Calcium citrate malate is a well-absorbed form found in some fortified juices. There are also fortified cereals that provide as much as 1,000 mg of calcium per serving.
Aside from dairy products, canned salmon is one of the best dietary sources of calcium. Just 3 ounces of canned salmon provides 181 mg. Salmon also contains Vitamin D, which helps your body absorb more calcium.
Five dried or fresh figs provide your body with 135 mg of calcium. Papayas and oranges are two other fruits high in calcium.
Good news for carb lovers: one 10-inch flour tortilla provides you with 90 mg of calcium.
Four ounces of canned baked beans contain 160 mg of calcium. Beans also contain a lot of fiber.
Created: October 22, 2013; Last Update: October 18, 2018; Next update: 2021.
The German Osteology Association (DVO) recommends that adults get between 1,000 and 1,500 milligrams (mg) of calcium per day. You can get this amount in your diet by consuming foods and drinks that have calcium in them. Food products that are particularly high in calcium include cow's milk, yoghurt, cheeses like gouda and emmental cheese, green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli, as well as calcium-rich mineral water (more than 150 mg calcium per liter). Dairy products made from low-fat cow's milk also contain a lot of calcium. Some food products, such as certain breakfast cereals and juices, are fortified with calcium.
If you eat and drink the following foods over the course of one day you will get a total of about 1,000 mg of calcium:
2 slices of rye bread or whole grain bread,
2 slices of gouda, edam or emmental cheese,
1 serving of broccoli,
2 glasses of mineral water, and
1 pot of yoghurt (200 g).
or
2 glasses of milk (200 ml each),
2 slices of rye bread or whole grain bread,
2 servings of camembert cheese, and
1 serving of spinach.
or
1 pot of yoghurt (200 g),
1 serving of muesli (50 g),
with milk (100 ml),
1 slice of rye bread or whole grain bread,
1 slice of gouda, edam or emmental cheese,
1 serving of green cabbage, and
1 glass of mineral water.
If you do not drink cow's milk or eat dairy products made from cow's milk, it will be considerably more difficult for you to get enough calcium in your diet. In that case, suitable sources of calcium would include green vegetables like spinach leaves, green cabbage, fennel and broccoli, as well as soy milk, nuts, calcium-rich mineral water and food products that are fortified with calcium.
This table can help you to calculate roughly how much calcium you get in a typical day:
For example, one pot of yoghurt (200 ml) contains about 260 mg calcium, and one serving of cooked spinach contains about 310 g calcium.
Please note that this table only includes food products that have a particularly large amount of calcium in them. A lot of other food products contain calcium too and contribute to your total calcium intake, but usually to a lesser extent.
Dietary supplements are not included in the table. If you are taking a supplement that contains calcium, that will increase your calcium intake accordingly.
You can also use our online calcium calculator to find out roughly how much calcium you are getting per day. The calculator is not suitable for children or women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Sources
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung e.V. (DGE), Österreichische Gesellschaft für Ernährung (ÖGE), Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Ernährungsforschung (SGE), Schweizerische Vereinigung für Ernährung (SVE). Referenzwerte für die Nährstoffzufuhr. Bonn: DGE; 2017.
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