Calcium Content of Foods

Dairy and Soy Amount Calcium (mg) 300 300 65 100 250 200 to 400 450 300 Milk (skim, low fat, whole) 1 cup Buttermilk Cottage Cheese Ice Cream or Ice Milk Sour Cream, cultured 1 cup .5 cup .5 cup 1 cup

Soy Milk, calcium fortified 1 cup Yogurt Yogurt drink 1 cup 12 oz

Carnation Instant Breakfast 1 packet 250 Hot Cocoa, calcium fortified 1 packet 320 Nonfat dry milk powder Brie Cheese 5 Tbsp 300 1 oz 50 200 200

Hard Cheese (cheddar, jack) 1 oz Mozzarella Parmesan Cheese Swiss or Gruyere 1 oz

1 Tbsp 70 1 oz 270

Vegetables
Acorn squash, cooked Arugula, raw Bok Choy, raw Broccoli, cooked Chard or Okra, cooked 1 cup 90 1 cup 125 1 cup 40 1 cup 180 1 cup 100

Chicory (curly endive), raw 1 cup 40 Collard greens Corn, brine packed Dandelion greens, raw Kale, raw Kelp or Kombe Mustard greens Spinach, cooked Turnip greens, raw 1 cup 50 1 cup 10 1 cup 80 1 cup 55 1 cup 60 1 cup 40 1 cup 240 1 cup 80

Fruits
Figs, dried, uncooked 1 cup 300

Kiwi, raw

1 cup 50

Orange juice, calcium fortified 8 oz 300 Orange juice, from concentrate 1 cup 20

Legumes
Garbanzo Beans, cooked 1 cup 80 Legumes, general, cooked .5 cup 15 to 50 Pinto Beans, cooked Soybeans, boiled Temphe Tofu, firm, calcium set Tofu, soft regular White Beans, cooked 1 cup 75 .5 cup 100 .5 cup 75 4 oz 250 to 750 4 oz 120 to 390 .5 cup 70

Grains
Cereals (calcium fortified) .5 to 1 cup 250 to 1000 Amaranth, cooked Bread, calcium fortified .5 cup 1 slice 135 150 to 200 50

Brown rice, long grain, raw 1 cup Oatmeal, instant Tortillas, corn

1 package 100 to 150 2 85

Nuts and Seeds

Almonds, toasted unblanched 1 oz Sesame seeds, whole roasted 1 oz Sesame tahini Sunflower seeds, dried 80 280

1 oz (2 Tbsp) 130 1 oz 50

Fish
Mackerel, canned 3 oz 250

Salmon, canned, with bones 3 oz 170 to 210 Sardines 3 oz 370

Other
Molasses, blackstrap 1 Tbsp 135 * When range is given, calcium content varies by product. * The calcium content of plant foods is varied. Most vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit contain some calcium. Listed are selected significant sources of well-absorbed calcium. References:

USDA database, Handbook 8 palm program Bowes and Church

How Much Do You Need?

Age Calcium (mg)

1 - 3 year old 4 - 8 year old

500 mg 800 mg

9 - 18 year old 1300 mg 19 - 50 year old 1000 mg 51 - 70 year old 1200 mg > 70 year old 1200 mg

Food Total cereal, 1 bowl OsCal 500 or Viactiv chew Yogurt, 1 cup Citracal, 1 caplet Orange juice, fortified, 1 cup TUMS EX, 1 pill Milk, 1 cup Macaronai and cheese, 1 cup Lasagna, 1 cup Soy milk, fortified, 1 cup Cheddar cheese, 1 oz Collards, 1/2 cup String cheese, 1 oz Tofu, nigari, 6 cubic inches Pizza, 1 slice Goldfish crackers, 60 LIFE cereal, 1 bowl Bok Choy, 1/2 cup Taco with cheese Kale, 1 cup Oysters, canned, 1 cup Ice cream, 1/2 cup Parmisan cheese, 2 Tbsp Kippered snacks, 1 can Kidney beans, 1/2 cup raw

mg calcium 1000 500 350 315 300 300 300 250 250 225 200 200 200 120 120 100 100 100 100 90 75 60 60 60 60

Almonds, dry roasted, 1/4 cup 100

Black beans, 1/2 cup raw Cottage cheese, 1/2 cup Figs, dried, 2 Tortillas, 2 Broccoli, 1 cup m&m's, 50 Bread, 1 slice Potato, medium Spinach, 1 cup

60 60 60 53 50 40 20 20 0

Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to drink your milk in order to get your calcium. The government recommendation for adults ages 19-50 is 1000 mg of calcium per day. One cup of milk has 296 mg, but there are plenty of reasons you might not to drink milk, from personal preference to medical reasons. Here are 15 foods high in calcium that don't come from a cow: Sesame Seeds A quarter cup of sesame seeds has 351 mg calcium. Spinach A cup of boiled spinach has 245 mg. Collard Greens A cup of boiled collard greens has 266 mg. Blackstrap Molasses One tablespoon has about 137 mg. Kelp One cup of raw kelp has 136 mg. Tahini Two tablespoons of raw tahini (sesame seed butter) have 126 mg. Broccoli Two cups of boiled broccoli have 124 mg. Swiss Chard One cup of boiled chard has 102 mg. Kale One cup of boiled kale has 94 mg.

Brazil Nuts Two ounces of Brazil nuts (12 nuts) have 90 mg. Celery Two cups of raw celery have 81 mg. Almonds One ounce of almonds (23 nuts) has 75 mg. Papaya One medium papaya has 73 mg. Flax Seeds Two tablespoons of flax seeds have 52 mg. Oranges One medium orange has 52 mg.

Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium

All rapidly growing and healing people use substantial amounts of calcium, which the body will attempt to extract from the bones if dietary sources are not adequate. Milk may be a contributing factor in the development of many allergic and autoimmune disorders. The MOST critical time for formation of the calcium matrix of bone which is specific for women is from about 2 years before the menses starts to about 5 years after, approximately age 9-16. Women also lose calcium from the bone easily, due to metabolic and hormonal shifts, both during pregnancy and during and after menopause. Protect women you care about by providing enough calcium in food and supplements at these times. You must have vitamin D from supplements or sunshine to absorb dietary calcium. Daily, one half hour of sun on normally oily skin provides sufficient vitamin D precursor.

Calcium is more poorly absorbed by folks eating a high protein diet, or high phosphorus foods (such as soda pop and milk). Calcium also is not well absorbed from sesame seeds unless they are ground or pulverized. A recent study(1) compared the absorption of calcium from kale with the absorption from milk revealing absorption of calcium from kale was 40.9%, compared with 32.1% from milk. One cup of cow's milk contains approximately 300 mg of calcium. In the USA, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) ranges from 800 milligrams to 1200 mg for pregnant or lactating women. Research with pregnant and lactating women in rural African communities has shown that they maintain good bones on a much lower intake, less than 400 milligrams per day. These women get plenty of sunshine, use highly bio-available sources and their diets do not contain excessive phosphorus or protein. USDA nutrition references report the approximate calcium content in milligrams per 8 oz (1 cup) for many foods. Specialty foods Carrot juice, fresh 57 Fish, canned salmon eaten with bones 440 Fish, canned sardines or mackerel eaten with bones 569 Molasses, black strap 2820, 176.2 per tablespoon Molasses, unsulphured 672, 42 per tablespoon Sesame butter (unhulled sesame seeds) 1022, 63.9 per tablespoon Sesame butter/ tahini from hulled or decorticated seeds 315.2, 19.7 per tablespoon Soy beverage, unfortified 9.8

Soy beverage, calcium-fortified variable, check nutrition information; approx 200 Tofu, firm, prepared with calcium 1721 Tofu, regular, prepared with nigari, 260 Vegetarian support nutritional yeast, variable, check nutrition information Dark green leafy vegetables Many dark green leafy vegetables have relatively high calcium concentrations. The calcium in spinach is however, somewhat poorly absorbed, probably because of the high concentration of oxalate. The study revealed that kale, a low-oxalate vegetable, is a good source of bio-available calcium. Kale is a member of the same family that includes broccoli, turnip greens, collard greens and mustard greens. These low-oxalate, calcium-rich vegetables are therefore also likely to be better sources of available calcium cooked turnip greens 450 cooked bok choy 330 cooked collards 300 cooked spinach 250 cooked kale 200 parsley 200 cooked mustard greens 180 dandelion greens 150 romaine lettuce 40 head lettuce 10 Sprouts

soy 50 mung 35 alfalfa 25 Sea vegetables (seaweed)(dried powdered form) nori 1,200 kombu 2,100 wakame 3,500 agar-agar 1,000, 62.5 per tablespoon Beans and Peas (cooked, ready to eat) navy beans 140 soybeans 130 pinto beans 100 garbanzo beans 95 lima, black beans 60 lentils 50 split peas 20 Grains tapioca (dried) 300 brown rice, cooked 20 quinoa, cooked 80 corn meal, whole grain 50 rye flour, dark 40 oats 40 tortillas, corn, calcium fortified (2) 120 tortillas, flour or unfortified (2) 23 whole wheat flour 50

Seafood raw oysters 240 shrimp 300 salmon with bones 490 mackerel with bones 600 sardines with bones 1,000 Seeds almonds 750 hazelnuts (filbert) 450 walnuts 280 sesame seeds (whole, unhulled) 2,100 sunflower seeds 260 The following herbs contain variable amounts of calcium: borage, lamb's quarter, wild lettuce, nettles, burdock, yellow dock . Calcium Supplementation: If you do not consistently get enough calcium from the food alone, consider using a calcium supplement. Take calcium supplements with meals, preferably in powder forms, for best absorption. Take enough calcium to make up the difference you are receiving from your diet and the following table, depending on your age group. infants 600 mg/day.

children (up to 10 years old) 800 mg/day teens 1200 mg/day adults (to age 35) 1200 mg/day adults (35-50) 1000 mg/day post-menopausal women 1500 mg/day The sources of calcium supplements include: calcium asparginate, anhydrous highest amount of absorbable calcium per pill and does not require magnesium supplementation as the other supplements do. calcium carbonate (Tums): highest amount of calcium per pill but may cause intestinal gas and/or constipation, and is poorly absorbed calcium citrate: less calcium per pill but better absorbed than carbonate. No known side effects calcium phosphate: already too much phosphorus in average diet so avoid this form calcium lactate: The type of calcium in milk. Usually well absorbed, does not cause latose reaction in most people. Lactate is usually derived from lactic acid calcium gluconate: Usually very well tolerated, easily absorbed. Can require many pills to get any amount of calcium dolomite: bone meal may be contaminated with lead, know your supplier