Calcium is super important as it is the most abundant mineral in the body and needed to maintain healthy bones and teeth as well as play a role in preventing osteoporosis.
Recommended Intake of Calcium:
Infants (up to 12mos) - 200mg per day
Children (1-4yo) - 500mg per day
Children (4-8yo) - 800mg per day
Children (9-13) - 1300mg per day
Adults (18-50yo) - 1000mg per day
Adults (>50yo) - 1500mg per day
1 cup of milk has 300mg of calcium...but 1 cup of cooked collard greens has over 350mg! Here are some other non-dairy sources of calcium:
Calcium content in milligrams per 1 cup of food:
Soy or Rice beverage (fortified) - 315mg
Orange juice (fortified) – 300mg
Fresh squeezed orange juice (from 2 medium oranges) – 100mg
Canned salmon with bones – 480mg
Canned sardines with bones – 400mg
Tofu, with calcium sulphate – 260mg
Soybeans (cooked) – 170mg
Navy beans (cooked) – 140mg
Pinto beans (cooked) – 84mg
Lentils (cooked) – 50mg
Brown rice (cooked) – 20mg
Quinoa (cooked) – 80mg
Oats (cooked) – 40mg
Almonds – 412mg
Walnuts – 280mg
Sesame Seeds – 178mg
Note: Cooked dark leafy greens are a great source of calcium except for spinach since it’s high concentration of oxalates may hinder the absorption of it’s available calcium.
Collards (cooked) - 357mg
Green Turnip (cooked) – 208mg
Kale (cooked) - 179
Broccoli (cooked) – 66mg
(Source: Canadian Nutrent File, 2007)
Or how about a cup nettle infusion. Nettle is a great anti-inflammatory herb that is naturally high in calcium. A cup of nettle infusion (1 cup of nettle herb in 1L of boiling water; allow to soak for 5hrs) has a whopping 500mg of calcium!
Why not just take a supplement? There are various forms of calcium supplements out there....some have more bioavailability than others which means that not all calcium supplements will absorb fully in the body. The best way to incorporate absorbable calcium into your diet is through whole foods so try getting it trhough food first!
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