Calcium Content of Foods

Many of my clients have to avoid milk, cheese, yoghurt and other dairy products for various reasons. Milk is a good and convenient source of calcium, so it is important to understand how to get enough calcium if you are not able to eat dairy. 

Even if you do eat dairy, be aware that you might not be getting enough calcium if you are not having 2 full cups of milk or yoghurt PLUS 30g cheese every day and a few other calcium-containing foods e.g. nuts and greens, so keep food records for about a week to see if you need to be more focused about including more calcium-containing foods, or if you could perhaps be taking a calcium supplement. 

If you are not eating dairy products at all, then you need to eat a lot of other calcium-containing foods to meet your requirements. A good day of eating to contribute adequate calcium without dairy might look like this:

Breakfast: 

Oats with 1 cup calcium-fortified soy milk and 30g ground mixed seeds 

= approx. 220mg calcium

Snack: 50g raw almonds = approx. 120mg calcium

Lunch: 

1 tin sardines mashed with bones and mixed with spring onions, parsley, chopped cucumber and tomato on wholegrain toast

= approx. 600mg calcium

Snack: veg sticks dipped in ½ cup hummus made with 2 tsp tahini 

= approx. 40mg calcium

Supper:

Meat or chicken of your choice with 1 cup cooked greens

= approx. 100mg calcium

TOTAL calcium for the day = 1080mg

That is adequate, but you have to make sure you can eat this way every single day. If you choose not to include dairy products, I would often recommend a back-up calcium supplement of about 500mg as conservative cover for days when you are not eating enough calcium sources. This is particularly important if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, when your calcium requirements are higher.