Calcium in Foods
It is best to get as much of your daily calcium requirements from the foods you eat. The general recommendation is to get 600-1,200 mgs of Calcium per day. This requirement may be increased during rapid growth, trauma and wound healing, pregnancy and lactation.
Most people think that dairy products are the only or best source of calcium. This is not true. In addition, many people find that eating dairy products reduces optimal well-being.
The ability of our bodies to extract calcium from food depends on the type of foods, the total protein in our diets, (high protein diets are undesirable), and the phosphorous in our diets, (high phosphorous diets are undesirable)
Here is a list of the calcium content in foods in milligrams per 8-ounce cup of the food.
DARK GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES:
- Arugula, raw; 125 mgs/cup
- Cooked turnip greens; 450 mgs/cup
- Cooked bok choy; 330 mg/cup
- Broccoli cooked; 180 mgs/cup
- Cooked collards; 300 mgs/cup
- Cooked kale; 200 mg/cup
- Parsley; 200 mgs/cup
- Cooked mustard greens; 180 mgs/cup
- Dandelion greens; 150 mg/cup
- Romaine lettuce; 40 mgs/cup
- Spinach cooked 240 mgs/cup
- Head lettuce; 10 mg/cup
SPROUTS:
- Soy; 50 mg/cup
- Mung; 35 mg/cup
- Alfalfa; 25 mg/cup
SEA VEGETABLES: (seaweed),
- Nori; 60 mg/cup
- Kombu; 60 mg/cup
- Wakame; 60 mgs per cup
BEANS: (cooked, ready to eat)
- Navy beans; 140 mg/cup
- Soybeans; 130 mgs/cup
- Pinto Beans; 100 mg/cup
- Garbanzo Beans; 95 mg/cup
- Black Beans; 60 mgs/cup
- Lentils; 50 mgs/cup
- Split Peas; 20 mgs/cup
GRAINS:
- Tapioca (dried); 300 mg/cup
- Brown Rice, cooked; 20 mgs/cup
- Quinoa, cooked; 80 mgs/cup
- Oats; 40 mgs/cup, tortillas
- Flour (2); 23 mgs
- Whole Wheat Flour 50 mgs/cup
SEEDS:
- Almonds 750; mg/cup
- Hazelnuts; 450 mg/cup
- Walnuts; 280 mgs/cup
- Sesame Seeds (whole, unhulled); 2,100 mgs/cup
- Sesame Tahini; 130 mgs/oz
- Sunflower Seeds; 260 mgs/cup
SEAFOOD:
- Oyster (raw); 260 mgs/cup
- Shrimp; 300 mgs/cup
- Salmon (canned with bones); 490 mgs/cup
- Mackerel (one can with bones) 600 mgs
- Sardines (one can with bones); 1,000 mgs
SPECIALTY FOODS:
- Canned Salmon eaten with bones; 440mgs
- Canned Sardines or Mackerel eaten with bones; 569 mgs
- Sesame Butter, (unhulled sesame seeds); 1022 mgs/cup, 64 mgs/TBS
- Soy Beverage, (calcium fortified); about 200 mg/cup
- Tofu (regular, soft); 260 mgs/cup
- Tofu (firm, calcium set); 500 mgs/cup
DAIRY PRODUCTS:
- Milk, (skim, low fat, whole); 300 mg/cup
- Buttermilk; 300 mg/cup
- Cottage Cheese; 130 mgs/cup
- Ice Cream; 100 mgs/cup
- Sour Cream; 250 mgs/cup
- Yogurt; 450 mgs/cup
- Brie Cheese; 50 mgs/oz.
- Hard Cheese; 200 mgs/oz.
- Parmesan Cheese; 70 mgs/Tbsp
- Swiss Cheese; 270 mgs/oz.