Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body. It is present in both animal and vegetarian food sources. Your body needs calcium to build healthy bones and teeth, move your muscles, secrete enzymes and transmit neural impulses. Dairy products provide a major portion of dietary calcium to the diet of people in the United States.
Dairy Products
Dairy products offer some of the richest sources of dietary calcium. Milk sold in supermarkets is fortified with vitamin D, which helps you absorb calcium. Different types of milk provide different amounts of calcium. The University of Michigan Health System lists a ¼ cup of nonfat dry milk as containing the most calcium at 377mg per serving. One cup of skim milk contains 302mg of calcium. Cottage cheese and yogurt are also dairy food items that contain calcium. Eat one cup of plain yogurt made from 2 percent milk to gain 415mg of calcium. One tablespoon of Parmesan cheese provides 69mg of calcium.
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds may not provide as much calcium as dairy products, but they do contribute calcium to your total daily intake. You may eat seeds and nuts raw, sprouted, dried, roasted or made into nut butter. One tablespoon of whole, dried sesame seeds contains 88mg of calcium, according to information provided by the Harvard University Health System. Sesame seeds taste good on salads, stir-fry's and steamed vegetables. Almond butter, a wholesome spread that tastes good almost anywhere you would use peanut butter, contains 43mg of calcium per one-tablespoon serving.
Fruit
Eating fruit, although not a high source of calcium, adds milligrams of calcium to your daily diet. The Harvard University Health System provides a list of fruit and the amount of calcium each contains per serving. One fresh orange contains 52mg of calcium, while either two medium fresh figs or ½ a medium sized fresh papaya contain 36mg of this important mineral. A one-cup serving of fresh raspberries has 27mg of calcium.
Legumes
Legumes provide calcium for the daily diet. People commonly refer to this plant food as beans, but peas and peanuts are legumes, too. A half-cup of uncooked kidney or black beans has 60mg of calcium. Other legumes, in half-cup cooked servings, common to the American diet that contain calcium include navy beans, 61mg of calcium; lentils, 29mg of calcium, and lima beans with 25mg of calcium.
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