Individuals who don't use dairy products must look elsewhere for significant food sources of calcium. The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans consider the best dietary calcium sources those with the least fat, cholesterol, sugar and salt. These so-called nutrient-dense foods provide calcium as well as other essential minerals, protein, fiber and vitamins. By checking food package labels, consumers can determine how much calcium content products contain relative to the daily 1,000mg average recommended by the FDA. The comprehensive USDA Nutrient Database provides nutritional values for meats, seafood, vegetables and other fresh foods.
Enriched Cereal
Whole grains have moderate calcium content until they become enriched with mineral supplements. The USDA Dietary Guidelines prefer cereals fortified with calcium to supplementary pills, due to the added nutrition from grain food sources. Food labels will list the percentage of the 1,000mg daily value, or DV, that the cereals contain, which may range from 0 percent to 100 percent or greater.
Enriched Soy Products
Fortified soy products complement cereal or substitute for meat, providing calcium to consumers who must avoid milk and animal-based food sources. The USDA notes that 1 cup of enriched soy milk offers more than 35 percent DV of dietary calcium. Tofu made from soy milk provides about 25 percent DV in ½-cup servings. Additional enriched milk alternatives with similar calcium benefits include rice and almond drinks made with tricalcium phosphate.
Seafood
Fish canned with their edible bones are naturally high in dietary calcium, report the National Institutes of Health. Just 3 oz. of canned sardines deliver 33 percent DV and canned pink salmon 18 percent DV. Additional seafood sources of calcium include ocean perch and canned blue crab.
Leafy Greens
The USDA Dietary Guidelines counsel Americans to eat more dark, leafy greens for their overall nutritional value as well as their strong calcium content. One cup of cooked collard greens or spinach has as much as 35 percent DV of dietary calcium. Turnip and beet greens and Chinese cabbage contain up to 25 percent DV in 1 cup.
Legumes
The NIH points out that legumes such as soybeans and other cooked dry beans seldom fulfill total daily requirements, but do make important contributions to daily calcium and other nutrient levels in a balanced diet. The best legume sources include soybeans, with over 25 percent DV, and white, navy and great northern beans, with as much as 19 percent DV in 1-cup servings.
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