Eating high-calcium foods from time to time improves anybody's diet, but adolescents and adults over 50 especially need calcium boosts. These mineral needs, however, represent only a part of the body's nutrient requirements. The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans advises getting calcium content from food sources, instead of supplement pills, in order to reap greater nutritional benefits.
The FDA considers foods that contain 200 mg of the 1,000 mg required daily among the richest sources of dietary calcium. Consumers should check labels for foods that provide 20 percent daily value or greater.
Enriched Cereals
Some enriched grain food sources of calcium have it all -- 100 percent of daily calcium needs -- or can achieve that much when milk or soy milk are added. The USDA Nutrient Database shows that Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars, 200 mg, B&G Foods Cream of Wheat, 232 mg and General Mills Total cereals, 1,000 mg, contain a range of enriched calcium content per suggested serving size.
Dairy Products
Natural dietary calcium is strongest in milk and other dairy products, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This type of calcium is better absorbed by the human body than the synthesized compounds in enriched products and mineral supplements.
Consumers can find this high-quality calcium content in 1 cup of plain nonfat yogurt, 452 mg, and nonfat milk, 293 mg, or in 1 oz. of Swiss cheese, 224 mg. Additional dairy food sources include other types of milk and yogurt as well as provolone, cheddar and cottage cheeses. Milk shakes, which derive calcium from both milk and ice cream, offer as much as 457 mg in 11 oz.
Soy Products
The calcium content of enriched soy products adds the highest mineral amounts to dairy-free menus. The USDA reports that 1 cup of soy milk provides 368 mg of calcium or more, and a ½ cup serving of tofu made with calcium sulfate offers 253 mg. Additionally, whole cooked soybeans have 261 mg in 1 cup.
Collard Greens
Collards represent the highest levels of calcium in vegetables, as per the USDA. One cup contains 357 mg, and other dark, leafy greens such as spinach, turnip greens and kale are also rich in calcium.
Sardines
Some of the highest animal sources of dietary calcium are sardines canned with the soft, edible bones, the NIH relates. Consumers get the benefit of natural calcium stored in fish bones, for 325 mg total in 3 oz. This provides 33 percent of all daily calcium needs.
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