Good Sources of Calcium in Foods

Calcium is one of the vital nutrients required for a well-balanced diet and a healthy human body. You need it to maintain strong teeth, a strong heart and strong bones. However, if you're lactose intolerant or simply aren't fond of dairy, it might seem next to impossible to get the 1,300 mg of calcium you need every day. But there are many nondairy food sources loaded with calcium. You just have to know where to look.

Dairy

Dairy is the most obvious source of calcium. Products such as milk and yogurt, both regular and frozen, are loaded with several hundred milligrams of calcium. However, even cheeses are great sources. For instance, ricotta cheese contains 334 mg, while cheddar cheese has 204 mg.

Soy

Soy is another good source of calcium. Soy milk is often fortified with about 250 mg of calcium, while soybeans have about 300 mg.

Orange Juice

Orange juice often has calcium added to it nowadays to boost its nutritional value. In light of that, you can count on one glass of OJ to offer up 350 mg of calcium.

Vegetables

This might surprise some people, but a few kinds of vegetables are full of calcium. For instance, spinach has 139 mg, and bok choy has 158. One stalk of broccoli has 180 mg. This just goes to show that green leafy vegetables are valuable to your diet not just for the fiber content, but also for this essential calcium content.

Tortilla

While perhaps not as plentiful as other products, tortillas actually contain a notable amount of calcium. Corn tortillas weigh in at 42 mg, while flour tortillas offer up 58 mg. So, if you have a tortilla wrap, you can feel good about those few extra carbs going to something nutritionally important, like strong, healthy bones.