Calcium is a necessary, and abundant, mineral in the body. Found primarily in the teeth and bones (99 percent), the other 1 percent is distributed throughout the rest of the body. Along with the maintenance of bones and teeth, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports that calcium lowers the risk of colon cancer, lowers blood pressure and helps maintain weight. To help meet your body's daily requirement of calcium, try eating some foods that are natural sources of this important mineral.
Dairy Products
The National Institutes of Health reports that the Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine recommends that those aged 14 and over have a daily intake of between 1000 and 1300 mg. Eating a few servings of dairy products, such as milk, yogurt and cheeses, will help you make that goal. One cup of 2 percent milk contains 296.7 mg of calcium, and other milk products are also good sources. According to the World's Healthiest Foods encyclopedia, 1 cup of dairy goat's milk contains 325.74 mg, and 1 oz of mozzarella cheese has 183.6 mg. When selecting dairy products for calcium content, choose low-fat or skim versions. Not only will you help your waistline by avoiding excess fat, the NIH reports that when fat is removed from milk, it does not take away from calcium content. In fact, when the portion that has been removed is replaced with more skim milk, it actually increases the calcium content per serving. While it may not be considered a conventional dairy product, soy milk and soy products are also high in calcium content.
Leafy Green Vegetables
Leafy green vegetables also contain a fair amount of calcium. Greens such as kale, collard, turnip, broccoli, Chinese mustard and Chinese cabbage flower are the best greens sources. While other leafy greens such as spinach, Swiss chard, rhubarb and beet might be thought of as good sources, they contain oxalic acid. A report from the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension explains that oxalic acid binds with the calcium in these food sources, making it so the calcium is not able to be absorbed.
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts not only contain calcium, but additional ingredients that benefit how the body uses calcium. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, boron helps with the absorption of calcium, and is available in nuts. Wise choices of nuts and seeds for calcium content are sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, almonds and pistachios. The University of California at San Francisco reports that just 1 oz of roasted, whole sesame seeds contains 280 mg of calcium, and 1 oz of toasted almonds contains 80 mg. It is important to note that nuts and seeds can also contain high amounts of fats, so they should be used as supplements to other calcium sources, and not as your primary source.
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