Calcium is a major mineral essential for human health. It is necessary for strong bones, healthy teeth and muscle contraction. Most individuals need to have an adequate intake of calcium-rich foods. Many foods, however, provide little calcium. Breakfast cereals and grains, most fruits and fruit juices, protein foods and sweets are all low in calcium.
Breakfast Foods and Grains
Breakfast cereals, if not fortified with calcium, are poor sources of this mineral. Hot cereals, such as oatmeal, hot wheat cereal, grits, cream of rice and farina all provide less than 5 milligrams (mg) of calcium per 100 gram serving. Certain ready-to-eat cereals, such as Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes, are low in calcium as well. Many grains, including whole grains, are low in calcium. Cooked barley and millet, pasta and rice (white, wild and brown, all non-fortified) offer less than 5 mg of calcium per 100g serving.
Fruits and Fruit Juices
Most fruits and fruit juices are calcium free with the exception of kiwi fruit and figs. Examples include bananas, peaches, nectarines, watermelons, honeydew melons, and cantaloupes, plums, apples, apricots, cherries, pears, pineapples, avocados, tomatoes and tomato products, pomegranates, mangoes, citrus and passion fruits, guava, strawberries and raspberries and all fruit juices and fruit cocktail blends, except calcium-fortified fruit juices. On average, all these fruits provide fewer than 10mg calcium per 100g serving.
Protein Foods
Protein-rich foods, such as beef, poultry and fish, provide little calcium. Examples of low-calcium meat products include red meat, such as top round steak, T-bone steak or flank steak, poultry, such as chicken or turkey breast, ground poultry and duck, pork products, such as bacon, cured ham, pork tenderloin or pork chops and fish, such as halibut, canned tuna, swordfish, pollock, sockeye salmon, cod and bluefish. Canned fish with bones, however, such as sardines and salmon, are calcium rich. Aside from canned fish, all these protein-rich foods offer less than 10 mg calcium per 4-oz. serving. Egg whites, sausages and all types of luncheon meats are also low in calcium.
Sweets, Gravy and Other Foods
Many sweets are calcium free. Candies, such as hard candy, lollipops, fruit chews, chewing gum, jelly beans, gumdrops and fruit-flavored gummy candies, offer no calcium. Syrups, including maple and pancake, jams, preserves, Popsicles, sherbet, sorbet-based desserts and gelatin, all offer no calcium. Blackstrap molasses is calcium rich, however. Powdered, regular tabletop, brown sugar and sugar-based confections, such as frostings, are all calcium free. Gravy, such as beef or chicken, is calcium free and most non-cream-based soups (canned) offer no calcium, such as chicken noodle, vegetable and beef barley soups.
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