Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your body, with about 99 percent found in teeth and bones. Calcium is crucial for formation and maintenance of healthy bones, blood clotting, muscle contraction, nerve signaling and hormone release. The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily intake of 1,000 mg per day until the age of 50; older adults require 1,200 mg a day. You will find calcium in many of the foods you eat if you are consuming a balanced and varied diet.
Milk
Dairy products are a particularly rich source of daily calcium, especially milk, which contains an efficiently absorbed form of calcium. Since calcium is not found in the fat portion of milk, you can choose low-fat milk products and still obtain the same amount of, or even more, calcium. One cup of fat-free milk will give you 300 mg of calcium, while the same amount of whole milk provides 276 mg of calcium.
Cheese and Yogurt
Other dairy products, like cheeses and yogurts, are also great sources of calcium. You will obtain a whopping 452 mg of calcium from an 8 oz. container of plain non-fat yogurt. Though the bioavailability of calcium decreases with increasing fat content, you can still get up to 275 mg of calcium from whole milk yogurt. Various cheeses, such as Romano, Swiss and American, all have between 200 and 450 mg of calcium per 1.5 oz., which is almost two slices.
Green Vegetables
Dairy products are not the only source of calcium. For those of you who do not eat a lot of dairy products, you can still find substantial amounts of calcium in green leafy vegetables, including broccoli, greens like collards, mustard and turnip greens, kale and bok choy. For example, 6 oz. of cooked turnip greens will give you 220 mg of calcium.
Fish
Certain fish have significant amounts of calcium. Eating 2 oz. of sardines with bones or 3 oz. of canned pink salmon will give you about 20 percent of your recommended intake. Shellfish, like canned blue crab and clams, have almost 100 mg of calcium per serving.
Nuts and Beans
Within the nuts and beans groups, you will find worthwhile amounts of calcium in almonds, Brazil nuts and dried beans. You will obtain about 210 mg of calcium in 3 oz. of almonds. Cooked soybeans offer 130 mg of calcium. Tofu, a bean curd made from soy milk, has more than 20 percent of your recommended daily intake of calcium in a half-cup.
Fortified Products
If you find it difficult to eat adequate quantities of the above foods to achieve an optimal calcium intake, you can also turn to food products fortified with calcium. Fortified ready-to-eat cereals can have anywhere from 235 to over 1,000 mg of calcium per ounce. Even drinking a glass of fortified orange juice or soy milk will give you more than 300 mg of calcium, or about a third of your recommended intake.
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