Fulfilling your daily calcium requirements from foods instead of supplements addresses specific physical needs and improves your overall nutritional profile. You need calcium to build bone strength and to balance the body's stores of electrolytes, which includes calcium, potassium and other minerals. Some calcium sources provide vitamin D, which is vital to calcium absorption and bone health. One thousand to 1,200 mg of calcium supplies 100 percent of your daily requirement.
Dairy Foods
Calcium's primary dietary sources are milk and dairy products and their lactose-free substitutes. Low-fat or nonfat milk, soymilk and rice drink varieties are fortified with vitamin D, which helps you get the recommended 15 mcg per day. These dairy foods and substitutes provide up to 30 percent daily value, or DV, of calcium and 25 percent DV of vitamin D per 1 cup. Soymilk and foods made with milk, including yogurt and cheese, eggnog, pudding and cream sauces, are calcium rich and offer significant protein, potassium and various B vitamins.
Seafood
Note the pattern in shared nutrients among many calcium-rich foods, including canned salmon and sardines eaten with their bones. Sardines have more than 30 percent DV of calcium and some vitamin D, while canned pink salmon with bones has more vitamin than mineral content, per 3 oz. Both fish also contain protein, potassium and all eight B vitamins.
Leafy Greens
Collard greens cook down to concentrate their minerals and vitamins in nutrient-dense servings. One cup of cooked collards delivers 35 percent DV of calcium, along with important fiber, iron, potassium and some B vitamins. Cooked spinach, kale, bok choy and turnip greens have similar nutrition.
Enriched Foods and Juices
Some brands of ready-to-eat breakfast cereal have enriched calcium and vitamin D content, providing as much as 100 percent DV of calcium and 20 percent DV of vitamin D per suggested serving. This nutrient-rich calcium source helps you manage your weight by providing a host of additional vitamins and minerals, including iron, potassium and B vitamins, as well as protein and dietary fiber. Pair cereals of lesser mineral and vitamin content with a serving of fortified orange juice. Get 35 percent of your daily calcium plus all of your daily vitamin C in 1 cup of enriched refrigerated and prepared frozen concentrate brands.
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