The importance of calcium in the diet has been established ever since mothers encouraged their children to "Drink your milk." And for good reason--calcium is a building block for strong, healthy bones and teeth. The recommended daily intake for this mineral is 1,300 mg for children ages 9 to 18 years old; 1,000 mg for men and women ages 19 to 50 years old; and 1,200 mg for men and women ages 50 and older. While many associate dairy products as the only source of calcium, there are many foods associated with high amounts of calcium.
Dairy Products
Dairy foods and drinks made from cow products are the major contributors to a person's daily calcium intake. Dairy products containing calcium include milk (non-fat milk contains the most calcium at 302 mg per serving); yogurt (plain, low-fat yogurt contains 415 mg per serving); and cheese (cheddar cheese contains 324 mg per 1.5 oz. and part-skim mozzarella contains 275 mg per 1.5 oz.).
Other dairy products include cottage cheese, which contains 138 mg of calcium, and frozen yogurt, which contains 103 mg per 1/2 cup serving. Other options, such as cream cheese and sour cream, contain smaller amounts of calcium at 12 mg and 32 mg per serving, respectively.
Vegetable Sources
In addition to dairy products, several vegetable sources are high in calcium. These include spinach (120 mg per 1/2 cup); boiled turnip greens (99 mg per cup); cooked kale (94 mg per cup); and raw Chinese cabbage (74 mg per 1 cup serving). Vegetable-based tofu also is high in calcium, with 138 mg per 1/2 cup. While calcium is present in smaller amounts, 1/2 cup of broccoli contains 21 mg.
Beans, such as white, pinto and red beans, are other whole food sources that are high in calcium.
Grains
A select number of grains also provide calcium to the body. Many cereals are fortified with calcium, which can provide up to 1,000 mg of calcium to the body. Tortillas, such as flour (37 mg per serving) and corn (42 mg per serving), also contain calcium. In addition, white bread contains roughly 20 mg per serving, but fortified breads may contain significantly higher amounts.
Miscellaneous Sources
A few other food groups have foods that contain calcium. This includes calcium-fortified orange juice, in which an 8-oz. serving contains 200 to 260 mg per serving. Canned pink salmon also contains 181 mg per 3-oz. serving. Canned sardines have 324 mg of calcium per serving. Almonds, figs and molasses are other miscellaneous foods that contain calcium.
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