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Dietary Calcium
It’s important that you build and protect your bones mass through a program of regular exercise and proper nutrition. One of the best ways to protect your bones is to ensure you’re getting enough calcium in your diet.
Adolescence and early adulthood are prime years for building peak bone mass, which serves as protection against the serious bone-thinning condition of osteoporosis later in life. Calcium intake is also important as women grow older. It is now recommended that pre-menopausal women get 1,000 mg of calcium per day menopausal women get 1,500 mg of calcium per day.
Here are some of the top dietary sources of calcium and some tips on how to start getting more calcium in your diet today.
A Guide to Dietary Calcium
Goal: 1000-1200 mg every day
Milk |
Calcium (mg) |
Whole milk (3.3% fat), 1 cup |
291 |
Low fat milk (2% fat), 1 cup |
297 |
Nonfat (skim) milk, 1 cup |
302 |
Buttermilk, 1 cup |
285 |
Chocolate, 1 cup |
284 |
Cheese |
Calcium (mg) |
American cheese, 1 oz |
163 |
Blue cheese, 1 oz |
150 |
Cheddar cheese, 1 oz |
205 |
Swiss cheese, 1oz |
273 |
Cottage cheese, lowfat, 1/2 cup |
77 |
Edam cheese, 1oz |
208 |
Feta cheese, 1oz |
140 |
Gruyere cheese, 1 oz |
287 |
Mozzarella cheese, part skim, 1oz |
183 |
Muenster cheese, 1oz |
204 |
Yogurt |
Calcium (mg) |
Whole yogurt, plain, 8oz |
274 |
Lowfat yogurt, plain, 8 oz |
415 |
Nonfat yogurt, plain, 8 oz |
452 |
Flavored yogurt, lowfat, 1 cup |
389 |
Frozen Dairy |
Calcium (mg) |
Ice cream, vanilla, 1 cup |
176 |
Ice milk, vanilla, 1 cup |
176 |
Frozen yogurt, vanilla, 1 cup |
249 |
Fruit Juice |
Calcium (mg) |
Orange juice (calcium-fortified), 8 oz |
300 |
Seafood |
Calcium (mg) |
Sardines (with bones), 4 oz |
496 |
Salmon (pink, canned), 6 oz |
333 |
Oysters (fresh, raw), 8 oz |
213 |
Shrimp (canned), 3 oz |
98 |
Lobster, 3 oz |
55 |
Nuts |
Calcium (mg) |
Almonds, 1/2 cup |
152 |
Peanuts (roasted), 1 cup |
104 |
Brazil nuts (shelled), 1/2 cup |
130 |
Soybean nuts, 1/2 cup |
75 |
Vegetables* |
Calcium (mg) |
Mustard Greens, 1 cup |
193 |
Broccoli, 1 cup |
136 |
Okra, 1 cup |
147 |
Bokchoy, 1/2 cup |
126 |
Collards (raw) 1/2 cup |
179 |
Collards (frozen), 1/2 cup |
149 |
Turnip greens (raw), 1/2 cup |
126 |
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* High-calcium foods such as spinach, Swiss chard, and beet greens are not included since they
have high content of oxalic acid which binds to calcium and causes it to be poorly absorbed by the body.
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Tips to increase the calcium content of your diet:
- Add cheese chunks or shredded cheese to salads, vegetables, soups, sandwiches, and meat.
- Use milk (preferably skim milk) in cooking whenever possible.
- Add milk to soups.
- Prepare soup stock with bones and add several teaspoons of vinegar to draw calcium out of the bones.
- Try tofu (soybean curb) with vegetables, fish, or meat.
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