Calcium Rich Foods

If you would like to find out what foods contain calcium, you have certainly come to the right page. This is a simple, yet thorough guide to foods with calcium in them, including a comprehensive calcium rich foods list. We have highlighted ten of the best food sources of calcium, and the amount of calcium that you can gain from specific serving sizes. Additionally, we also explain how much calcium you need per day through your diet, and/or use of calcium supplements.

It is critical to your long and short term health that the calcium levels in your body are kept up, and there is no better way to ensure that this is done than by making sure that your diet is loaded with high calcium foods.

What is calcium?

Calcium is one of three minerals known as 'essential minerals'. These are the most important minerals that your body needs in order to function properly, and you need to consume a higher amount of calcium each day, than you do lesser minerals known as 'trace minerals'. The best way to get the calcium that you need is by eating foods high in calcium, and this page is going to tell you exactly what these are.

What foods are high in calcium?

So what foods are high in calcium? Before we provide you with a list of calcium rich food, we are going to cover the general types of food that are going to be able to provide you with the calcium that you need.

  • Nuts and seeds

    - Some more than others but many such as sesame seeds can give you an immense calcium boost.

  • Dairy products

    - Anything milk or milk related is a good source of calcium

  • Fish

    - There are several fish that act as a food rich in calcium.

  • Vegetable greens

    - Spinach, cabbage, beet greens, turnip greens. Green vegetables, the green parts of them really do act as good food sources of calcium.

These are just some of the general foods that contain calcium, you will see exact foods further down the page.

Calcium rich foods list

Now we come to the focal point of the page, our list of calcium rich foods. This is where we are going to list ten wonderful foods containing calcium, that are incredibly easy to include in your diet. If there is one thing that is synonymous with calcium it is milk, and there is of course a very good reason for this. You can see the calcium content of foods listed here, and it is no surprise that milk is a very rich source of this essential mineral.

  1. Sesame seeds

    - As far as foods with calcium in them go, they don't come much better than sesame seeds. A 144 g cup of sesame seeds has 1,404 mg of calcium in, and this is an incredible 140% of your total calcium need.

  2. Condensed milk (sweetened)

    - Condensed milk is a great calcium rich food. In an 8 fl oz cup of canned, sweetened, condensed milk there are is a whopping 868 milligrams of calcium, which equates to 86% of your RDI(recommended daily intake).

  3. Cheddar cheese

    - Cheese is also a fantastic source of calcium. A cup of grated cheddar cheese weighing 4 oz has 815 mg of calcium in, a very impressive 81% of your RDI.

  4. Chia seeds

    - Chia seeds are also a wonderful food high in calcium, that should be taken note of. A 100 g serving of Chia seeds can get you 631 mg of calcium, and this amounts to 63% of your RDI.

  5. Milkshake

    - Milkshake is one of the many foods that have calcium in, and to a very helpful degree. Just a small flavored milkshake weighing 13.9 oz can give you 494 mg of calcium, a fantastic 49% of the total calcium your body needs per day.

  6. Sardines

    - Yes fish can be foods high in calcium too, as the sardine proves. Just 100 g of canned sardines can provide you with 382 mg of calcium, 38% of all the calcium you need in a day.

  7. Fat-free skimmed milk

    - Skimmed milk is also a good source of calcium. This high calcium food can provide you with 316 mg of calcium from an 8 f oz cup. This is 31% of the total calcium you need in a day.

  8. Full-fat whole milk

    - As you have already seen, milk no matter what type, is one of the best sources of calcium. In an 8 fl oz of whole full-fat milk there is 276 mg of calcium, 27% of your RDI.

  9. Flaxseed

    - Another food with calcium in that is worth shouting about. In 100 g of flaxseed you can get 255 mg of calcium, and this is 26% of the total calcium needed in a day.

  10. Almonds

    - Nuts are generally good food sources of calcium as well, with almonds proving to be a fine example. In 100 g of raw almonds there is 250 mg of calcium, 25% of all you need in a single day.

The foods rich in calcium that have been listed above are not necessarily the highest sources of calcium that you are going to come across, but they are things that are available to almost anybody and very easy to include in your diet.

More foods high in calcium

Here are a load more foods rich in calcium for you to look over. We have displayed the name of the food, the serving size, the calcium content of the food, and the percentage of your RDI that this equates to.

  • Eggnog

    - A 9 oz cup of eggnog has 330 mg of calcium / 33%

  • Spinach

    - 100g of boiled spinach has 136 mg / 14%

  • Turnip greens

    - 100 g of boiled turnip greens has 137 mg / 14%

  • Hazelnuts

    - 100 g of raw hazelnuts has 114 mg / 11%

  • Beet greens

    - 100g of boiled beet greens has 114 mg / 11%

  • Pistachio nuts

    - 100 g of pistachio nuts have 107 mg / 11%

  • Crab

    - 100 g of cooked blue crab has 104 mg / 10%

  • Halibut

    - A 159 g halibut fillet has 95.4 mg / 10%

  • Yogurt

    - A 1 oz serving of fat-free yogurt has 56.4 mg / 6%

The RDI that we have used in the above examples applies to the average adult male. This can vary due to age, gender and due to medical conditions. To see how much calcium you should be consuming each day, please see further down the page.

More foods containing calcium

Here are a few more foods that contain calcium for you.

  • Biscuits - Especially buttermilk
  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage
  • Cheese ricotta
  • Cheese sauces
  • Collards
  • Cornmeal
  • Grain cereals
  • Ice cream
  • Kale
  • Kelp
  • Macaroni cheese
  • Mozzarella cheese
  • Oatmeal
  • Potatoes
  • Rhubarb
  • Salmon
  • Soybeans
  • Swiss cheese
  • Tofu
  • Turnips
  • Wheat flour
  • Whole wheat bread

It is important to remember that foods sources of calcium are the most efficient way to get all of the calcium that your body needs. Of course you can take calcium supplements in addition to eating calcium rich foods, however this is only going to give your body calcium, where as the foods with calcium in are also going to contain a huge amount of other vitamins and minerals that your body needs too.

Find out the calories and nutrients that all of the above foods contain via the menu on the left hand side of the page.

How much calcium do I need per day?

When reading a page all about high calcium food, it is logical for the question, 'how much calcium do I need per day?', to pop up. Here is where you will find the answer.

  • Babies 0 to 6 months - 210 milligrams per day
  • Babies 6 to 12 months - 270 mg per day
  • Babies 1 to 3 years - 500 mg per day
  • Children 4 to 8 years - 1,000 mg of calcium per day
  • Children 9 to 18 years - 1,300 milligrams per day
  • Adults 19 to 50 years - 1,000 mg per day
  • Adults over 50 years - 1,200 mg of calcium per day

We cannot emphasize enough just how important it is that you include calcium foods in your diet, so that you are always getting the amount applicable to you from the above list, as a minimum.

More information

We trust that our page on foods rich in calcium has been helpful to you. There really are a great deal of foods that contain calcium for you to choose from, even if they are not mentioned on our calcium rich foods list. The traces that other foods contain can also help to contribute to your calcium levels, which is why it is rather rare for people to suffer from a calcium deficiency.

In order to find out how much calcium is in a certain food it is always a good idea to read the nutritional information on the label.

Eating foods high in calcium will not only help to keep your calcium levels up, but will also help to contribute to the levels of a wealth of other nutrients in your body too.

There is plenty more to our site than just information on foods with calcium in, so please have a look around at all that we have on offer.

You can find out information on all of the other vitamins and minerals that are fundamental to your health, via our vitamins and minerals menu.

Please take a moment to like and recommend this page using the social features found at the top of the page, and be sure to bookmark us so that we are only a click away the next time you want to remind yourself what foods contain calcium.

By using the menu on the left hand side of the page, you can navigate through a huge array of information on calories in foods and beverages that you consume everyday, as well as information on the nutrients that they contain.

Any feedback can be left on our Facebook page.


Disclaimer: The text on calories in foods.com is for your information only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

©2009 - 2014 calories-in-foods.com | Privacy Policy |