|
|
| Age |
Daily calcium
requirement |
| 4 to 8 |
800 mg |
| 9 to 18 |
1300 mg |
| 19 to 50 |
1000 mg |
| 50+ |
1200 mg* |
| pregnant or lactating women
18+ |
1000 mg |
*As per current Health Canada recommendations.
How to maximize your calcium intake through
diet
Make sure that you are getting
an adequate amount of calcium every day
Consult a reliable food chart - like the
one below - which shows the calcium content of specific foods. Calculate your daily calcium intake and
see if you are achieving the levels recommended by Osteoporosis Canada in the chart above.
Eat foods that contain calcium
that is easily absorbed
Dairy products such as milk, cheese and
yogurt are excellent sources of calcium because they contain high amounts of calcium that are easily absorbed
by the body. Skim milk products provide as much calcium as whole milk with the added advantage of less fat
and cholesterol. Some calcium-fortified soy beverages and orange juices may contain as much calcium as milk
(check the labels). Vegetables also provide calcium, as do fish products containing bones (canned salmon and
sardines) and meat alternatives such as lentils and beans.
Pay attention to foods that
cause calcium loss
There is evidence to suggest that calcium loss
through the urine is increased by the consumption of excess salt and caffeine.
Salt (sodium): Over 90% of sodium comes from food rather than from table salt.
Therefore, it is advisable to keep the intake of salt and salty foods to a minimum.
Caffeine: Most experts agree that two to three cups of coffee or cola a day
is probably not detrimental if calcium intake is adequate. If you consume more than four cups a day, have at
least one glass of milk for every cup of caffeine-containing beverage (or make your coffee a café
latté).
If you eat few or no dairy
products, monitor your calcium intake carefully
Some people are unable or choose not to
eat dairy foods. If you are one of these individuals, we strongly recommend that you educate yourself on the
calcium content of other foods. Monitor your calcium intake very carefully (possibly with the help of a
dietitian) and consider a calcium supplement to make sure you meet your daily requirement.
When you can't get enough calcium from
food
If you find it difficult to
obtain the recommended amounts of calcium through diet alone, a combination of foods rich in calcium and
calcium supplements is a good strategy.
Calcium supplements are tablets, capsules or liquids containing the
mineral calcium from a non-food source. These sources include:
- Calcium carbonate, which can be refined from limestone, natural elements
of the earth, or may come from shell sources, usually oyster. Shell sources are often described on the label
as a "natural" source. Calcium carbonate from oyster shells is not "refined" and can contain variable amounts
of lead.
- Chelated calcium, which refers to a special way in which calcium is
chemically combined with another substance. Calcium citrate is an example of such a chelated preparation.
Calcium may also be combined with other substances to form preparations such as calcium lactate or calcium
gluconate.
- Powdered bone (bonemeal) or dolomite, a mineral found in rock. (Bonemeal
is not recommended, as it may contain contaminants.)
| CALCIUM CONTENT OF SOME COMMON
FOODS |
PORTION |
CALCIUM* |
| Food Product - 250
to 300+ mg Ca |
| Buttermilk |
1 cup/250mL |
300 mg |
| Enchilada with Cheese |
1 |
324 mg |
| Fortified orange juice |
1 cup/250mL |
300 mg |
| Fortified rice or soy beverage |
1 cup/250mL |
300 mg** |
| Lasagna - homemade |
1 cup/250mL |
285 mg |
| Milk - whole, 2%, 1%, skim,
chocolate |
1 cup/250mL |
300 mg*** |
| Milk - powder, dry |
1/3 cup/75 mL |
270 mg |
| Nachos with cheese |
15 – 20 nachos |
272 mg |
| Poutine |
1 cup/250 mL |
282 mg |
| Quesadilla with meat |
1 |
442 mg |
| Yogurt – plain, 1-2% M.F. |
3/4 cup/175 mL |
332 mg |
| |
| Food Product – 160
to 249 mg Ca |
| Almonds, dry roast |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
186 mg |
| Beans – white, canned |
1 cup/250 mL |
191 mg |
| Cheese – Blue, Brick, Cheddar, Edam,
Gouda, Gruyere, Swiss |
1 ¼”/3 cm cube |
245 mg |
| Cheese – Mozzarella |
1 ¼”/3 cm cube |
200 mg |
| Drinkable yogurt |
4/5 cup/200 mL |
191 mg |
| Frozen yogurt, vanilla |
1 cup/250 mL |
218 mg |
| Ice cream cone, vanilla, soft
serve |
1 |
232 mg |
| Kefir (fermented milk drink) –
plain |
3/4 cup/175 mL |
187 mg |
| Molasses, blackstrap |
1 Tbsp/15 mL |
180 mg |
| Processed cheese spread |
2 Tbsp/30 mL |
174 mg |
| Salmon, with bones – canned |
1/2 can/105 g |
240 mg |
| Sardines, with bones |
1/2 can/55 g |
200 mg |
| Soup made with milk (e.g. cream of
chicken, mushroom or celery) |
1 cup/250 mL |
175 mg |
| Soybeans, cooked |
1 cup/250 mL |
170 mg |
| Tostada with guacamole |
1 |
211 mg |
| |
| Food Product – 125
to 159 mg Ca |
| Beans – baked, with pork,
canned |
1 cup/250 mL |
129 mg |
| Beans – navy, soaked, drained,
cooked |
1 cup/250 mL |
126 mg |
| Biscuit, plain or buttermilk,
homemade |
1 |
141 mg |
| Collard greens – cooked |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
133 mg |
| Cottage cheese, 1 or 2% |
1 cup/250 mL |
150 mg |
| Figs, dried |
10 |
150 mg |
| Instant oatmeal, calcium added |
1 pouch/32 g |
150 mg |
| Macaroni and cheese, from box |
1 cup/250 mL |
158 mg |
| Pizza with cheese |
1/6 of 12” pie |
171 mg |
| Pizza with cheese, meat and
vegetables |
1/6 of 12” pie |
159 mg |
| Pudding, instant, made with
milk |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
141 mg |
| Soy flour |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
127 mg |
| Stir fry with tofu |
1 cup/250 mL |
142 mg |
| Tofu, regular – with calcium
sulfate |
3 oz/84 g |
130 mg |
| 111 |
| Food Product – 75
to 124 mg Ca |
| Bannock (a type of flat quick
bread) |
1 medium |
84 mg |
| Beans - baked, plain |
1 cup/250 mL |
86 mg |
| Beans - great northern, soaked, drained,
cooked |
1 cup/250 mL |
120 mg |
| Beans - pinto, soaked, drained,
cooked |
1 cup/250 mL |
79 mg |
| Beet greens - cooked |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
82 mg |
| Bok choy, Pak-choi - cooked |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
84 mg |
| Bread, white |
2 slices |
106 mg |
| Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) |
1 cup/250 mL |
77 mg |
| Chili con carne, with beans -
canned |
1 cup/250 mL |
84 mg |
| Cottage cheese - 2%, 1% |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
75 mg |
| English muffin - white or whole wheat,
toasted |
1 |
98 mg |
| Ice cream - vanilla, regular |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
97 mg |
| Muffin, bran - from recipe, made with
milk |
1 medium |
82 mg |
| Naan (South Asian flatbread) |
1/2 |
78 mg |
| Okra - frozen, cooked |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
89 mg |
| Pancake, plain, homemade (13 cm
diam) |
1 |
83 mg |
| Processed cheese slices, thin |
1 |
115 mg |
| Rice pudding, homemade with
milk |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
115 mg |
| Taco - with beef, cheese, salsa,
vegetables |
1 |
101 mg |
| Turnip greens - frozen, cooked |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
104 mg |
| Vegetable patty |
1 |
102 mg |
| Waffle - plain, frozen, heated |
1 |
77 mg |
| 111 |
| Food Product -
under 75 mb Ca |
| Artichoke - cooked |
1 medium |
54 mg |
| Bagel - plain, 10 cm diam. |
1 |
53 mg |
| Beans, snap - fresh or frozen,
cooked |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
33 mg |
| Bread, whole wheat |
2 slices |
40 mg |
| Broccoli - cooked |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
33 mg |
| Chinese broccoli (gai lan) -
cooked |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
46 mg |
| Dandelion greens - cooked |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
74 mg |
| Edamame (East Asian dish, baby soybeans in
the pod) |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
52 mg |
| Fireweed leaves, raw |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
52 mg |
| French toast, homemade |
1 slice |
65 mg |
| Granola bar, soft, plain |
1 |
29 mg |
| Grapefruit, pink or red |
1/2 |
27 mg |
| Kale - cooked |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
49 mg |
| Kiwifruit |
1 |
26 mg |
| Milk crackers |
2 |
41 mg |
| Mustard greens - cooked |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
55 mg |
| Orange |
1 medium |
50 mg |
| Parmesan cheese, grated |
1 Tbsp/15 mL |
70 mg |
| Pita - white, 17 cm diam. (Middle Eastern
wheat flatbread) |
1 |
52 mg |
| Potatoes, scalloped, homemade |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
74 mg |
| Rutabaga (yellow turnip) -
cooked |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
43 mg |
| Seaweed (agar) - dried |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
35 mg |
| Snow peas - cooked |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
36 mg |
| Squash (acorn, butternut) -
cooked |
1/2 cup/125 mL |
44 mg |
*Approximate values. **Added calcium may settle to the bottom of the
container; shake well before drinking. ***Calcium-enriched milk - add 100 mg per serving.
The calcium in soy beverage is absorbed at the rate of 75% of milk. The calcium in some foods such as sesame
seeds, rhubarb, Swiss chard and spinach is not well absorbed, because of very high oxalate content, which
binds the calcium. Therefore these foods have not been included.
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