Patient Education

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Nonmilk Sources of Calcium

Overview

Dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese provide a lot of calcium. But there are other foods that have calcium. These foods include kale, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage. You can also get calcium by eating the soft bones of canned sardines and canned salmon. And calcium is sometimes added to tofu, soy and rice drinks, fruit juice, and cereal.

Some greens, such as spinach and Swiss chard, are not good sources. They have a lot of calcium, but very little of it is available to the body. These foods contain binders that prevent the calcium from being absorbed.

Some people who avoid dairy foods take supplements to be sure they get enough calcium and vitamin D.

Non-dairy foods with calcium

The following are some foods that can provide calcium for people who don't include dairy in their diets.footnote 1

Nonmilk calcium sources

Food

Serving size

Calcium (in milligrams)

Calcium-fortified orange juice

1 cup (8 fl oz)

347 mg

Calcium-fortified soy milk

1 cup (8 fl oz)

300 mg

Canned salmon with bones

3 oz

187 mg

Tofu (with added calcium)

¼ block

163 mg

Chinese cabbage, cooked

1 cup

158 mg

Kale, cooked

1 cup

94 mg

Broccoli, cooked

1 cup

62 mg

Almonds

1 oz (about 24 nuts)

75 mg

References

Citations

  1. U.S. Department of Agriculture (2019). FoodData Central. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Credits

Current as of: September 20, 2023

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff
Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.

Current as of: September 20, 2023

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff

Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.