Calcium and calcium-rich foods

 
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Have you wondered how much calcium you actually need and where you can get it from? With so many people opting for dairy-free options these days (or having dairy intolerances) dairy-free options are more popular than ever, like almond milk, soy milk, and coconut yoghurt, the question often comes up, “can we get our calcium needs from non-dairy sources?”

Here’s the low-down on calcium…

Why we need calcium

The human body NEEDS calcium for muscles, joints, teeth and skin. We need calcium for growth, development and repair. Every single cell in the body needs calcium, so it’s a much more important mineral than just the old-school way of thinking that it’s needed for strong bones.

How much calcium do we need

From one year of age 700 mg of calcium are needed each day, and by four years of age 1000 mg of calcium is needed per day. This increases in pregnancy and breastfeeding to 1,300 mg of calcium per day. Those over 50 years are recommended to have 1,200 mg of calcium per day.

When levels begin to drop through pregnancy, breastfeeding, ageing, stress, etc. the body pulls calcium from the bones; our largest source of calcium storage. This process is called bone resorption, and can cause osteoporosis (weak and brittle bones), as we age.

Wholefood sources of calcium:

Here’s the thing - cows milk isn’t the only source of dairy!

There’s a number of non-dairy calcium-rich foods like green veggies, fruit, seafood and nuts!

A lot of people can’t tolerate dairy. You see, lactose is the sugar in dairy, and lactose intolerance is the most common intolerance in the world. 50% of us have a reduce ability to breakdown lactose, which can cause/contribute to diarrhoea, digestive weakness, immune issues, etc.) If you can tolerate dairy I recommended fermented dairy sources such as cheese, yoghurt or milk kefir, for all those probiotic benefits and increased bioavailability!

Fermented dairy:

  • ·       Yoghurt - 150 grams = 200 mg of calcium

  • ·       Hard cheeses - 30 grams = 200 mg of calcium

  • ·       Milk kefir - 175 ml = 200 mg of calcium

    Seafood

  • ·       Tinned sardines – 100 grams = 320 mg of calcium

  • ·       Tinned salmon – 100 grams = 120 mg of calcium

  • ·       Prawns – 100 grams = 120 mg of calcium

  • ·       Salmon fillet – 300 grams = 45 mg of calcium

    Green leafy veggies

  • ·       Broccoli – 1 cup = 45 mg of calcium

  • ·       Rocket – 1 cup = 30 mg of calcium

  • ·       Kale – 1 cup = 150 mg of calcium

  • ·       Bok choy – 1 cup = 150 mg of calcium

    Fruit

  • ·       Dried figs – 2-3 figs = 65 mg of calcium

  • ·       Kiwi fruit – 1 kiwi = 25 mg of calcium

  • ·       Raspberries – 100 grams = 25 mg og calcium

    Nuts

  • Almonds - 1/4 cup of nuts or 2 TBSP almond butter = 95 mg of calcium

I hope this answers some of your calcium-related questions. For personalised nutrition advice, you can book in for a 1:1 naturopathy and nutrition consultation with me , here

 
Olivia McFadyen