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NorthShore’s online source for timely health and wellness news, inspiring patient stories and tips to lead a healthy life.
Calcium is an essential nutrient—it builds strong bones and teeth, and goes beyond that. It helps maintain healthy blood vessels, regulate blood pressure and prevent insulin resistance (which can lead to Type 2 diabetes). Adults should consume about 1,000 mg of calcium per day.
What do you do when you can’t or don’t want to drink a glass of milk? There are lots of healthy, non-dairy ways to meet your calcium needs.
Our dietitians at NorthShore share six surprising sources of calcium:
Other Varieties of Milk:
Calcium in Food Sources:
Do you get your daily required intake of calcium from a non-dairy source?
Note: The calcium in fortified foods varies greatly in its bioavailability (how well the body is able to absorb and use it), depending on the form of calcium used and how it’s affected by other substances in the food. Most studies have found that the calcium in fortified orange juice is as well utilized as that in milk. But few other calcium-fortified foods have been tested in terms of their bioavailability, and none have been tested for their effects on bone health.