Recommended Dietary Allowance of Calcium per day
- Adult
800 mg
- Pregnant
1200 mg
- Lactating
1200 mg
- Therapeutic
1000 - 1500 mg
- Infants
600 mg
- Children up to age 10
800 mg
- Teens
1200 mg
Calcium Sources
- Dairy
- Seafood
- Seaweed
- Dark leafy green vegetables
- Broccoli
- Beans and peas
- Nuts and seeds
- Sprouts
- Soybeans, tofu, tempeh
- Brewer's years
- Whole grains
- Herbs: Borage, lambs quarters, wild lettuce, amaranth, nettles, campion, burdock, yellowdock
Supplementation
- Calcium hydroxyapatite
A form of calcium found in the bone of veal, best absorbed
- Calcium citrate
Less calcium per pill, but better absorbed
- Calcium carbonate
Highest amount of calcium per pill, but may cause intestinal gas and/or constipation
- Calcium lactate
Lactose intolerant need to avoid
- Calcium gluconate
Requires many pills to get amount of calcium needed
- Dolomite, bone meal
Avoid, contaminated with lead
Milligrams of Calcium per 1 Cup Serving
Dairy
- Cow’s milk, skim - 300
- Cow’s milk, whole - 290
- Ice cream - 200
- Evaporated - 635
- Goat’s milk - 330
- Buttermilk - 300
- 1 oz. Cheddar - 215
- 1 oz. Swiss - 260
- 1 Tbsp. Parmesan - 70
Seafood
- Mackerel, with bones - 680
- Salmon, smoked - 45
- Salmon, smoked - 45
- Shrimp - 130
- Sardines, with bones - 1000
- Raw oysters - 300
Vegetables
- Bok Choy - 330
- Collard greens - 260
- Kale - 210
- Mustard greens - 450
- Broccoli - 200
- Turnip greens - 450
- Spinach - 250
- Parsley - 200
- Dandelion greens - 150
- Romaine lettuce - 40
- Head lettuce - 10
Miscellaneous
- Blackstrap molasses(2 Tbsp.) - 280
Grains
- Tapioca, dried - 300
- Brown rice, cooked - 20
- Quinoa - 80
- Corn meal, whole grain - 50
- Rye flour - 40
- Oats - 40
- Whole wheat flour - 50
- White flour - 20
- Tortillas (2) - 120
- Masa harina - 140
Sprouts
- Soy - 50
- Mung - 35
- Alfalfa - 25
Beans & Peas
- Tofu (4 oz) - 150
- Navy beans - 140
- Soybeans - 130
- Pinto beans - 100
- Garbanzo - 95
- Lima & black beans - 60
- Lentils - 50
- Split peas - 20
Nuts & Seeds
- Almonds - 50
- Hazelnuts (filberts) - 20
- Walnuts - 10
- Sesame seeds - 70
- Sunflower seeds - 10
- Pumpkin seeds - 20
- Peanuts - 7