Foods High in Calcium: Top Sources and Daily Needs

Q: What does calcium do for the body?

Most of the calcium in our bodies can be found in our bones, which is why this mineral is essential for building and maintaining our bones. The rest of calcium is used in other processes in our bodies, such as muscle contractions, transmission of nerve impulses, blood clotting and other.

Q: How much calcium do I need to consume?

There might be differences in recommendations between different countries, however, typically for most adults, it is recommended to aim for around 1 gram of calcium per day. Specific recommendations may vary based on individual health circumstances and should be discussed with a healthcare provider.

Q: What are the health benefits of calcium?

Calcium is essential for building and maintaining strong bones and teeth. It also plays a crucial role in muscle function, nerve transmission, and blood clotting. Adequate calcium intake also helps to prevent osteoporosis, a condition characterized by brittle and weak bones.

Q: Can calcium be harmful?

Hypercalcemia is a condition characterised by excessively high calcium levels in the blood. That might lead to symptoms such as fatigue, constipation, abdominal pain, kidney stones, and more. This condition typically develops due to other underlying diseases, and excessive calcium intake from food is rarely the cause. Nevertheless, it is important to consult with a healthcare professional before taking any supplements, including calcium.

Q: What if your Calcium is low?

Low calcium levels in the body can lead to conditions such as osteopenia, which means reduced bone density. That can increase the risk of developing osteoporosis, when the bone density is reduced even further, making bones more prone to fractures. Low calcium levels might be due to some other underlying issues, such as low vitamin D, which is why it is crucial to identify the root cause for the deficiency before proceeding to solution. If however your calcium levels are low due to insufficient calcium intake, consider incorporating more calcium-rich foods into your diet and consult a healthcare professional to discuss the need for calcium supplementation.

Q: How do vegans get their Calcium intake?

Vegans can get their calcium intake from a variety of plant-based sources such as fortified non-dairy milk, tofu, tempeh, leafy greens (kale, bok choy, collard greens), almonds, chia seeds, and sesame seeds. It's important for vegans to include calcium-rich foods in their diet to meet their nutritional needs.

Calcium Foods high in calcium and how much you need · Macroelements

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in our bodies, as adult body has about a kilogram of it, mostly stored in our bones.

Women, a day

1,000 mg

Men, a day

1,000 mg

Upper limit a day

2,500 mg

Foods that have it

1,354

Daily intake for healthy adults. For a lightly active 30-year-old: a 65 kg woman and an 80 kg man.

Among plant foods, tofu, firm (with calcium sulfate); baking powder and poppy seed have the most calcium per serving. Among animal foods, the most are in cheese, semi-hard cheese, light, 15-18% fat; baltic herring and pork, feet.

Plant sources

Foods highest in calcium

Ranked from 1,354 foods in our catalog, one entry per food. % of daily is for a healthy adult.

1

Tofu, firm (with calcium sulfate) 581 mg

serving (85 g) · Pulse products 61% of daily
2

Cheese, semi-hard cheese, light, 15-18% fat 578 mg

serving (55 g) · Cheese, ripened cheese 61% of daily
3

Baking powder 565 mg

tsp (5 g) · Miscellaneous ingredients 59% of daily
4

Poppy seed 482 mg

serving (30 g) · Nuts, seeds and dried fruits 51% of daily
5

Milk powder 408 mg

serving (30 g) · Miscellaneous ingredients 43% of daily
6

Skim Milk powder 408 mg

serving (30 g) · Miscellaneous ingredients 43% of daily
7

Nettle, stinging nettle 366 mg

serving (85 g) · Vegetables 38% of daily
8

Baltic herring 360 mg

serving (110 g) · Fish 38% of daily
9

Soured milk gefilus, skim 0.1 fat 343 mg

serving (240 g) · Soured milks 36% of daily
10

Processed cheese, 9-12% fat 330 mg

serving (55 g) · Processed cheese 35% of daily
11

Curd milk, plain, 3.5% fat 317 mg

serving (240 g) · Cultured milks 33% of daily
12

Kefir, lowfat, plain, 1% 312 mg

serving (240 g) · Soured milks 33% of daily
13

Milk, whole milk, 3.5% fat, boiled 310 mg

serving (240 g) · Milks >2% fat 33% of daily
14

Sour milk, 0.8% fat 300 mg

serving (240 g) · Soured milks 32% of daily
15

Sesame seed, with hull 288 mg

serving (30 g) · Nuts, seeds and dried fruits 30% of daily
16

Rhubarb, frozen 272 mg

serving (140 g) · Vegetables 29% of daily
17

Yoghurt, plain, ab, 0.2% fat, probiotics 259 mg

container (170 g) · Yoghurt 27% of daily
18

Raspberry juice concentrate 233 mg

serving (240 g) · Juices 25% of daily
19

Salmon in oil, canned 232 mg

serving (85 g) · Fish products 24% of daily
20

Vendace 211 mg

serving (110 g) · Fish 22% of daily
21

Angelica 209 mg

serving (85 g) · Vegetables 22% of daily
22

Tahini, sesami seed butter 204 mg

serving (30 g) · Condiments 21% of daily
23

Soy product, soured, 2% fat, calcium 204 mg

serving (170 g) · Yoghurt 21% of daily
24

Seaweed, wakame, dried 198 mg

serving (30 g) · Canned vegetables 21% of daily
25

Chia seed 187 mg

serving (30 g) · Nuts, seeds and dried fruits 20% of daily
26

European sprat 173 mg

serving (110 g) · Fish 18% of daily
27

Skyr, <0.5% fat 172 mg

serving (170 g) · Quark 18% of daily
28

Tofu (without calcium sulfate) 166 mg

block (85 g) · Pulse products 17% of daily
29

Pesto sauce, herb sauce 165 mg

serving (63 g) · Condiments 17% of daily
30

Cream quark, 4.3% fat 160 mg

serving (110 g) · Quark 17% of daily
31

Bean, yellow, mature 149 mg

serving (90 g) · Pulses 16% of daily
32

Snail 145 mg

serving (85 g) · Crustaceans and molluscs 15% of daily
33

Cottage cheese, fat-free, low-lactose 132 mg

serving (110 g) · Cheese, unripened, fresh cheese 14% of daily
34

Quark, quark yoghurt, plain, 0.9% fat 130 mg

serving (110 g) · Quark 14% of daily
35

Roselle 108 mg

serving (50 g) · Fruits 11% of daily
36

Tamarind 104 mg

serving (140 g) · Fruits 11% of daily
37

Black currant juice 90 mg

serving (240 g) · Juice drink 9% of daily
38

Spinach boiled 89 mg

serving (85 g) · Cooked vegetables 9% of daily
39

Almond butter 88.3 mg

serving (32 g) · Condiments 9% of daily
40

Kumquat 86.8 mg

serving (140 g) · Fruits 9% of daily
41

Soy mince 85.4 mg

serving (35 g) · Pulse products 9% of daily
42

Mollusks, clam, mixed species, cooked, moist heat 78.2 mg

serving (85 g) · Crustaceans and molluscs 8% of daily
43

Pork, feet, raw 77 mg

serving (110 g) · Offal dishes 8% of daily
44

Rowanberry juice, without sugar 76.8 mg

serving (240 g) · Juices 8% of daily
45

Seeds, cottonseed meal, partially defatted (glandless) 75.6 mg

serving (15 g) · Flour 8% of daily
46

Pasta, wheat germ pasta 71.5 mg

serving (55 g) · Pasta 8% of daily
47

Chocolate, white chocolate 70.9 mg

serving (30 g) · Chocolate 7% of daily
48

Beef, tripe, cooked, simmered 68.9 mg

serving (85 g) · Offal dishes 7% of daily
49

Soy bean, boiled 67.6 mg

serving (90 g) · Pulses 7% of daily
50

Herring, salted 67.2 mg

serving (85 g) · Fish products 7% of daily

1

Tofu, firm (with calcium sulfate) 581 mg

serving (85 g) · Pulse products 61% of daily
2

Baking powder 565 mg

tsp (5 g) · Miscellaneous ingredients 59% of daily
3

Poppy seed 482 mg

serving (30 g) · Nuts, seeds and dried fruits 51% of daily
4

Nettle, stinging nettle 366 mg

serving (85 g) · Vegetables 38% of daily
5

Sesame seed, with hull 288 mg

serving (30 g) · Nuts, seeds and dried fruits 30% of daily
6

Rhubarb, frozen 272 mg

serving (140 g) · Vegetables 29% of daily
7

Raspberry juice concentrate 233 mg

serving (240 g) · Juices 25% of daily
8

Angelica 209 mg

serving (85 g) · Vegetables 22% of daily
9

Tahini, sesami seed butter 204 mg

serving (30 g) · Condiments 21% of daily
10

Soy product, soured, 2% fat, calcium 204 mg

serving (170 g) · Yoghurt 21% of daily
11

Seaweed, wakame, dried 198 mg

serving (30 g) · Canned vegetables 21% of daily
12

Chia seed 187 mg

serving (30 g) · Nuts, seeds and dried fruits 20% of daily
13

Tofu (without calcium sulfate) 166 mg

block (85 g) · Pulse products 17% of daily
14

Bean, yellow, mature 149 mg

serving (90 g) · Pulses 16% of daily
15

Soy protein concentrate, 58% protein 109 mg

serving (30 g) · Miscellaneous ingredients 11% of daily
16

Roselle 108 mg

serving (50 g) · Fruits 11% of daily
17

Tamarind 104 mg

serving (140 g) · Fruits 11% of daily
18

Tempeh 94.4 mg

serving (85 g) · Miscellaneous ingredients 10% of daily
19

Black currant juice 90 mg

serving (240 g) · Juice drink 9% of daily
20

Spinach boiled 89 mg

serving (85 g) · Cooked vegetables 9% of daily
21

Almond butter 88.3 mg

serving (32 g) · Condiments 9% of daily
22

Kumquat 86.8 mg

serving (140 g) · Fruits 9% of daily
23

Soy mince 85.4 mg

serving (35 g) · Pulse products 9% of daily
24

Rowanberry juice, without sugar 76.8 mg

serving (240 g) · Juices 8% of daily
25

Seeds, cottonseed meal, partially defatted (glandless) 75.6 mg

serving (15 g) · Flour 8% of daily
26

Pasta, wheat germ pasta 71.5 mg

serving (55 g) · Pasta 8% of daily
27

Soy bean, boiled 67.6 mg

serving (90 g) · Pulses 7% of daily
28

Amaranth grain, cooked 65.8 mg

serving (140 g) · Rice 7% of daily
29

Jackfruit, canned, syrup pack 61.6 mg

serving (140 g) · Fruit and berry salads 6% of daily
30

Grape leaves, canned 58.5 mg

serving (15 g) · Canned vegetables 6% of daily
31

Edamame, prepared 56.7 mg

serving (90 g) · Pulses 6% of daily
32

Mulberry 54.6 mg

serving (140 g) · Berries 6% of daily
33

Sweet pepper, red, canned 53.3 mg

serving (130 g) · Canned vegetables 6% of daily
34

Elderberry 53.2 mg

serving (140 g) · Berries 6% of daily
35

Lingonberry juice 52.8 mg

serving (240 g) · Juices 6% of daily
36

Raspberry 49 mg

serving (140 g) · Berries 5% of daily
37

Swede, mashed 45 mg

serving (85 g) · Cooked vegetables 5% of daily
38

Syrups, sorghum 45 mg

serving (30 g) · Sugar and syrups 5% of daily
39

Artichoke, boiled 44 mg

serving (85 g) · Cooked vegetables 5% of daily
40

Coconut milk 43.2 mg

serving (240 g) · Vegetable juices 5% of daily
41

Amaranth flour 40.6 mg

serving (30 g) · Flour 4% of daily
42

Almond flour 36 mg

serving (15 g) · Flour 4% of daily
43

Macaroni, gluten-free 31.7 mg

serving (55 g) · Pasta 3% of daily
44

Quinoa, cooked 28.8 mg

serving (140 g) · Rice 3% of daily
45

Peanut butter 25 mg

serving (32 g) · Condiments 3% of daily
46

Mineral water, low sodium 23 mg

glass (240 g) · Drinking water 2% of daily
47

Liquorice, licorice 21.9 mg

serving (30 g) · Confectionery 2% of daily
48

Rosebay willow herb or fireweed, shoot 21 mg

serving (10 g) · Spices 2% of daily
49

Tomato juice 20.7 mg

cup (240 g) · Vegetable juices 2% of daily
50

Wheat whole, boiled 20.4 mg

serving (140 g) · Rice 2% of daily

Learn about calcium

What does calcium do for the body?

Most of the calcium in our bodies can be found in our bones, which is why this mineral is essential for building and maintaining our bones. The rest of calcium is used in other processes in our bodies, such as muscle contractions, transmission of nerve impulses, blood clotting and other.

How much calcium do I need to consume?

There might be differences in recommendations between different countries, however, typically for most adults, it is recommended to aim for around 1 gram of calcium per day. Specific recommendations may vary based on individual health circumstances and should be discussed with a healthcare provider.

What are the health benefits of calcium?

Calcium is essential for building and maintaining strong bones and teeth. It also plays a crucial role in muscle function, nerve transmission, and blood clotting. Adequate calcium intake also helps to prevent osteoporosis, a condition characterized by brittle and weak bones.

Can calcium be harmful?

Hypercalcemia is a condition characterised by excessively high calcium levels in the blood. That might lead to symptoms such as fatigue, constipation, abdominal pain, kidney stones, and more. This condition typically develops due to other underlying diseases, and excessive calcium intake from food is rarely the cause. Nevertheless, it is important to consult with a healthcare professional before taking any supplements, including calcium.

What if your Calcium is low?

Low calcium levels in the body can lead to conditions such as osteopenia, which means reduced bone density. That can increase the risk of developing osteoporosis, when the bone density is reduced even further, making bones more prone to fractures. Low calcium levels might be due to some other underlying issues, such as low vitamin D, which is why it is crucial to identify the root cause for the deficiency before proceeding to solution. If however your calcium levels are low due to insufficient calcium intake, consider incorporating more calcium-rich foods into your diet and consult a healthcare professional to discuss the need for calcium supplementation.

How do vegans get their Calcium intake?

Vegans can get their calcium intake from a variety of plant-based sources such as fortified non-dairy milk, tofu, tempeh, leafy greens (kale, bok choy, collard greens), almonds, chia seeds, and sesame seeds. It's important for vegans to include calcium-rich foods in their diet to meet their nutritional needs.

How much calcium do you need?

Enter your details for your own daily value.

Sex Age

Weight

kg or lbs

Height

cm or ft in

Activity

Your daily calcium

950 mg

An estimate for healthy adults. Pregnancy, breastfeeding and medical conditions change what you need.

Related nutrients

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