Getting Enough Calcium

Welcome to the second post in the Getting Enough series. Calcium is an essential nutrient that plays a key role in bone formation and muscle contraction. While calcium deficiency is not common, it can cause a range of health conditions like osteoporosis, muscle aches, and irregular heartbeat. Calcium-rich foods can help prevent these conditions, but an often-overlooked source is naturally calcium-rich mineral water. Calcium from mineral water is readily absorbed by the body [1].

The NIH (US) has published the following table for Daily Recommended Intake (DRI) of calcium [2], which is also available in other publications. If you live outside the US, your DRI may be different depending on country. For example, in the US, the DRI for adults aged 19-50 years old is 1,000 mg for both males and females, while in the UK, it’s 700 mg for the same age group [3]. Failing to plan your diet carefully could put you at risk of not meeting your daily calcium needs.

If you read my post about iron, you’ll know I prefer to get nutrients from natural sources and avoid fortified foods whenever possible. Rather than relying on fortified plant-based milk throughout the day, let’s explore other options. Below is a table that offers over 1,000 mg of calcium per day from whole food sources. This list isn’t comprehensive. There are many other plant-based sources of calcium as well.

Food	Serving	Calcium (mg)	Notes
Blackstrap Molasses	20 g or 1 Tbsp	130 mg	A good source of calcium and iron
Black Sesame Seeds	9 g	87 mg	Sesame Bites recipe
Organic Moringa Powder	4 g or 2 tsp	60 mg	Can be added in smoothies
Almonds, dry roast, unsalted	30 g	80.4 mg
Chia Seeds	28 g or 1 ounces	178.9 mg
White Mulberries, dried	28 g	96 mg
Broccoli, boiled, unsalted	200 g	80 mg
Bock Choy, cooked	100 g	93 mg
White Kidney Beans, cooked	170 g or 1 cup	161 mg
Oranges	300 g or 1 large orange	120 mg
Chickpea, boiled	120 g	58.8
		1154 mg