Food Sources of Calcium
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Calcium: Nutrient-densea Food and Beverage Sources, Amounts of Calcium and Energy per Standard Portion
FOODbc STANDARD PORTIONd CALORIES CALCIUM (mg) Dairy and Fortified Soy Alternatives Yogurt, plain, nonfat 8 ounces 137 488 Yogurt, plain, low fat 8 ounces 154 448 Kefir, plain, low fat 1 cup 104 317 Milk, low fat (1 %) 1 cup 102 305 Soy beverage (soy milk), unsweetened 1 cup 80 301 Yogurt, soy, plain 8 ounces 150 300 Milk, fat free (skim) 1 cup 83 298 Buttermilk, low fat 1 cup 98 284 Yogurt, Greek, plain, low fat 8 ounces 166 261 Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat 8 ounces 134 250 Cheese, reduced, low, or fat free (various) 1 1/2 ounces ~55-155 ~115-485 Vegetables Lambsquarters, cooked 1 cup 58 464 Nettles, cooked 1 cup 37 428 Mustard spinach, cooked 1 cup 29 284 Amaranth leaves, cooked 1 cup 28 276 Collard greens, cooked 1 cup 63 268 Spinach, cooked 1 cup 41 245 Nopales, cooked 1 cup 22 244 Taro root (dasheen or yautia), cooked 1 cup 60 204 Turnip greens, cooked 1 cup 29 197 Bok choy, cooked 1 cup 24 185 Jute, cooked 1 cup 32 184 Kale, cooked 1 cup 43 177 Mustard greens, cooked 1 cup 36 165 Beet greens, cooked 1 cup 39 164 Pak choi, cooked 1 cup 20 158 Dandelion greens, cooked 1 cup 35 147 Protein Foodse Tofu, raw, regular, prepared with calcium sulfate 1/2 cup 94 434 Sardines, canned 3 ounces 177 325 Salmon, canned, solids with bone 3 ounces 118 181 Tahini (sesame butter or paste) 1 tablespoon 94 154 Fruit Grapefruit juice, 100%, fortified 1 cup 94 350 Orange juice, 100%, fortified 1 cup 117 349 Other Sources Almond beverage (almond milk), unsweetened 1 cup 36 442 Rice beverage (rice milk), unsweetened 1 cup 113 283 a All foods listed are assumed to be in nutrient-dense forms; lean or low-fat and prepared with minimal added sugars, saturated fat, or sodium.
b Some fortified foods and beverages are included. Other fortified options may exist on the market, but not all fortified foods are nutrient-dense. For example, some foods with added sugars may be fortified and would not be examples in the lists provided here.
c Some foods or beverages are not appropriate for all ages, particularly young children for whom some foods could be a choking hazard.
d Portions listed are not recommended serving sizes. Two lists—in ‘standard’ and ‘smaller’ portions--are provided for each dietary component. Standard portions provide at least 130 mg of calcium. Smaller portions are generally one half of a standard portion.
e Seafood varieties include choices from the FDA/EPA joint “Advice About Eating Fish,” available at FDA.gov/fishadvice and EPA.gov/fishadvice from the “Best Choices” list. Varieties from the “Best Choices” list that contain even lower methylmercury include: flatfish (e.g., flounder), salmon, tilapia, shrimp, catfish, crab, trout, haddock, oysters, sardines, squid, pollock, anchovies, crawfish, mullet, scallops, whiting, clams, shad, and Atlantic mackerel.
Data Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
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Calcium: Nutrient-densea Food and Beverage Sources, Amounts of Calcium and Energy per Smaller Portion
FOODbc SMALLER PORTIONd CALORIES CALCIUM (mg) Dairy and Fortified Soy Alternatives Yogurt, plain, nonfat 4 ounces 69 244 Yogurt, plain, low fat 4 ounces 77 224 Kefir, plain, low fat 1/2 cup 52 159 Milk, low fat (1 %) 1/2 cup 51 153 Soy beverage (soy milk), unsweetened 1/2 cup 40 151 Yogurt, soy, plain 4 ounces 75 150 Milk, fat free (skim) 1/2 cup 42 149 Buttermilk, low fat 1/2 cup 49 142 Yogurt, Greek, plain, low fat 4 ounces 83 131 Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat 4 ounces 67 125 Cheese, reduced, low, or fat free (various) 1/2 ounce ~20-50 ~40-160 Vegetables Lambsquarters, cooked 1/2 cup 29 232 Nettles, cooked 1/2 cup 19 214 Mustard spinach, cooked 1/2 cup 15 142 Amaranth leaves, cooked 1/2 cup 14 138 Collard greens, cooked 1/2 cup 32 134 Spinach, cooked 1/2 cup 21 123 Nopales, cooked 1/2 cup 11 122 Taro root (dasheen or yautia), cooked 1/2 cup 30 102 Turnip greens, cooked 1/2 cup 15 99 Bok choy, cooked 1/2 cup 12 93 Jute, cooked 1/2 cup 16 92 Kale, cooked 1/2 cup 22 89 Mustard greens, cooked 1/2 cup 18 83 Beet greens, cooked 1/2 cup 20 82 Pak choi, cooked 1/2 cup 10 79 Dandelion greens, cooked 1/2 cup 18 74 Protein Foodse Tofu, raw, regular, prepared with calcium sulfate 1/4 cup 47 217 Sardines, canned 1 ounce 59 108 Salmon, canned, solids with bone 1 ounce 39 60 Tahini (sesame butter or paste) 1 teaspoon 31 51 Fruit Grapefruit juice, 100%, fortified 1/2 cup 47 175 Orange juice, 100%, fortified 1/2 cup 59 175 Other Sources Almond beverage (almond milk), unsweetened 1/2 cup 18 221 Rice beverage (rice milk), unsweetened 1/2 cup 57 142 a All foods listed are assumed to be in nutrient-dense forms; lean or low-fat and prepared with minimal added sugars, saturated fat, or sodium.
b Some fortified foods and beverages are included. Other fortified options may exist on the market, but not all fortified foods are nutrient-dense. For example, some foods with added sugars may be fortified and would not be examples in the lists provided here.
c Some foods or beverages are not appropriate for all ages, particularly young children for whom some foods could be a choking hazard.
d Portions listed are not recommended serving sizes. Two lists—in ‘standard’ and ‘smaller’ portions--are provided for each dietary component. Standard portions provide at least 130 mg of calcium. Smaller portions are generally one half of a standard portion.
e Seafood varieties include choices from the FDA/EPA joint “Advice About Eating Fish,” available at FDA.gov/fishadvice and EPA.gov/fishadvice from the “Best Choices” list. Varieties from the “Best Choices” list that contain even lower methylmercury include: flatfish (e.g., flounder), salmon, tilapia, shrimp, catfish, crab, trout, haddock, oysters, sardines, squid, pollock, anchovies, crawfish, mullet, scallops, whiting, clams, shad, and Atlantic mackerel.
Data Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.