Calcium-rich dairy-free snacks?

summer8it

I'm lucky enough to be both severely lactose-intolerant AND the poster child for future osteoporosis (white, small-framed, family history of it), so I'm concerned about getting enough calcium in my diet. However, I also hate taking supplements -- I'd much rather get my nutrients from my food!

I already consume 4-8oz of almond milk daily, and I eat a lot of leafy greens, but most days I still fall a bit short on my calcium goal. Does anyone have suggestions of high calcium, non-dairy snacks?

jyska

I'm not lactose intolerant but I am curious to see what responses you get for this so I can broaden my diary a bit.

seebeachrun

http://www.healthykiddosnacks.com/1/post/2012/01/calcium-rich-and-dairy-free.html

mfpcopine

Sardines have a lot of calcium. I like the King Oscar brand. The sardines in olive oil are very tasty.

runfatmanrun

broccoli

Crawflowr

I found this list on another forum (http://www.babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=139773.0) it seemed pretty good so I thought I'd steal it for you. I assume the units are in mg.

---

Speciality foods

Carrot juice, fresh 57
Fish, canned salmon eaten with bones 440
Fish, canned sardines or mackeral eaten with bones 569
Molasses, blackstrap 2820, 176.2 per tablespoon
Molasses, unsulphured 672, 42 per tablespoon
Sesame butter (unhulled sesame seeds) 1022, 63.9 per tablespoon
Sesame butter/ tahini from hulled or decorticated seeds 315.2, 19.7 per tablespoon
Soy beverage, unfortified 9.8
Soy beverage, calcium-fortified variable, check nutrition information; approx 200
Tofu, firm, prepared with calcium 1721
Tofu, regular, prepared with nigari, 260
Vegetarian support nutritional yeast, variable, check nutrition information

Dark green leafy vegetables Many dark green leafy vegetables have relatively high calcium concentrations. The calcium in spinach is however, somewhat poorly absorbed, probably because of the high concentration of oxalate. The study revealed that kale, a low-oxalate vegetable, is a good source of bioavailable calcium. Kale is a member of the same family that includes broccoli, turnip greens, collard greens and mustard greens. These low-oxalate, calcium-rich vegetables are therefore also likely to be better sources of available calcium

cooked turnip greens 450
cooked bok choy 330
cooked collards 300
cooked spinach 250
cooked kale 200
parsley 200
cooked mustard greens 180
dandelion greens 150
romaine lettuce 40
head lettuce 10

Sprouts

soy 50
mung 35
alfalfa 25

Sea vegetables (seaweed)(dried powdered form)

nori 1,200
kombu 2,100
wakame 3,500
agar-agar 1,000, 62.5 per tablespoon

Beans and Peas (cooked, ready to eat)

navy beans 140
soybeans 130
pinto beans 100
garbanzo beans 95
lima, black beans 60
lentils 50
split peas 20

Grains

tapioca (dried) 300
brown rice, cooked 20
quinoa, cooked 80
corn meal, whole grain 50
rye flour, dark 40
oats 40
tortillas, corn, calcium fortified (2) 120
tortillas, flour or unfortified (2) 23
whole wheat flour 50

Seafood

raw oysters 240
shrimp 300
salmon with bones 490
mackerel with bones 600
sardines with bones 1,000

Seeds

almonds 750
hazelnuts (filbert) 450
walnuts 280
sesame seeds (whole, unhulled) 2,100
sunflower seeds 260


The following herbs contain variable amounts of calcium:

borage, lamb's quarter, wild lettuce, nettles, burdock, yellow dock



Calcium Supplementation:

If you do not consistently get enough calcium from the food alone, consider using a calcium supplement. Take calcium supplements with meals, preferably in powder forms, for best absorption. Take enough calcium to make up the difference you are receiving from your diet and the following table, depending on your age group.

infants 600 mg/day.

children (up to 10 years old) 800 mg/day

teens 1200 mg/day

adults (to age 35) 1200 mg/day

adults (35-50) 1000 mg/day

post-menopausal women 1500 mg/day