Calcium

mmgravely
mmgravely Posts: 3 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I do not eat dairy products so I finding it very hard to meet my calcium needs. I did drink an 8 oz glass of almond milk today but I still falling short. Can someone please recommend some foods I can eat or would a calcium vitamin be my best bet?

Replies

  • mmgravely
    mmgravely Posts: 3 Member
    Sorry about my grammar mistakes
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
    I don't get enough calcium in my diet, and after finding that my bone density was in a normal range, but perhaps just a bit lower than the midpoint for my age, I started taking a calcium pill daily.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited March 2015
    mmgravely wrote: »
    I do not eat dairy products so I finding it very hard to meet my calcium needs. I did drink an 8 oz glass of almond milk today but I still falling short. Can someone please recommend some foods I can eat or would a calcium vitamin be my best bet?

    Do you do dairy substitutes (Edit: I see that you do, you're just looking for more)? Most plant milks are fortified with calcium. You can also try calcium fortified orange juice. Greens (collard greens, kale, mustard greens, bok choy) have calcium. Broccoli does too. Almonds have calcium -- you can use them whole or try almond butter. Tahini, tofu, navy beans, and okra also have it. Blackstrap molasses has a lot.

    But at the end of the day, you can also supplement calcium. I regularly eat most of the foods listed above, but I still take a supplement a few times a week. Bones are important!
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,963 Member
    I discovered that shrimp has calcium. I suppose since you eat the whole body!
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    edited March 2015
    From the NHS site
    Good sources of calcium include:

    milk, cheese and other dairy foods
    green leafy vegetables – such as broccoli, cabbage and okra, but not spinach
    soya beans
    tofu
    soya drinks with added calcium
    nuts
    bread and anything made with fortified flour
    fish where you eat the bones – such as sardines and pilchards

    How much calcium do I need?

    Adults need 700mg of calcium a day.

    You should be able to get all the calcium you need from your daily diet.

    This is a great leaflet about Calcium in a dairy free diet.

    http://www.ouh.nhs.uk/osteoporosis/documents/calcium-for-dairyfree.pdf
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,755 Member
    I'm also low on calcium because I get heart burn from most dairy products and cannot eat masses of leafy greens every day.

    I do wonder if one can overdose on calcium, and what the effects might be.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    My centrum women's vitamin contains 50 percent my daily value of calcium, and I find I can meet the rest of my day's requirements easily after taking that.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I take a calcium supplement along with Vitamin D which helps with absorption.

    tumblr_m6lfzhs7Ci1rsz8fko1_500.jpg
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    edited March 2015
    green vegetables (particularly greens) are probably the best non-dairy sources.

    It is not easy to haphazardly get your suggested Ca daily allowance from foods without some kind of fortification or dairy though. It's like 300-400 calories (that's a LOT) of kale or broccoli per day to get to 100% DV.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    @‌yirara

    "Enough calcium is a good thing," says Watts. Too much, on the other hand, can lead to problems such as kidney stones. "There's really no benefit to going over a total -- food and supplements combined -- of 1,500 milligrams of calcium a day," Watts advises.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    Cortelli wrote: »
    I don't get enough calcium in my diet, and after finding that my bone density was in a normal range, but perhaps just a bit lower than the midpoint for my age, I started taking a calcium pill daily.

    This is what I do!
  • mmgravely
    mmgravely Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you all so much. I love brocoli, blackberries, and oranges. I also put kale in my smoothies. I think a supplement will be the best choice for me for a daily option and also try to incorporate other sources.
  • lindsayh87
    lindsayh87 Posts: 167 Member
    Watch it and perhaps wait until the end of the day to take a calcium supplement if that's the way you decide to go. I used to get kidney stones so for me it's important not to go over but I've also realized that often I don't get enough. Sometimes I do though, so typically I just wait for the end of the day to determine if I need a calcium tablet or not! :)
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