Calcium in the Diet

Calcium has been in the spotlight for a number of years in the prevention of osteoporosis and just recently for its role in reducing girth around the midsection.  Calcium consumption has been proven to be essential for good bone health, but the average woman gets only a third of the recommended amount a day.  So here is the low-down about calcium in its various forms in the diet.

Recommendations

The adequate intake (AI) for adults nineteen to fifty is 1000 mg of calcium per day.  Both males and females past the age of fifty need 1200 mg each day.

Dairy

It is recommended that a person consume three servings of milk, yogurt or cheese every day.  For those that are lactose intolerant, don’t like dairy, or have an allergy wise substitutions must be made in the diet.  Most lactose intolerant people can still eat yogurt and cheese and even milk in moderation with other foods.  Blending dairy with other foods such as chocolate milk, smoothies and yogurt parfaits can make it more appetizing.

Milk is the best source of calcium in the diet.  Unfortunately, it has been replaced in large part by sugary soft drinks and other beverages.  It is suggested that adults get at least three servings a day of dairy and of these, two should be from milk (while pregnant, lactating or post-menopausal women should get 3 cups of milk per day). 

Vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, rutabaga, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, kale, turnip and mustard greens, and cabbage have the highest known absorption rate of calcium at 50% or greater. 

Spinach, rhubarb and Swiss chard have high amounts calcium, but the body cannot absorb it from those as well (5% or less) because of other substances in the food that bind calcium.  These dark greens are great sources of iron, beta-carotene, riboflavin, fiber and phytochemicals, but shouldn’t be relied upon as a source of calcium.

Other Calcium Sources

Canned fish with their bones and stocks and extracts made with bones are packed with calcium.  (Canned pink salmon contains 181 mg of calcium.)  Almonds and beans are great sources of calcium–one cup of pinto beans contains 82 mg.  Recent research indicates that calcium absorption from hard water may be as high as that of milk.

It has become more common for food manufacturers to add calcium to products as a processing aid or to simply fortify them.  Among these foods are calcium-set tofu, canned tomatoes, stone-ground and self-rising flours and cornmeal, blackstrap molasses, calcium-fortified milk, calcium-fortified soymilk and calcium-fortified orange juice.

Milk as the Best Source

So why is milk the best source of calcium?  Milk has a high amount of calcium with almost 300 mg per serving, but only 30% of it is absorbed.  Cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage have the highest known absorption rate at 50% or greater, but have lower amounts of calcium than milk.  When you do the math, you absorb about only 10 mg from a serving of broccoli (21 mg calcium content) and 100 mg of calcium from milk–10 times the amount from broccoli!