Calcium not only helps build and maintain healthy bones, it is essential for muscle contraction, nerve function and producing life-saving hormones. While everyone knows that dairy foods like milk, yogurt and cheese are excellent sources of calcium, but there are several surprising non-dairy sources of calcium too. If you want to eat a more plant-based diet, try including more of these 25 non-dairy sources of calcium..
- White beans
- 300 mg per cup
- Canned salmon
- 212 mg per 3 oz.
- Oranges, naval
- 60 mg for a medium
- Sardines
- 90 mg for 2 sardines
- Sesame Butter (roasted)
- 128 mg per 2 Tbsp
- Almonds
- 74 mg for 1 oz. (22 nuts)
- Dried figs
- 31 mg per fig
- Sesame seeds
- 88 mg for 1 Tbs
- Poppy seeds
- 127 mg per Tbsp
- Chia seeds
- 90 mg per Tbsp
- Celery seeds
- 115 mg per Tbsp
- Bok choy
- 74 mg for 1 cup
- Seaweed
- 17 mg per 2 Tbsp
- Collard greens
- 84 mg per cup
- Broccoli
- Raw: 43 mg per cup
- Chinese Broccoli (Chinese kale)
- 100 mg for 3 oz.
- Okra
- Frozen, cooked & drained: 177 mg for 1 cup sliced
- Turnip greens
- 210 mg per cup
- Blackstrap molasses
- 150 mg per Tbsp
- Spinach
- Cooked, 245 mg per 1 cup
- Kale
- Raw: 90 mg per cup
- Edamame
- Green, boiled: 261 mg per cup
- Soy yogurt
- 300 mg for 1 cup (30% RDA for calcium)
- Firm tofu
- Fortified with calcium sulfate: 3 oz. has 581 mg (58% of the RDA for calcium)
25. Fortified Orange juice
375 mg for 6 oz
This article was written by Kathryn Whetstone, a dietetic intern with Appetite for Health.