While many foods contain calcium, dairy products are the most significant source. Milk, yogurt, cheese and buttermilk contain about 300mg of calcium per serving.

Some green, leafy vegetables — including broccoli, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens and bok choy or Chinese cabbage — are good sources of calcium. Canned salmon and sardines, shellfish, almonds, Brazil nuts and dried beans are also good dietary sources of calcium.

A number of other food products, such as breads, cereals and orange juice, are now enriched with calcium, making them a significant source of calcium for people who are lactose intolerant or whose dietary intake of calcium is otherwise inadequate. There is no apparent difference between eating calcium-fortified foods and eating foods that are naturally rich in calcium. However, calcium-fortified cereals may also contain phytate, which can interfere with calcium absorption. In addition, high-fiber diets – although healthy – contribute to low calcium levels because the presence of a lot of fiber in the intestines reduces the absorption of many nutrients, including calcium. The fiber “rushes” the food through the intestines so fast that maximum absorption of nutrients may not occur.

Many people find it difficult to consume sufficient dietary calcium to ensure good bone health. Calcium supplements — such as TUMS® and Os-Cal® — can be a good addition to the diet and can help prevent osteopenia (less than normal bone mass) and osteoporosis (low bone mass).

How Do You Tell How Much Calcium a Food Contains?

The Nutrition Facts section of the food label tells how much calcium a food contains. Find the calcium % in the bottom half of the Nutrition Facts. The calcium % is based on 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day. To find the milligrams of calcium in one serving, add a zero to the percentage number. For example, if a label shows calcium 30%, it means that one serving has 300 milligrams of calcium. Examples of equivalent “servings” of calcium.

CALCIUM EQUIVALENTS (each equals about 300 mg of calcium)
TUMS® E-X calcium supplement Os-Cal Ultra Milk Yogurt (low-fat, nonfat) Cheese, hard Ricotta cheese, part skim, regular Cottage cheese Powdered skim milk Frozen yogurt, milk based Pudding, low-fat, nonfat Calcium-fortified soy milk Calcium-fortified orange juice Canned salmon with bones Sardines with bones Tofu processed with calcium *One Os-Cal Ultra tablet		1 tablet 1 tablet* 1 cup 1 cup 1 1/2 ounces 1/2 cup 2 cups 1/4 cup 1 1/2 cups 1 cup 1 3/4 cups 1 cup 1 3/4 cups 5 ounces 1 1/2 cups 600 mg of calcium

How Can You Increase Your Dietary Calcium Intake?

National surveys have found American women are not consuming enough calcium. In fact, many are getting less than half the daily recommended amount of 1,000-1,200 mg/day, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF). Daily intakes above 2,000 mg are not likely to provide any additional benefit.

To boost your calcium intake, nutritionists recommend starting with calcium-rich foods and then taking a supplement to obtain the recommended intake of calcium. TUMS® and Os-Cal® are the two most doctor-recommended calcium supplements. Each TUMS® E-X tablet contains 300 mg of calcium and each
Os-Cal® Ultra tablet contains 600 mg of calcium; both are easily absorbed into the body.

To “bump up” the calcium in every meal you eat, the Women's Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital For Special Surgery in New York offers the following suggestions :

FOR BREAKFAST		FOR LUNCH
CALCIUM-FORTIFIED ORANGE JUICE CALCIUM-FORTIFIED CORN FLAKES Banana LATTE MADE WITH 8 OZ OF SKIM MILK		Turkey and LOW-FAT CHEESE sandwich on whole grain bread, sliced tomato, lettuce and low-fat mayo or mustard Fresh fruit salad topped with WHOLE ALMONDS WHOLE ALMONDS CUP LOW-FAT VANILLA YOGURT
FOR SNACK TIME		FOR DINNER
1 CUP LOW-FAT FROZEN YOGURT 4 OZ. SKIM OR LOW-FAT MILK or 1/2 CUP PART-SKIM RICOTTA CHEESE mixed 1 CUP hot chocolate made with STEAMED SKIM MILK 1 CUP WARM SKIM MILK with a few drops of almond or vanilla extract & cinnamon 1 OZ LOW-FAT CHEESE and crackers Crunchy Cereal topped with CREAMY YOGURT		Green Leafy Salad topped with tofu and LIGHT-YOGURT DRESSING Broiled chicken breast Herbed brown rice