Finding Alternative Sources of Calcium

By Suzanne Havala Hobbs from Living Dairy-Free For Dummies

Finding nondairy foods that contain plenty of calcium isn’t difficult. In fact, many nondairy foods have calcium, so make sure you eat them often. Remember that horses, elephants, cows, and giraffes get all the calcium they need to build their massive skeletons by eating nothing more than plants (after the species-specific milk they drink in infancy, of course).

The following lists the calcium content of some common nondairy sources of calcium. You don’t need to count the milligrams of calcium in your diet. However, you may find that a quick scan of this table helps you get a feel for how rich in calcium some foods are compared with others.

Calcium Found in Nondairy Foods
Food	Calcium Content (milligrams)
1 medium artichoke, boiled	25
1 cup cooked lentils	38
1 tablespoon almond butter	43
1 flour or corn tortilla (6-inch)	45
2 slices whole-wheat bread	60
1 medium orange	61
1 cup cooked broccoli	62
1 cup canned garbanzo beans	77
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses	82
1 cup canned kidney beans	87
1 cup cooked kale	94
1 ounce nondairy sour cream	100
1 cup canned pinto beans	103
1 cup cooked mustard greens	104
1/2 cup dried figs	121
1 cup canned navy beans	123
1 cup baked beans	126
2 tablespoons tahini	128
1 cup cooked bok choy	158
1 ounce soy mozzarella-style cheese	183
3 ounces salmon with bones	188
1 cup fortified almond milk	200
1 ounce fortified soy cheese	200
1 cup cooked turnip greens	209
1 cup cooked collard greens	266
1 6-ounce container soy yogurt (vanilla)	299
1 cup calcium-fortified orange juice	300
1 cup fortified rice milk	300
1 cup fortified soymilk	300
1/2 cup firm tofu (processed with calcium sulfate)	434

The good news: A lot of other plant foods contain plenty of calcium that’s well absorbed. In fact, some research suggests that the calcium in many plant foods is absorbed by your body better than the calcium in cow’s milk. Good examples of some of these calcium sources include broccoli, Chinese cabbage, and kale. So getting your calcium from these nondairy sources is a smart choice.

Even if you don’t drink milk or eat other dairy products, it’s not difficult to pack plenty of calcium into your meals. The following are healthful examples of calcium-rich meals, snacks, or dishes.

Whole-grain cereal with fortified soymilk and fresh berries
Falafel (garbanzo bean balls) in pita pockets with plain soy yogurt sauce and a glass of fortified orange juice
Bowl of navy bean soup with a fresh orange
Black bean soup with a dollop of nondairy sour cream on top
Stir-fried Chinese vegetables with pan-fried tofu over rice
Fig cookies with a glass of fortified rice milk
Black-eyed peas over rice with cooked collard greens
Bowl of bean chili with steamed broccoli and nondairy cornbread
Almond butter sandwich on whole-wheat toast