Want to know how to get enough non-dairy calcium sources in your diet? Look no further. I have compiled my Top 10 Non-Dairy Calcium Sources to help make sure your bones are nice and healthy, without the use of dairy milk.
We all know that calcium is essential for good bone health. Since our kinder years, I’m sure we can all recite the 3 recommended servings of dairy per day. The problem with these recommendations is that it doesn’t take into account the fact that dairy, alongside beef, is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions (see my post For The Flexitarian – The Environmental Sustainability Of Eating Meat). If you are like me and struggle to get in your ‘3 recommended serves of dairy’, maybe its time to start looking at some non-dairy calcium sources to help meet our targets for bone health.
Baked Tofu Kale Quinoa Salad with Glory Dressing
Top 10 Surprisingly Non-Dairy Calcium Sources
For the general adult population, we should be aiming for 1000mg of calcium per day. For reference sake, a glass of dairy milk has approximately 300mg of calcium. Here are my top 10 surprisingly non-dairy calcium sources:
- Soybeans, cooked 1 cup – 175mg
- Figs, 5 – 88-137mg
- Navy Beans, cooked 1 cup – 127mg
- Collard Greens, 1/2 cup cooked – 113mg
- Black beans, cooked 1 cup – 46-`102mg
- Kale, raw 1/2 cup – 90mg
- Seaweed, raw 1/2 cup – 67mg
- Sesame Tahini, hulled – 50mg
- Chia Seeds, 2 tbsp. – 142mg
- Oranges, 1 medium – 52mg
Note: For beans and nuts, the calcium absorption can be maximized by soaking the food before consumption.
Want To Know More About Maximizing Calcium Intake?
I’ve compiled my tips on how to maximize the absorption of calcium in our bodies, including factors that can decrease absorption in previous posts. See my post on non-dairy calcium sources and the role calcium has to play for bone health – Bone Health and Calcium For Vegans.
More information on dairy-free milk alternatives can be found here Milk Alternatives, Finding The Best One For You.
What Else Do I Need To Know?
On the topic of bone health, check out my post Vitamin D For Vegetarians and Chia vs Flax vs Hemp – Which One Is Healthier and More Sustainable.
Healthy and Vegetarian Japanese Salad Bowl with Brown Rice and a Miso Tahini Dressing
Rachel Dickens, The Conscious Dietitian, is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. She graduated with her Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2010 from Griffith University. She strives to provide evidence-based nutrition information with a focus on plant-based nutrition, and share some of her favourite seasonal recipes and sustainable eating tips.
hi! found you on the BlogHer thread and was immediately drawn to your post because my lactose intolerance has reached it’s tolerance! i appreciate you listing out other ways to get calcium because i am concerned about getting enough, especially now that i can’t sneak cheese/yogurts and not pay a price!
Hey Chelsea! I’m glad we found each other through BlogHer! It’s amazing how many non-dairy sources of calcium there are out there. I for one was so happy to discover figs are a great source of calcium. Sometimes you just can’t eat all the cheese and yogurt that you need to!!
Stopping by from BlogHer to say hi from another RD! Love your blog and looking forward to trying some of your recipes :)
Thanks for stopping by Anne!
I LOVE this post, Rachel! As a vegetarian who for the most part, avoids milk and cheese (I just can’t commit to full vegan when brie is around), one of the main questions people ask and ask and ask is, “well where do you get your calcium?!” So now instead of going into my usual answer, I can just forward them this blog post. :) Love your blog and am excited to have found you via BlogHer!
Thank you for your kind words Anne Marie :) We are very alike in that cheese is our weakness into the dairy world! Kale has definitely been my saviour for meeting my calcium requirements. We are so lucky that this green can grown year round!
Thank you for this!
No worries Christina, I hope you found it helpful!
I’m a new subscriber but gorging on all your posts and recipes. Tremendously helpful and educational.
It seems the quantity of sesame tahini is missing in this post, #8. I’m learning to like it and curious to know how much calcium content it has. Thx ever so much,