Calcium: An Essential Nutrient For Your Bone Health

The Importance Of Vitamins and Minerals

The quality of your diet plays a key role in maintaining and improving your health throughout your lifetime.

Vitamins and minerals are essential to the proper functioning of your body. Because most essential vitamins and minerals are not produced by the body, they must come from outside sources, such as food or supplements.

Calcium is the most abundant mineral found in the body and is obtained through diet. Dairy products are a good source of calcium. Other sources include calcium-fortified or enriched products, fish with bones, beans, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruit.

Calcium has many important functions in our body including helping to maintain healthy bones and also contributes to muscle contraction. This is why a balanced diet that meets your calcium needs will help you stay healthy.

Your daily calcium requirements depend on your age and gender.

Age	Daily Requirement (Mg/day)	Daily Maximum* (Mg/day)
0-6 months old	200	1000
7-12 months old	260	1500
1-3 years old	700	2500
4-8 years old	1000	2500
9-18 years old	1300	3000
Men and women 19-50 years old	1000	2500
Women 51-70 years old	1200	2000
Men 51-70 years old	1000	2000
Men and women 70 years and older	1200	2000
Pregnant and breastfeeding women < 18 years old	1300	3000
Pregnant and breastfeeding women 19-50 years old	1000	2500

*This include sources of Calcium from food and supplements

Common Food Sources of Calcium

Vegetables and Fruit
Food	Serving size	Calcium (mg)
Collards, frozen, cooked	125 mL (½ cup)	189
Orange juice, fortified with calcium	125 mL (½ cup)	155
Spinach, frozen, cooked	125 mL (½ cup)	154
Turnip greens, frozen, cooked	125 mL (½ cup)	132
Spinach, cooked	125 mL (½ cup)	129
Dried figs	100 mL	102
Kale, frozen, cooked	125 mL (½ cup)	95
Bok choy, boiled	125 mL (½ cup)	84
Orange	1 medium	52
Broccoli	125 mL (½ cup)	33

Grain products
Food	Serving size	Calcium (mg)
This food group contains very little of this nutrient

Milk and alternatives
Food	Serving size	Calcium (mg)
Cheese (Gruyere, Swiss, goat)	50 g (1.5 oz)	451
Buttermilk	250 mL (1 cup)	370
Goat’s milk, fortified with calcium	250 mL (1 cup)	345
Processed cheese	50 g (1.5 oz)	331
Soy or rice beverage, fortified with calcium	250 mL (1 cup)	316
Cheese (cheddar, Edam, gouda, mozzarella)	50 g (1.5 oz)	309
Milk (homogenized 3.3%, 2%, 1%, skim)	250 mL (1 cup)	307
Yogurt, plain	175 g (¾ cup)	269
Dry powdered milk	24 g (to make 250 mL of milk)	302
Yogurt, fruit bottom	175 g (¾ cup)	236
Kefir	175 g (¾ cup)	187
Yogurt beverage	175 mL (¾ cup)	178

Meat and alternatives
Food	Serving size	Calcium (mg)
Sardines, canned, with bones	75 g (2.5 oz)	286
Salmon, canned, with bones	75 g (2.5 oz)	195
Mackerel, canned	75 g (2.5 oz)	181
Anchovies, canned	75 g (2.5 oz)	175
Non-Meat Sources
Tofu (prepared with calcium sulfate)	150 g (¾ cup)	525
Beans (white, navy), canned or cooked	175 mL (¾ cup)	117
Almonds, dry roasted	60 mL (¼ cup)	94
Baked beans, canned	175 mL (¾ cup)	64

Other
Blackstrap molasses	15 mL (1 Tbsp)	179

Source: Canadien Nutrient File 2015

Calcium and Supplements

It is best to get as much of your calcium intake as possible through food, avoiding large doses of calcium supplements.

Supplementation is usually not considered necessary for healthy people who eat a healthy, balanced diet. If you find it difficult to meet your calcium needs from food alone, you may benefit from a supplement.

There are two main types of calcium supplements:

Calcium carbonate: taken with meals because it is best absorbed with food
Calcium citrate: can be taken at any time and is easier to digest than calcium carbonate

Spreading calcium supplements out over the course of the day can reduce stomach upset and helps your body absorb calcium better. Aim to take no more than 500mg to 600mg of calcium at a time to maximize your calcium absorption. Calcium supplements are available in many forms such as pills, chewable tablets and liquids.

Speak to your pharmacist before taking a supplement.

The information in this resource is for general information purposes only and is not intended to replace informed medical advice. Consume foods according to any dietary guidelines you have been provided from a health care professional. Metro Ontario Pharmacies Limited assumes no legal liability for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of the information.