Top 10 Sources of Calcium (That Aren't Dairy Products)

To prevent bone fragility, not everything is summarized in milk. The main causes are not having had a physically active life and not having taken into account the best sources of calcium when eating. To ensure good health, it is important to take care of the diet, and this also applies in the case of the bones.

For decades we have been bombarded with the idea that we should drink a lot of milk to prevent osteoporosis in old age, but this is far from the truth. The obsession that they have made us have for milk does not make sense. Next we will see the best sources of calcium that we must consider and that are not dairy products.

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The 10 types of foods that are sources of calcium and that we should take into account

Beyond milk and dairy products, there are many foods that have a significant supply of calcium. Despite what has been led to believe for years, it is possible to ingest sufficient amounts of calcium without having to resort to dairy.

By regularly eating different foods that are sources of calcium, our body will be perfectly covered when it comes to the needs of this mineral. In addition, these foods are rich in many other micronutrients and will provide us with greater health to the body than drinking milk every day.

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1. Nuts

Nuts are an excellent source of calcium. Walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds or cashews are examples of this type of food that we should eat on a regular basis.

They also provide other minerals and substances such as omega-3 essential fatty acids. It is appropriate to eat a handful a day but not much more, as they contain many calories.

2. Vegetables

Legumes are a good source of calcium. Beans, chickpeas, lentils or lima beans provide a good dose of calcium, as well as other minerals such as iron.

It is recommended to take legumes at least 3 times a week. In addition, it is advisable to take them from time to time with cereals or nuts in order to obtain the 8 essential amino acids, essential to form protein. Thus we can dispense with sources of animal protein.

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3. Green leafy vegetables

Green leafy vegetables should be incorporated into a healthy diet. One of the reasons is its contribution of calcium, and include spinach, chard, arugula or celery.

They owe their intense green color to chlorophyll, and they contain other phytochemicals that help us prevent the development of many diseases, in addition to providing us with other minerals, vitamins and fiber.

4. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is one of the most recommended cereals out there. One of the reasons is that it does contain very good amounts of calcium.

It also provides us with other minerals and fiber, it is gluten-free, and in addition to other molecules such as beta-glucan. This substance has been linked to the regulation of blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels.

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5. Dried fruit

Lots of dried fruit is a great source of calcium. In this group of foods we find raisins or dates, but the richest source of calcium is the fig.

It must be borne in mind that in a fresh fig we will find the same amount of calcium, and that in a dried fruit there is also the same amount of natural sugars. They are good sugars but it is not advisable to abuse much in daily quantity.

6. Sesame

Sesame is a very rich source of calcium. One teaspoon of sesame every day is enough to ensure a not inconsiderable daily calcium intake.

We can add this seed in different dishes that will acquire a very rich flavor. For example, in salads, bread or batters. Sesame also provides other interesting micronutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin E, B vitamins or folic acid in addition to fiber.

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7. Vegetable drink (or vegetable milk)

Drinks known as plant milk also contain calcium. After all, they are made from cereals like oats, legumes like soybeans, or nuts like almonds. All of these foods we have seen contain calcium.

However, we must bear in mind that the vegetable drinks that we can find in the points of sale do not have a large amount of these foods. If we look at the ingredients section, we will never see 20% of the product, the rest being water and in small quantities sea salt or some vegetable oil in the best of cases.

8. Algae

Seaweed is a very rich source of calcium. The wakame, arame and hiziki varieties stand out, and although we generally do not have the habit of eating them in our society, we should incorporate them into our diet.

In other cultures, especially those of the East, these and other algae are eaten a lot. It is a type of food that, in addition to fiber, provides us with many minerals that are difficult to find in other foods (such as iodine) and many beneficial phytochemicals.

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9. Shellfish

Seafood such as prawns, prawns, and scampi are a good source of calcium. These marine animals have a somewhat different composition than other animals that live in the sea.

In part, this is because these types of animals do not have bones or spines, but instead have an exoskeleton. This makes their meat have a different composition and that it acquires more substances from the exoskeleton when we cook them.

10. Fish with thorn

We have already seen some marine products that have a contribution of calcium (and other minerals) that is beneficial for our body. To end this group of foods we mention fish with bone.

It is highly recommended to eat the bones of small fish such as sardines.. If we do, we are ingesting bone material that will be good for our body, obtaining calcium and other minerals. We can also eat bones from other larger fish, although in some cases it will be more difficult to chew.

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Bibliographic references

• Brini, M., Ottolini, D., Calì, T. and Carafoli, E. (2013). "Chapter 4. Calcium in Health and Disease ". In Sigel, A. and Helmut, R.K. Interrelations between Essential Metal Ions and Human Diseases. Metal Ions in Life Sciences. 13. Springer. pp. 81–137.

• Heaney, R.P., et al. (2000). Calcium, dairy products and osteoporosis. J Am Coll Nutr, 19 (2), 83-99.

• Miller, G., Jarvis, J. and Mc Bean L. (2001). The importance of meeting calcium needs with foods. J Am Coll Nutr, 20 (2), 168-172.