Calcium Rich Foods

High Calcium Foods - Foods Rich in Calcium
If the bodily calcium requirements are not met, it could lead to osteoporosis, hypertension and other problems. Any kind of bony structure in our body can be weakened due to calcium deficiency. If there is an increase in the levels of calcium it results in fatigue, nausea, anorexia, constipation, depression or increased urination. It can also result in the formation of kidney stones. So to avoid the deficiency or the increased level of calcium, we need to take care that we do not consume too much of this mineral either through foodstuffs or calcium supplements. A healthy diet involves a good amount of calcium rich foods.

This dietary mineral can be obtained from a lot of food stuffs. Most of us know the most common calcium rich foods like milk, cheese, eggs and a few others. But there are many other foods high in calcium, which we miss out or are not aware of. Other foodstuffs can fill in for our body's quota of calcium. There is a long calcium rich foods list, so get set to go through lots of names of high calcium foods.

Calcium Rich Foods List
Dairy Products:
•Milk: One of the most widely and easily available calcium rich foods, milk is great for bones. 1 cup of milk usually contains 290 to 300 mg of calcium. It is supposed to fulfill maximum of the bodily calcium requirements.
•Yogurt: It is a favorite of many, and should be because it also has a good amount of calcium. A cup of yogurt contains around 240 to 400 mg calcium.
•Cheese: Cottage cheese has a good calcium content. Lip smacking as it is, a half cup of cottage cheese 80 to 100 mg calcium.
•Ice Cream: The mere mention of ice cream is enough to make mouths water. Ice cream and frozen desserts made of milk have 80-100mg of calcium in a half cup.
•Powdered Non Fat Milk: A teaspoon of this non fat powdered milk includes 50 mg of calcium.
•American Cheese: Well, this type of cheese has 165 to 200 mg of calcium per slice. So you can have cheese, although with discretion.
•Swiss Cheese: This has the highest amount of calcium among types of cheese. One slice of Swiss cheese has about 270 mg of calcium.

Non-Dairy Products:
Non-dairy products include vegetables, fruits, fish, eggs and other foodstuffs. Lets take a count of how much calcium these foodstuffs have.

Calcium Rich Vegetables
•Broccoli: A cup of Broccoli contains about 180 mg of calcium.
•Kale Cabbage: This is a type of cabbage which is most beneficial for health. Well, half a cup of kale contains 90 to 100 mg of calcium.
•Okra: Okra is not very rich in calcium, though it has a fair amount of calcium. Half cup of okra contains around 70 mg of calcium.
•Turnip Greens: You can get between 100 to 125 mg calcium in half cup, cooked turnip greens.
•Spinach: Spinach is also good when it comes to calcium content. There is around 300 mg of calcium in a single cup of spinach. Now we know, why is it the favorite food for Popeye!
•Alfalfa Sprouts: A cup of raw Alfalfa sprouts has 11 mg of calcium.
•A single boiled or raw artichoke has around 55 mg calcium content.
•Asparagus: Half a cup of boiled asparagus has around 21 mg of calcium. Likewise in raw asparagus, 1 spear, the calcium content is 3 mg and half cup canned asparagus has 18 mg of calcium.
•Canned Bamboo shoots: The calcium content in 1 cup of canned bamboo is 11 mg.
•Beets (Canned): Beet is fairly good in calcium content. In a cup of beet, the calcium content is 44 mg. A cooked beet dish a fair amount of calcium.
•Carrot: A single cup of canned carrot juice has 57 mg of calcium. Raw carrot on the other hand contains 42 mg calcium in a single cup.
•Celery: A single cup of raw celery has 41 mg of calcium content.
•Cauliflower: Boiled half cup of cauliflower has 10 mg calcium.
•Peeled, Raw Cucumber: A single cup of peeled, raw cucumber contains 17 mg calcium.
•Eggplant: A single cup of pickled eggplant contains 34 mg calcium.
•Garlic: A tea spoon of raw garlic has 5 mg calcium content.
•Lettuce-butterhead: A cup of raw, shredded lettuce contains 19 mg of calcium.
•Edible Mushrooms: One can of mushroom has 14 mg of calcium.
•Mustard Greens: A cup of chopped, boiled mustard greens contains 104 mg of calcium.
•Onions: One cup of of chopped and raw onions contains around 40 mg of calcium.
•Peas: a cup of boiled peas contains 34 mg of calcium.
•Green chillies: Canned green chillies contain 50 mg of calcium in a single cup.
•Tomatoes: In a canned paste of tomatoes, without salt, you would find around 94 mg of calcium. On the contrary, 1 cup of green, raw tomatoes has only 23 mg of calcium.
•Green Beans: Green beans have a calcium content of 55 mg, when they are boiled and a single cup of it is considered.
•Potatoes: A cup of raw and baked peeled potatoes contains 26 mg of calcium.

Calcium Rich Fruits and Dry Fruits
•Apples: contain the highest amount of calcium in the form of juice. A cup of unsweetened apple juice has 17 mg of calcium, where as raw apples with skin and without skin have a calcium content of 8 mg and 6 mg, respectively.
•Avocados: One cup of avocado has a calcium content of 18 mg.
•Banana: There is 8 mg of calcium in a cup of banana. If the bananas are dehydrated, then the calcium content is 22 mg per cup.
•Grapes: Green grapes have a calcium content of 15 mg per cup. American grapes contain 13 mg of calcium per cup.
•Lemon: A cup of canned or bottled lemon juice contains 27 mg of calcium.
•Orange: One large raw orange has a calcium content of 74 mg.
•Pineapple: Canned, unsweetened, pineapple juice has 33 mg calcium in a single cup.
•Cherries: Sour cherries which are canned have 26 mg calcium in one cup and frozen cherries contain 20 mg calcium in a cup. Likewise, a cup of sweet frozen cherries has 31 mg calcium.
•Cranberry: 1 cup of whole raw cranberries has just 8 mg of calcium.
•Watermelon: A single cup of diced, raw watermelon has 11mg of calcium.
•Strawberries: This yummy red fruit has a calcium content between 25 mg to 35 mg in any form - canned, frozen or raw.
•Pomegranates: A single raw pomegranate has 5 mg calcium.
•Apricots: Dried and dehydrated apricots contain around 70 mg of calcium in a single cup and raw apricots contain 20 mg of calcium.
•Acai Berries: These have a fantastic calcium content, that is, 260 mg per 100 gm of acai berry powder.
•Mangosteen: A cup of mangosteen contains around 24 mg of calcium.
•Goji Berries: Dried Goji Berries, also called as wolf berries have a calcium content of 65 mg per 100 gm.
•Blueberries: A single cup of blueberries, canned or frozen has around 13 mg of calcium.
•Almonds: This central Asian dry fruit nut has a calcium content is 162 mg in a cup.

Other Foods Rich in Calcium
•Soybean: Soy bean curd or tofu is a great source of calcium. It has around 150 mg calcium in 4 oz of tofu.
•White Beans: a cup of white beans has around 50 mg of calcium.
•Sardines: This sea food loved by the felines is a fantastic source of calcium. There is a calcium content of around 325 mg in 3 oz of sardines.
•Egg: This quintessential poultry product has a calcium content of 55 mg, if its a medium sized egg.
•Chickpeas: Chickpeas (chhole, as they are called in India) have a calcium content of 105 mg in a cup.
•Lasagna: A piece of vegetable Lasagna has a whopping 450 mg of calcium in a piece.
•Ginger Root/Ginger: The mighty herb ginger has a calcium content of 16 mg per 100 gm.

Now that was a herculean calcium rich foods list, but we are still not done. Beef, Ham, Pork, Bologna, Chicken and a few other meat types also count for a good amount of calcium. Sesame seeds, Corn bread, calcium fortified foods contain a decent amount of calcium. There are many foodstuffs which have a fair amount of calcium, to suffice our bodily calcium needs. It is difficult to enumerate all the foodstuffs which contain calcium, so when in doubt, consult your doctor for a specific food's calcium content.

But then, it wont be possible to eat all of these things all the time. So, just make sure that you have anything amongst these various options to fulfill your daily quota of calcium. If you feel that your diet is proving inadequate, have nutritional supplements to replenish your calcium supply. This is absolutely imperative because we lose some amount of calcium everyday through discharge of bodily fluids like sweat.

For a normal, healthy adult, the daily requirements of calcium is around 1000 to 1300 mg. It fluctuates between this range depending on whether the individual is a male or female. But more or less the requirements do not vary drastically for both the sexes. For children the calcium requirement is around 500 and 800 mg daily, for the age group between 1 and 3 and 4 to 8 years respectively. For babies, it starts from around 200 mg for a newborn to 270 mg for a one year old daily.

It should also be kept in mind that Vitamin D is needed to absorb the calcium properly, so it is elementary to have a good vitamin D content in our diets. So here again, balanced diet comes into picture. An easy way to remember that we have all the essential nutrients is a food pyramid and have proper diet plan.

Now, after going through this herculean article, reading the list of all high calcium foods, I am sure all the mothers who have read this would not need not rush behind their kids or nag them to have milk from now on. Because they know that when it comes to calcium, you need not always go the 'milky way'. Grab some cheese or a bowlful of kale and you will get your quota of calcium!