University of FloridaSolutions for Your Life

Download PDF 
Publication #FCS8561

Healthy Eating: CALCIUM1

Linda B. Bobroff2

This document is best viewed as a PDF. It is also available in Spanish as Alimentación Saludable: Calcio.

Click here to print or view the entire publication.

Why is calcium important?

Calcium is the major mineral found in our bones and teeth. Many older adults don't get enough calcium from the foods they eat. This can lead to bone loss and the bone disease osteoporosis. Osteoporosis puts people at a high risk for bone fractures.

What foods contain calcium?

  • Dairy foods (milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream)

  • Kale and many other greens

  • Romaine lettuce

  • Broccoli

  • Legumes, like kidney beans and lentils

  • Tofu

  • Nuts

Good sources of calcium!

Table 1. 

Food

Calcium

(mg/serving)

Tofu, raw, firm, ½ cup,

(fortified with calcium)

860

Yogurt, lowfat, fruit, 1 cup

300-400

Milk, lowfat, 1 cup

300

Fortified orange juice, ¾ cup

200

Kale, frozen, cooked 1 cup

90

Broccoli, cooked, ½ cup

45

Kidney beans, cooked, ½ cup

30

How much calcium do I need?

The new recommended intake for men and women 51 years of age and older is 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium every day.

If you are not getting enough calcium from foods, you may need to take a calcium supplement. Talk to your doctor or dietitian for more information.

Footnotes

1.

This fact sheet is FCS8561, one of a series of the Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida, IFAS Extension Services. This leaflet was developed with funding from Florida Department of Elder Affairs, in partnership with state, county, and local agencies. First published: March 2000. Revised: March 2006. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Linda B. Bobroff, PhD, RD, Ld/N, professor, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultrual Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. Leaflet design by Paulina Wittkowsky, MS, RD, formerly with the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean.