Current Dietary Guidelines
Calcium: Nutrient-densea Food and Beverage Sources, Amounts of Calcium and Energy per Standard Portion a All foods listed are assumed to be in nutrient-dense forms; lean or low-fat and prepared with minimal added sugars, saturated fat, or sodium. b Some fortified foods and beverages are included. Other fortified options may exist on the market, but not all fortified foods are nutrient-dense. For example, some foods with added sugars may be fortified and would not be examples in the lists provided here.FOODbcSTANDARD PORTIONdCALORIESCALCIUM [mg] Dairy and Fortified Soy Alternatives
Yogurt, plain, nonfat
8 ounces
137
488
Yogurt, plain, low fat
8 ounces
154
448
Kefir, plain, low fat
1 cup
104
317
Milk, low fat [1 %]
1 cup
102
305
Soy beverage [soy milk], unsweetened
1 cup
80
301
Yogurt, soy, plain
8 ounces
150
300
Milk, fat free [skim]
1 cup
83
298
Buttermilk, low fat
1 cup
98
284
Yogurt, Greek, plain, low fat
8 ounces
166
261
Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat
8 ounces
134
250
Cheese, reduced, low, or fat free [various]
1 1/2 ounces
~55-155
~115-485
Vegetables
Lambsquarters, cooked
1 cup
58
464
Nettles, cooked
1 cup
37
428
Mustard spinach, cooked
1 cup
29
284
Amaranth leaves, cooked
1 cup
28
276
Collard greens, cooked
1 cup
63
268
Spinach, cooked
1 cup
41
245
Nopales, cooked
1 cup
22
244
Taro root [dasheen or yautia], cooked
1 cup
60
204
Turnip greens, cooked
1 cup
29
197
Bok choy, cooked
1 cup
24
185
Jute, cooked
1 cup
32
184
Kale, cooked
1 cup
43
177
Mustard greens, cooked
1 cup
36
165
Beet greens, cooked
1 cup
39
164
Pak choi, cooked
1 cup
20
158
Dandelion greens, cooked
1 cup
35
147
Protein Foodse
Tofu, raw, regular, prepared with calcium sulfate
1/2 cup
94
434
Sardines, canned
3 ounces
177
325
Salmon, canned, solids with bone
3 ounces
118
181
Tahini [seasame butter or paste]
1 tablespoon
94
154
Fruit
Grapefruit juice, 100%, fortified
1 cup
94
350
Orange juice, 100%, fortified
1 cup
117
349
Other Sources
Almond beverage [almond milk], unsweetened
1 cup
36
442
Rice beverage [rice milk], unsweetened
1 cup
113
283
c Some foods or beverages are not appropriate for all ages, particularly young children for whom some foods could be a choking hazard.
d Portions listed are not recommended serving sizes. Two lists—in ‘standard’ and ‘smaller’ portions--are provided for each dietary component. Standard portions provide at least 130 mg of calcium. Smaller portions are generally one half of a standard portion.
e Seafood varieties include choices from the FDA/EPA joint “Advice About Eating Fish,” available at FDA.gov/fishadvice and EPA.gov/fishadvice from the “Best Choices” list. Varieties from the “Best Choices” list that contain even lower methylmercury include: flatfish [e.g., flounder], salmon, tilapia, shrimp, catfish, crab, trout, haddock, oysters, sardines, squid, pollock, anchovies, crawfish, mullet, scallops, whiting, clams, shad, and Atlantic mackerel.
Data Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Calcium: Nutrient-densea Food and Beverage Sources, Amounts of Calcium and Energy per Smaller Portion
FOODbcSMALLER PORTIONdCALORIESCALCIUM [mg] Dairy and Fortified Soy Alternatives Yogurt, plain, nonfat 4 ounces 69 244 Yogurt, plain, low fat 4 ounces 77 224 Kefir, plain, low fat 1/2 cup 52 159 Milk, low fat [1 %] 1/2 cup 51 153 Soy beverage [soy milk], unsweetened 1/2 cup 40 151 Yogurt, soy, plain 4 ounces 75 150 Milk, fat free [skim] 1/2 cup 42 149 Buttermilk, low fat 1/2 cup 49 142 Yogurt, Greek, plain, low fat 4 ounces 83 131 Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat 4 ounces 67 125 Cheese, reduced, low, or fat free [various] 1/2 ounce ~20-50 ~40-160 Vegetables Lambsquarters, cooked 1/2 cup 29 232 Nettles, cooked 1/2 cup 19 214 Mustard spinach, cooked 1/2 cup 15 142 Amaranth leaves, cooked 1/2 cup 14 138 Collard greens, cooked 1/2 cup 32 134 Spinach, cooked 1/2 cup 21 123 Nopales, cooked 1/2 cup 11 122 Taro root [dasheen or yautia], cooked 1/2 cup 30 102 Turnip greens, cooked 1/2 cup 15 99 Bok choy, cooked 1/2 cup 12 93 Jute, cooked 1/2 cup 16 92 Kale, cooked 1/2 cup 22 89 Mustard greens, cooked 1/2 cup 18 83 Beet greens, cooked 1/2 cup 20 82 Pak choi, cooked 1/2 cup 10 79 Dandelion greens, cooked 1/2 cup 18 74 Protein Foodse Tofu, raw, regular, prepared with calcium sulfate 1/4 cup 47 217 Sardines, canned 1 ounce 59 108 Salmon, canned, solids with bone 1 ounce 39 60 Tahini [seasame butter or paste] 1 teaspoon 31 51 Fruit Grapefruit juice, 100%, fortified 1/2 cup 47 175 Orange juice, 100%, fortified 1/2 cup 59 175 Other Sources Almond beverage [almond milk], unsweetened 1/2 cup 18 221 Rice beverage [rice milk], unsweetened 1/2 cup 57 142 a All foods listed are assumed to be in nutrient-dense forms; lean or low-fat and prepared with minimal added sugars, saturated fat, or sodium.
b Some fortified foods and beverages are included. Other fortified options may exist on the market, but not all fortified foods are nutrient-dense. For example, some foods with added sugars may be fortified and would not be examples in the lists provided here.
c Some foods or beverages are not appropriate for all ages, particularly young children for whom some foods could be a choking hazard.
d Portions listed are not recommended serving sizes. Two lists—in ‘standard’ and ‘smaller’ portions--are provided for each dietary component. Standard portions provide at least 130 mg of calcium. Smaller portions are generally one half of a standard portion.
e Seafood varieties include choices from the FDA/EPA joint “Advice About Eating Fish,” available at FDA.gov/fishadvice and EPA.gov/fishadvice> from the “Best Choices” list. Varieties from the “Best Choices” list that contain even lower methylmercury include: flatfish [e.g., flounder], salmon, tilapia, shrimp, catfish, crab, trout, haddock, oysters, sardines, squid, pollock, anchovies, crawfish, mullet, scallops, whiting, clams, shad, and Atlantic mackerel.
Data Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.