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InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-.
Medical societies recommend that adults get between 700 mg and 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium per day. It is possible to get this amount purely through what you eat and drink. Food products that are particularly high in calcium include cow's milk, yogurt, cheeses like Gouda and Emmental cheese, green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli, as well as calcium-rich mineral water (with more than 150 mg calcium per liter). Low-fat dairy products made from cow's milk also contain a lot of calcium. Sometimes, manufacturers add extra calcium to food products. These "fortified" foods include certain breakfast cereals, dairy alternatives like soy milk or oat milk, and juices.
If you eat and drink the following foods over the course of one day, you will get a total of about 1,000 mg of calcium:
- 2 slices of rye bread or whole grain bread
- 2 slices of Gouda, Edam or Emmental cheese
- 1 serving of broccoli
- 2 glasses of mineral water (200 ml each), and
- 1 pot of yogurt (200 g)
or
- 2 glasses of milk (200 ml each)
- 2 slices of rye bread or whole grain bread
- 2 servings of camembert cheese, and
- 1 serving of spinach
or
- 1 pot of yogurt (200 g)
- 1 serving of muesli (50 g) with milk (100 ml)
- 1 slice of rye bread or whole grain bread
- 1 slice of Gouda, Edam or Emmental cheese
- 1 serving of kale, and
- 1 glass of mineral water (200 ml)
If you don't drink cow's milk or eat dairy products made from cow's milk, it is considerably more difficult to get enough calcium in your diet. In that case, suitable sources of calcium would include
- green vegetables like spinach, kale, fennel and broccoli,
- nuts,
- calcium-rich mineral water,
- calcium-fortified dairy milk alternatives like soy milk, oat milk, almond milk or rice milk, and
- other food products that are fortified with calcium.
This table can help you to calculate roughly how much calcium you get in a typical day:
Dairy milk and dairy products
| Food product | Serving size | Calcium in mg/serving |
|---|---|---|
| Cow's milk, soured milk, kefir | 200 ml (1 glass) | 240 |
| Yoghurt | 200 ml (1 pot) | 260 |
| Quark (curd) cheese | 35 g | 40 |
| Gouda, Edam or Appenzeller cheese | 30 g (1 slice) | 240 |
| Emmental or Alpine cheese | 30 g (1 slice) | 330 |
| Camembert cheese | 30 g | 150 |
| Parmesan cheese | 30 g | 360 |
| Brie cheese | 30 g | 80 |
| Sheep's cheese, Feta cheese | 30 g | 135 |
Vegetables
| Food product | Serving size | Calcium in mg/serving |
|---|---|---|
| Broccoli (cooked) | 110 g | 120 |
| Spinach (cooked) | 210 g | 310 |
| Kale (cooked) | 160 g | 280 |
Bread, cereals
| Food product | Serving size | Calcium in mg/serving |
|---|---|---|
| Rye bread, whole grain bread | 1 slice | 10 |
| Muesli | 50 g | 25 |
| Breakfast cereals | 50 g | 80 |
Drinks
| Food product | Serving size | Calcium in mg/serving |
|---|---|---|
| Natural mineral water | 200 ml | 70 |
| Soy milk | 200 ml | 210 |
Please note that this table only includes food products that have a particularly large amount of calcium in them. A lot of other food products contain calcium too and contribute to your total calcium intake, but usually to a lesser extent.
Dietary supplements aren’t included in the table. If you're taking a supplement that contains calcium, that will increase your calcium intake accordingly.
You can also use our online calcium calculator to find out roughly how much calcium you are getting per day. The calculator isn't suitable for children or for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Sources
- Dachverband der Deutschsprachigen Wissenschaftlichen Osteologischen Gesellschaften (DVO). Prophylaxe, Diagnostik und Therapie der Osteoporose (S3-Leitlinie). AWMF-Registernr.: 183-001. 2017.
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (DGE), Österreichische Gesellschaft für Ernährung (ÖGE), Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Ernährungsforschung (SGE) et al. Referenzwerte für die Nährstoffzufuhr. Bonn: DGE; 2017.
- World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Vitamin and mineral requirements in human nutrition. Genf: World Health Organization; 2004.
IQWiG health information is written with the aim of helping people understand the advantages and disadvantages of the main treatment options and health care services.
Because IQWiG is a German institute, some of the information provided here is specific to the German health care system. The suitability of any of the described options in an individual case can be determined by talking to a doctor. informedhealth.org can provide support for talks with doctors and other medical professionals, but cannot replace them. We do not offer individual consultations.
Our information is based on the results of good-quality studies. It is written by a team of health care professionals, scientists and editors, and reviewed by external experts. You can find a detailed description of how our health information is produced and updated in our methods.
- In brief: How can you get enough calcium? - InformedHealth.orgIn brief: How can you get enough calcium? - InformedHealth.org
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