


Calcium rich foods


Other sources of calcium include:

  • Green vegetables like broccoli, curly kale, and bok choy
  • Some fruits such as oranges, apricots and dried figs
  • Nuts, especially Brazil nuts and almonds



See our comprehensive list of calcium-rich foods

Foods to avoid


No conclusive evidence shows that fizzy soft drinks (e.g. cola drinks) weaken bones, here too, it's best not to overdo it - especially as such drinks tend to 'displace' milk in the diets of children and teenagers.

Recommended daily calcium intakes

Recommended daily calcium intakes for populations vary between countries. The FAO/WHO (2002) recommendations, based on data from several countries, are as follows:

Infants and Children Calcium (mg/day)
0-6 months 300-400
7-12 months 400
1-3 years 500
4-6 years 600
7-9 years 700
Adolescents Calcium (mg/day)
10-18 years 1300
Women Calcium (mg/day)
19 years to menopause 1000
Post-menopause 1300
During pregnancy (last trimester) 1200
Lactation 1000
Men Calcium (mg/day)
19-65 years 1000
65+ years 1300

The 'recommended allowance' refers to the amount of calcium each age group is advised to consume (with daily intake corresponding to an average intake over a period of time), to ensure calcium consumed compensates for calcium excreted from the body each day. The calcium allowance figures for children and adolescents also take account of skeletal growth (net calcium gain), and those for postmenopausal women and the elderly also take account of a lower intestinal calcium absorption efficiency.

Figures based on Western European, American and Canadian data. Source: FAO/WHO: Human Vitamin and Mineral Requirements, 2002.

Calcium calculator


