What foods are highest in calcium?
Milk is the number one source of calcium in the Australian diet. Milk, cheese and yoghurt supply around 60 per cent of the calcium we eat. Calcium is found in other foods, but meeting calcium needs without dairy foods can be difficult.
Last updated 31/01/2025
The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend males and females aged 19-50 need 1000mg of calcium per day. A serve of milk (250ml), cheese (40g) or yoghurt (200g) contains approximately 300mg of calcium.
Non-dairy sources of calcium include firm tofu, almonds, dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, bok-choy and kale, and fish with edible bones (e.g. sardines or tinned salmon).
We would need to consume 5 cups of cooked broccoli; 32 Brussels sprouts; 165g of almonds; or 5 cups of red beans to get the same amount of calcium from these foods as we would from one 250ml glass of milk.
References
- National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Dietary Guidelines Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2013.
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