We all know how important calcium is to a healthy body, gorgeous hair and strong teeth. We’ve seen the ads with celebrities sporting milk mustaches, but has it really done anything to encourage you to get more calcium? Didn’t think so.

[If celebs knew about foods high in calcium maybe they wouldn't go to such crazy lengths to look THIS good.]

Those of you not getting enough calcium because you can’t tolerate the taste (or reaction) of “the white stuff,” can rest easy because there more options to infuse calcium into your diet without it.

Keep reading to find out which high calcium foods you should be eating!

Why You Need Calcium

 
Calcium is a vital part of any healthy diet, especially in the formation of healthy teeth and bones. From a very young age it is important to get a regular supply of calcium to prevent troublesome physical ailments like osteoporosis in old age.

In addition to keeping your bones healthy, calcium helps muscles function properly, especially the cardiac muscle. Calcium can reduce your risk of colon cancer and osteoporosis, not to mention it can help reduce dramatic mood swings associated with premenstruation.

Less than one percent of calicum is necessary to help the body perform its muscular and hormonal functions. The leftover 99 percent is stored in both the bones and teeth to help them stay strong.

Calcium From Dairy

Foods with the highest calcium content are dairy foods. Milk, cheese, and yogurt are the most efficient way to get your daily dose of calcium. Unfortunately these foods don’t mesh well with all digesive systems. Since dairy products are the most common way to get the calcium you need, most people simply grab a glass of milk or a cup of yogurt.

[A healthy breakfast like this will give you nearly all the calicum you need for the day...minus the milk problems!]

Most of us probably aren’t getting enough calcium in our diet, especially if you’re following governmental guidelines that are often flawed and purchased by the various food lobbies. For example the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies has created a list of recommended dietary allowances for calcium. These allowances vary by age and gender, but are allegedly based on the amount of calcium required for healthy bones and to have enough calcium stored in the body.

Men and women between the ages of 19 and 50 years old are advised to take in 1,000mg of calcium each day. To give you an idea of how much calcium you’re getting with dairy foods high in calcium, we’ve put together this list of high calcium dairy foods.

• 1 cup of non-fat milk–300mg
• 1 cup of non-fat yogurt–490mg
• 1 oz. of swiss cheese–270mg
• 8 oz. of buttermilk–285mg
• 1.5 oz. of cheddar cheese–306mg

Many of the dairy foods high in calcium provide between 30-40% of your daily value of calcium, but some of these are also quite high in calories which can be troublesome for weight loss efforts.

Non-Dairy Foods High in Calcium

For my friends who are simply lactose intolerant, or who simply don’t like milk there are plenty of alternatives that don’t require a milk mustache. Imagine the horror of drinking 3 full glasses of milk just to keep my teeth and bones looking good…no thanks!

But the good news is that dairy products are not the only foods high in calcium. One of the best ways to get a good dose of calcium is to enjoy a glass of fortified soy milk. One cup of soy milk will give you 400mg of calcium, practically half of what you (may or may not) need each day.

[When you need calcium without the creaminess, reach for nuts or leafy greens...all the calcium, none of the cow!]

Since calcium is so important to the body, it’s crucial you have a list of normal foods that are high in calicum to replace your dairy products. Below is a list of non-diary foods high in calcium:

• 1 cup of Soybeans–180mg
• 1 cup of fortified cereal–300mg
• 1 cup of mustard greens–200mg
• 1 cup of orange juice w/calcium–300mg
• 1 cup of spinach–245mg
• 1/4 cup of sesame seeds–351mg
• 1 cup of collard greens–266mg

There are plenty of other foods with calicum in them, but not at such high levels as these. But since your calcium intake isn’t a race, you don’t have to try and get as much calcium as possible with one food product. Here are a few other foods that are pretty high in calcium that you didn’t know about until now!

• 1 cup of Swiss chard–102mg
• 2 oz. of almonds–150mg
• 1 papaya–73mg
• 2 tbsp. flax seeds–52mg
• 2 cups of celery (raw)–81mg
• 1 orange–52mg
• 1 waffle–150mg

Whether or not you adhere to governmental standards of calcium intake, the importance of foods high in calcium in your diet cannot be emphasized enough. Add some of these foods into your daily diet to ensure your body has enough calcium to perform basic functions. A balanced diet, which is required for weight loss, requires a sufficient amount of calcium each day.

The food we eat or don’t eat plays are large part in the number we see on the scale. Do yourself a favor and read our review of Rob Poulos’ Fat Burning Furnace. Don’t let what you don’t know keep you from reaching your weight loss goals!