Calcium-Rich Foods, With and Without Dairy
Calcium is the nutrient people assume they're getting and frequently aren't — particularly women after 50, whose requirement rises by 30% at exactly the point bone loss accelerates. It's a bad piece of timing, and it's the single most common gap we see.
This guide covers the Australian targets, where calcium actually comes from (including without dairy), and why vitamin D determines whether any of it matters.
How much calcium do you need?
| Group | RDI (mg/day) | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Men 19–70 | 1,000 mg | 2.5 dairy serves |
| Men 71+ | 1,300 mg | 3.5 serves |
| Women 19–50 | 1,000 mg | 2.5 serves |
| Women 51+ | 1,300 mg | 3.5–4 serves |
| Teens 12–18 | 1,300 mg | 3.5 serves |
| Pregnancy / breastfeeding | 1,000–1,300 mg | 2.5–3.5 serves |
The jump at 51 for women is the one to notice. Falling oestrogen accelerates bone breakdown, so the requirement rises to 1,300 mg just as the body gets worse at holding onto bone. Most women don't change anything about their diet at that point. Our menopause nutrition article covers the wider picture.
Adolescence is the other critical window — roughly half of adult bone mass is laid down in the teenage years, and it can't be made up later.
Calcium-rich foods, by the numbers
Dairy
| Food | Serve | Calcium |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 250 ml | ~300 mg |
| Yoghurt, plain | 200 g | ~300 mg |
| Hard cheese (cheddar) | 40 g | ~300 mg |
| Ricotta | 120 g | ~200 mg |
| Cottage cheese | 200 g | ~160 mg |
Non-dairy
| Food | Serve | Calcium |
|---|---|---|
| Fortified plant milk (shaken) | 250 ml | ~300 mg |
| Tofu set with calcium | 150 g | ~300–500 mg |
| Sardines with bones | 100 g | ~380 mg |
| Tinned salmon with bones | 100 g | ~240 mg |
| Tahini | 2 tbsp | ~130 mg |
| Almonds | 30 g | ~75 mg |
| Bok choy, cooked | 1 cup | ~160 mg |
| Kale, cooked | 1 cup | ~180 mg |
| Chia seeds | 2 tbsp | ~180 mg |
| White beans, cooked | 1 cup | ~160 mg |
| Dried figs | 50 g | ~80 mg |
Three practical notes on that second table. Check that plant milk is actually fortified — many aren't, and unfortified almond milk has almost no calcium. Shake the carton, because added calcium settles and the last glass differs from the first. And check the tofu label for calcium sulphate — tofu set with other coagulants contains far less.
Not all calcium is equally absorbed
Dairy calcium is absorbed at roughly 30%. Low-oxalate greens like bok choy, kale and broccoli are absorbed at around 50% — better than dairy per milligram, though the serves are smaller.
Spinach is the famous exception. It looks calcium-rich on paper, but its oxalate content binds almost all of it — absorption is around 5%. Spinach is a fine food for other reasons; it is not a calcium source. Bok choy and kale are.
Other absorption points: your body absorbs calcium better in doses of about 500 mg or less, so spreading intake across the day beats one large hit. Very high sodium intake increases calcium loss in urine — another reason the sodium advice is worth following. And adequate protein actually supports bone; the old claim that protein leaches calcium from bone isn't supported.
Vitamin D decides whether any of this works
Without adequate vitamin D you absorb calcium poorly, no matter how much you eat. Australia has surprisingly widespread vitamin D deficiency despite the climate — driven by indoor work, sun-safe behaviour, southern latitudes in winter, darker skin tones and covering clothing.
Sunlight is the main source; food contributes relatively little (oily fish, eggs, some fortified products). If you're in a risk group, ask your GP to test rather than guessing — and don't supplement blind, since vitamin D is fat-soluble and accumulates.
Calcium alone doesn't build bone
It's the raw material, not the instruction. Bone responds to mechanical loading, so weight-bearing and resistance exercise matter as much as intake — walking, running, dancing, stair climbing and lifting. Swimming and cycling are excellent exercise but do relatively little for bone density.
Also relevant: smoking and heavy alcohol intake both reduce bone density, and very low body weight is a significant risk factor for osteoporosis.
If you have osteoporosis or osteopenia, have had a low-trauma fracture, or take medication affecting bone such as long-term corticosteroids, your calcium and vitamin D plan should come from your GP rather than a general guide. Calcium supplements aren't automatically appropriate — food sources are preferred, and supplementation is a clinical decision.
Where to start
Count your serves for three days against the table above. If you're a woman over 50, count against 1,300 mg rather than 1,000 — that's the change most people miss. If you don't do dairy, check that your plant milk is fortified and your tofu is calcium-set, because those two swaps alone can cover most of the gap.
Calcium and iron are the two nutrients Australians most commonly fall short on, and they compete for absorption — so don't take them together. For the wider dietary picture see the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
Frequently asked questions
How much calcium do I need per day?
What are the best non-dairy calcium sources?
Is spinach a good source of calcium?
Why does calcium need vitamin D?
References
- National Health and Medical Research Council. Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand: Calcium.
- Healthy Bones Australia. Calcium and bone health.
- Weaver CM, Plawecki KL (1994). Dietary calcium: adequacy of a vegetarian diet. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 59(5), 1238S-1241S.
Related reading
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General nutrition information only — not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See our health disclaimer.