No cows required! Non-dairy natural sources of calcium

Are you looking for non-dairy natural sources of calcium? Whether you’re a vegan or dairy-free, or are simply trying to reduce certain foods in your diet, there are plenty of foods available to help you get your fill of calcium and other nutrients.

So what are we looking at? Well, a lot of different, healthy foods. Avoiding dairy, and any fortified foods like certain orange juices and cereals, calcium appears naturally in plenty of foods.

It is recommended that adults should consume about 1,000 mg of calcium per day. In dairy-free terms that translates to about one glass of skimmed milk, one thick slice of cheddar cheese, and one cup of plain yogurt. Despite this, omnivores are still failing to hit their quota. So it’s important to look at what you are eating on a day to day basis and see what is missing, and how you can compensate.

Apart from making sure your diet is rich in calcium, bear in mind how important it is that you pair this mineral up with vitamin D to help with absorption.

Here’s a list of foods and beverages filled with calcium (no cows required), along with recipes to help make them an everyday occurrence in a variety of meals.

1. White Beans

191 mg (19% RDA) in ½ a can

White beans are great in salads, stews, dips and mashed up with a bit of oil on some toast.

2. Canned Salmon

232 mg (23% RDA) in ½ can with bones

Keep the bones in – they provide the calcium so just mush them up with the salmon meat. Eating the bones isn’t the most appetising of ideas, but they are very soft and you won’t realise they’re there if you combine well – we promise!

3. Sardines

321 mg (32% RDA) in about 7 sardines fillets

Fresh from the can, and with the soft bones combined in to flesh, these are great on salads, on toast and on their own.

4. Dried Figs

107 mg (10% DV) in 8 whole dried figs

Stick them in a smoothie, or just eat them on their own – these are a great way of getting in extra nutrients and a good alternative to sugar.

5. Bok Choy

74 mg (7% RDA) in one handful

Chop up some bok choi and flash fry on a stir fry or with a bit of garlic.