Calcium Needs

By Dietitian, Juliette Kellow BSc RD

There’s a very good reason why milk is usually included in most diet plans. Together with other dairy products including yoghurt and cheese, it’s packed with protein, vitamins and minerals, especially calcium, which is needed for strong bones and teeth. In fact, good intakes of calcium, particularly in childhood, the teenage years and early adulthood can help reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis (brittle bone disease) in later life, a condition that currently affects one woman in three and one man in 12 over the age of 50.

Fortunately, reduced-fat dairy products contain just as much calcium, if not a little more, than full-fat products, making them an important part of a slimming diet.

Good non-dairy sources of calcium include fish where the bones are eaten such as canned sardines and mackerel, white bread (white flour is fortified with calcium), green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, nuts, seeds, beans, dried fruit and oranges. Fortunately, many of these foods also tend to be low in calories and so can easily be incorporated into a sliming diet. As you’re currently avoiding dairy products, you should make sure you eat plenty of these foods. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that the body more easily absorbs the calcium in milk and dairy products than the calcium in most other food.

For good health, the Department of Health recommends that adults consume 700mg calcium each day. The chart below shows the calorie and calcium content of a variety of foods. Use this chart to help you meet your calcium requirements, without blowing your calorie allowance.

Calorie and calcium content of selected food

Food	Calories	Calcium (mg)
125g can sardines in tomato sauce	221	575
300ml skimmed milk	99	360
300ml semi-skimmed milk	138	360
150g pot low-fat natural yoghurt	84	285
150g pot low-fat fruit yoghurt	126	225
25g chunk reduced-fat Cheddar cheese	65	210
200g can baked beans	168	106
60g peeled prawns	64	90
100g cooked spring greens	20	75
1 orange	59	75
100g reduced-fat cottage cheese	78	73
2 slices white bread	156	72
1tbsp sesame seeds	60	67
2 slices wholemeal bread	155	39
90g cooked broccoli	22	36
50g bag unsalted peanuts	282	30
3 dried apricots	38	18