Getting Enough Calcium

[Garuda]

If you don't drink milk, calcium fortified OJ, or take calcium supplements, are you likely to get the recommended 1000 mg of calcium each day from a typical 3000 calorie a day diet?

 

[Chaotic42]

I figured it up one day and I take in like 8% of my RDA of calcium, and I don't drink milk. Heck, I have to take like 3 pills to reach 100%, and I'm not sure how much of that actually reaches my blood.

 

[Garuda]

See I used to take calcium supplements (600 mg), which along with the multivitamin added up to 760mg.

Then I heard somewhere that taking too much calcium can cause kidney stones, so I stopped 2 years ago, figuring that the meat, bread, pasta, vegetables, fruits, etc. probably add up to 1000mg. I just realized though, that I had no real basis for making that judgement.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: Garuda
See I used to take calcium supplements (600 mg), which along with the multivitamin added up to 760mg.

Then I heard somewhere that taking too much calcium can cause kidney stones, so I stopped 2 years ago, figuring that the meat, bread, pasta, vegetables, fruits, etc. probably add up to 1000mg. I just realized though, that I had no real basis for making that judgement.

Yeah, pretty much nothing that I eat has any appreciable amount of calcium in it. The only dairy product I can eat a decent amount of is yogurt, so I eat that.

Also, I think the typical diet is 2000 calories, not 3000.

 

[SirPsycho]

Originally posted by: Garuda
If you don't drink milk, calcium fortified OJ, or take calcium supplements, are you likely to get the recommended 1000 mg of calcium each day from a typical 3000 calorie a day diet?

I don't know if that was just a typo, but the typical recommended daily caloric intake is 2000 calories a day, not 3000.

And no, I doubt it, unless you eat a lot of dairy products other than milk, or certain vegetables (kale and spinach, I think?) that happen to have high levels of calcium in them.

Are you allergic to dairy products/lactose intolerant, or just curious?

 

[Garuda]

I just think milk is disgusting. I hated having it when I was a kid, but I did it consistently throughout my childhood. Now that I'm an adult, I see no point to continue with the misery, but I still want to get enough calcium to not have osteoperosis.

Also, 2000 calories is the recommended minimum intake, but I think you'll find that most Americans eat moreso on the order of 3000-4000 calories with a quick Google search.

 

[EyeMWing]

In school they told us that the 2000calorie/day was figured for a 30+ year old female, and that the younger and more male you are, the more calories you require.

But then, I don't trust a damn thing they teach us in school outside of concrete sciences.

 

This isn't brain surgery, eat other dairy products.

 

[biostud]

eat chalk

 

[Kaido]

yah what should you take instead? I personally LOVE milk, I used to easily drink a gallon a week, but I discovered I'm somewhat lactose intolerant (makes me cough a lot when I drink milk, I always thought it was general allergies). So I switched over to soymilk a few months ago. I'm used to the flavor now. But am I getting enough calcium too? I have no idea...I don't even drink much OJ...

 

[tranquilflow]

i drink soymilk & i believe that along with bread, yogurt etc i must be geting enough calcium

 

[Eli]

It totally depends on what you eat.

Remember that plants require calcium in large quantities just to grow. It is a major component of cell walls. So naturally, most plants are a good source of calcium:

1 cup of collard greens contains 357mg of calcium.
1 cup turnip greens - 249mg
1 cup Kale - 179mg
1 cup Okra - 175mg
2tbsp Sesame seeds - 160mg
1 cup Bok Choy - 158mg
5 medium figs - 135mg
1/4 cup almonds - 97mg

2tbsp of Black Strap molasses contains 347mg.

raw Dandelion greens contain 103mg per cup, but most people don't eat the weeds out of their yards.

Canned salmon and sardines(with bones) are also good sources.

Most soy milk is fortified with calcium. Just look on the back nutrition information.

 

[Adul]

Broccoli isa goodc source of calcium as is spring onions

See list

Text

 

[Garuda]

I got some rolaids today.

250mg from Rolaids + 160mg from multivitamin + hopefully enough calcium from the rest of my diet = teh win

To be on the safe side, maybe I will take 2 Rolaids. This thread has gotten me paranoid now. I probably haven't been getting enough calcium the last 2 years. That's not good.

 

[eakers]

who in gods name eats 3000 cals a day?! i shoot for like 1200

 

[vi edit]

You can get calcium fortified bread too. Each slice of bread is about 10% your RDA of calcium. Slap a slice of cheese or two on there and that's a good start. A couple rolaids will also help pick up the slack. They taste better and are cheaper than traditional calcium suplements.

 

[MetalMat]

Just use cheese like I do. One slice of cheese is, I wanna say 30% of the daily requirement.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: eakers
who in gods name eats 3000 cals a day?! i shoot for like 1200

Anyone in any strenuous sports/activities that weighs over 180 pounds or so will be pushing the threshold where 3000 calories will be what their body burns in a day.

Even as a sedentary slob I burn about 2000 calories a day without doing anything else. Slap an hour of bike riding/running and 45 minutes of weight lifting and I'd be burning close to 3000 calories a day.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: Eli
It totally depends on what you eat.

Remember that plants require calcium in large quantities just to grow. It is a major component of cell walls. So naturally, most plants are a good source of calcium:

1 cup of collard greens contains 357mg of calcium.
1 cup turnip greens - 249mg
1 cup Kale - 179mg
1 cup Okra - 175mg
2tbsp Sesame seeds - 160mg
1 cup Bok Choy - 158mg
5 medium figs - 135mg
1/4 cup almonds - 97mg

2tbsp of Black Strap molasses contains 347mg.

raw Dandelion greens contain 103mg per cup, but most people don't eat the weeds out of their yards.

Canned salmon and sardines(with bones) are also good sources.

Most soy milk is fortified with calcium. Just look on the back nutrition information.

Ha.. 2 years before she dies, my granny was out in the yard picking greens for supper...

My wife's hobby is edible plants, we eat a lot of stuff out of the yard
We eat collards, turnip greens, kale, spinach, Bok Choy, AND almonds on an almost daily basis.

 

[vi edit]

What's kale?