How to Eat 1,000 mg of Calcium a Day
Calcium does the body good. Not only does it build strong bones and teeth, it aids with muscle function and helps keep your heart beating regularly. While there are plenty of food sources for this bone-building mineral other than dairy, I am not sure I have been meeting the recommended daily intake (RDI) of 1,000 milligrams. Supplements are always an option, but getting calcium from food sources is better for your bones. With all this in mind, I decided to track what I ate for a day to see if I was meeting the RDI.
See how I did when you read more.
| Meal | Food | Calcium |
| Breakfast | Two whole grain waffles | 100 mg |
| 1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt | 200 mg | |
| 1/4 cup lowfat milk in coffee | 78 mg | |
| Snack | 1 ounce of almonds | 70 mg |
| 1 cup whole strawberries | 23 mg | |
| Lunch | 1 spinach and jack cheese tamale | 320 mg | 1/2 cup carrots | 22 mg |
| 2 ounces avocado | 3 mg | |
| Dinner | Grilled chicken breast | 12 mg |
| 1 cup steamed broccoli | 45 mg | |
| 1 cup arugula | 45 mg | |
| 1 ounce goat cheese | 85 mg | |
| 1 slice whole grain bread | 20 mg | |
| TOTAL CALCIUM INTAKE | 1,023mg |
While I did hit the magic number of 1,000 milligrams, I feel like I just barely made it. I drink a fair bit of milk in my coffee in the morning, and coffee can decrease the amount of calcium absorbed, but only two to three mg per cup. Of more concern is spinach. While it is relatively high in calcium, it contains oxalic acid, which may bind to the mineral preventing absorption.
