How can you get enough calcium?

Medical societies recommend that adults get between 700 mg and 1,200 milligrams (mg) of per day. It is possible to get this amount purely through what you eat and drink. Food products that are particularly high in include cow's milk, yogurt, cheeses like Gouda and Emmental cheese, green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli, as well as calcium-rich mineral water (with more than 150 mg per liter). Low-fat dairy products made from cow's milk also contain a lot of . Sometimes, manufacturers add extra to food products. These "fortified" foods include certain breakfast cereals, dairy alternatives like soy milk or oat milk, and juices.

If you eat and drink the following foods over the course of one day, you will get a total of about 1,000 mg of :

  • 2 slices of rye bread or whole grain bread
  • 2 slices of Gouda, Edam or Emmental cheese
  • 1 serving of broccoli
  • 2 glasses of mineral water (200 ml each), and
  • 1 pot of yogurt (200 g)

or

  • 2 glasses of milk (200 ml each)
  • 2 slices of rye bread or whole grain bread
  • 2 servings of camembert cheese, and
  • 1 serving of spinach

or

  • 1 pot of yogurt (200 g)
  • 1 serving of muesli (50 g) with milk (100 ml)
  • 1 slice of rye bread or whole grain bread
  • 1 slice of Gouda, Edam or Emmental cheese
  • 1 serving of kale, and
  • 1 glass of mineral water (200 ml)

If you don't drink cow's milk or eat dairy products made from cow's milk, it is considerably more difficult to get enough in your diet. In that case, suitable sources of would include

  • green vegetables like spinach, kale, fennel and broccoli,
  • nuts,
  • calcium-rich mineral water,
  • calcium-fortified dairy milk alternatives like soy milk, oat milk, almond milk or rice milk, and
  • other food products that are fortified with .

This table can help you to calculate roughly how much you get in a typical day:

Dairy milk and dairy products

Food product Serving size Calcium in mg/serving
Cow's milk, soured milk, kefir 200 ml (1 glass) 240
Yoghurt 200 ml (1 pot) 260
Quark (curd) cheese 35 g 40
Gouda, Edam or Appenzeller cheese 30 g (1 slice) 240
Emmental or Alpine cheese 30 g (1 slice) 330
Camembert cheese 30 g 150
Parmesan cheese 30 g 360
Brie cheese 30 g 80
Sheep's cheese, Feta cheese
30 g 135

Vegetables

Food product Serving size Calcium in mg/serving
Broccoli (cooked) 110 g 120
Spinach (cooked) 210 g 310
Kale (cooked) 160 g 280

Bread, cereals

Food product Serving size Calcium in mg/serving
Rye bread, whole grain bread 1 slice 10
Muesli 50 g 25
Breakfast cereals 50 g 80

Drinks

Food product Serving size Calcium in mg/serving
Natural mineral water 200 ml 70
Soy milk 200 ml 210

Please note that this table only includes food products that have a particularly large amount of in them. A lot of other food products contain too and contribute to your total intake, but usually to a lesser extent.

Dietary supplements aren’t included in the table. If you're taking a supplement that contains , that will increase your intake accordingly.

You can also use our online calcium calculator to find out roughly how much you are getting per day. The calculator isn't suitable for children or for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Dachverband der Deutschsprachigen Wissenschaftlichen Osteologischen Gesellschaften (DVO). Prophylaxe, Diagnostik und Therapie der Osteoporose (S3-Leitlinie). AWMF-Registernr.: 183-001. 2017.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (DGE), Österreichische Gesellschaft für Ernährung (ÖGE), Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Ernährungsforschung (SGE) et al. Referenzwerte für die Nährstoffzufuhr. Bonn: DGE; 2017.

World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Vitamin and mineral requirements in human nutrition. Genf: World Health Organization; 2004.

IQWiG health information is written with the aim of helping people understand the advantages and disadvantages of the main treatment options and health care services.

Because IQWiG is a German institute, some of the information provided here is specific to the German health care system. The suitability of any of the described options in an individual case can be determined by talking to a doctor. informedhealth.org can provide support for talks with doctors and other medical professionals, but cannot replace them. We do not offer individual consultations.

Our information is based on the results of good-quality studies. It is written by a team of health care professionals, scientists and editors, and reviewed by external experts. You can find a detailed description of how our health information is produced and updated in our methods.

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Updated on January 27, 2022

Next planned update: 2025

Publisher:

Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG, Germany)

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