Can You Get Calcium Without Dairy?
Calcium is a mineral that plays a crucial role in our body. It’s a mineral that is not only responsible for keeping bones and teeth strong but it also carries out important functions in the body such as muscle contractions, nerve transmission, blood clotting and controlling your muscles.
This mineral has a wide range of availability in foods, not just milk and dairy. It is a common misconception that you can only have calcium whenever you drink cow’s milk or eat food that is rich in dairy. In fact, there is nothing special about calcium content in cow’s milk, you can get the same amount of calcium that is effectively absorbed by drinking fortified soy milk. Even better, eating vegetables that are rich in calcium in low-oxalate vegetables such as bok choy, broccoli, and kale that absorbable by 15% – 30% more than drinking cow’s milk according to research cited by Dr. Greger.

Many plant foods contain this mineral so you can get all the calcium you need through a plant-based diet.
Here Are The Top 9 Vegan Foods That Are High in Calcium
1. Lentils, Beans and Peas
The intake of legumes—beans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentils. Not only they are rich in fibre, but they also have a good source of calcium.

Cooked per 100g
- Soybeans – 277 mg
- White beans – 90.00mg
- Navy beans – 69.00 mg
- Bean sprouts – 56.00 mg
- Chickpeas – 46.00 mg
- Kidney beans – 26.00 mg
- Green Peas – 24.00 mg
- Lentils – 19.00 mg
2. Leafy Greens Calcium Content
Serving Size: Per 100 g

- Kale Cooked – 272 mg
- Kale Raw – 254 mg
- Collards Cooked – 249 mg
- Collard Raw – 232 mg
- Bok Choy – 114 mg
- Chinese Cabbage Cooked – 109 mg
- Chinese Cabbage Raw – 105 mg
- Broccoli Cooked – 49 mg
- Broccoli Raw – 47 mg
3. Seeds
Serving per 100g added into a salad or oats.

- Chia Seeds – 667 mg
- Flax Seeds – 200 mg
- Hemp Seeds – 70 mg
- Sunflower Seeds – 70 mg
4. Soya and Tofu
Serving Size Per 100 g

- Tofu – 200 to 400 mg
- Tofu Yogurt – 118 mg
- Tempeh – 111 mg
5. Fresh Fruits
Serving Size: Per 100g

- Oranges – 40 mg
- Prickly Pears – 56 mg
- Tangerines – 37 mg
- Figs – 35 mg
- Kiwi Fruit -35 mg
6. Seaweed
Serving Size: Per 100 g

Best eaten raw – 129 mg
7. Dried Fruits
Serving Size per 100 grams

- Goji Berries – 190 mg
- Figs – 162 mg
- Currants (Dried Gooseberry) – 88 mg
- Raisins (Dried Grapes) – 62 mg
8. Nuts
Serving Size: 100 g

- Almonds – 267 mg
- Brazil Nuts – 160 mg
- Pistachio Nuts – 105 mg
- Hazel Nuts – 100 mg
- Walnuts – 98 mg
9. Drinks
Served per 100 g

- Almond Milk (unsweetened) – 184 mg
- Soy Milk – 123 mg
How Much Calcium Do You Need?
Dr Greger recommends at least 600 mg daily via calcium-rich plant foods mentioned above.
This video will help you to understand calcium in cow’s milk versus calcium in plant-based foods.
You can find the importance of Vitamin D and how to get it here.
Sources:
https://www.nutritionvalue.org/
NutritionFacts.org by Dr. Greger https://nutritionfacts.org/video/calcium-absorption-soy-milk-versus-cow-milk/
So informative! I didn’t know seaweed was also rich in calcium. I’ll make sure to consume more of it 🙂
I really appreciated this article as we are mostly vegan in our family! Lots of good ideas here, especially the seaweed and dried fruit. I didn’t know this and will definitely add this to our diet! Thank you for the great tips!
glad I love the veggies here that are good sources of calcium too
Loved Reading this…that chart is very helpful.
Nice articles, and thanks for sharing the list of which are high in calcium, as most of our family members are vegan will surely recommended this to them…. 🙂
Superb information and all in one place. Now I know where to direct my readers to when they ask this question