Vegans: Besides supplements, what can substitute for Calcium?

Question

The RDA for Calcium is 900 mg for adults: what are some good calcium sources for vegans?

I already know of:

1. Tofu

Please exclude:

2. Any Calcium pills or supplements.
3. Milk and any dairy products.
4. Fortified Fruit Juices (because these are too saccharine and harm health).

Answer 1

Calcium is readily available from a number of plant-based sources:

• Tofu, processed with nigari* (100g) 282mg
• Collard greens, cooked (1 cup) 268mg
• Soybeans, cooked (1 cup) 261mg
• Turnip greens, cooked (1 cup) 197mg
• Tempeh (1 cup) 184mg
• Mustard greens, cooked (1 cup) 165mg
• Bok choy, cooked (1 cup) 158mg
• Navy beans, cooked (1 cup) 126mg
• Almond butter (2 Tbsp) 111mg
• Almonds, whole (1/4 cup) 96mg
• Kale, cooked (1 cup) 94mg
• Blackstrap molasses (2 Tbsp) 82mg
• Okra, cooked (1 cup) 65mg
• Broccoli,cooked (1 cup) 62mg
• Tahini (2 Tbsp) 24mg

Information taken from USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 28

Answer 2

Dark leafy greens, nuts, and beans seem to be the best sources.

╔═════════════╦══════════════╦═════════════════╗
║     Food    ║ Portion size ║ Calcium/portion ║
╠═════════════╬══════════════╬═════════════════╣
║ tofu        ║   80g (raw)  ║      280mg      ║
╠═════════════╬══════════════╬═════════════════╣
║ kale        ║  120g (raw)  ║      180mg      ║
╠═════════════╬══════════════╬═════════════════╣
║ spinach     ║  120g (raw)  ║      119mg      ║
╠═════════════╬══════════════╬═════════════════╣
║ red beans   ║   80g (raw)  ║      115mg      ║
╠═════════════╬══════════════╬═════════════════╣
║ okra        ║  120g (raw)  ║       98mg      ║
╠═════════════╬══════════════╬═════════════════╣
║ chick peas  ║   80g (raw)  ║       84mg      ║
╠═════════════╬══════════════╬═════════════════╣
║ almond milk ║     200ml    ║       90mg      ║
╠═════════════╬══════════════╬═════════════════╣
║ almonds     ║      30g     ║       75mg      ║
╠═════════════╬══════════════╬═════════════════╣
║ broccoli    ║  120g (raw)  ║       66mg      ║
╠═════════════╬══════════════╬═════════════════╣
║ oranges     ║   1 medium   ║       60mg      ║
╚═════════════╩══════════════╩═════════════════╝

All values provided by the US Department of Agriculture.

EDIT: 200ml is the volume of a small glass. 30g is about an ounce.

Answer 3

Dark leafy greens are a good source of calcium (source). Some good ones are kale (101 mg per serving), collard greens (84 mg per serving), and broccoli (70 mg per serving). You can also drink fortified non-dairy milks.

Answer 4

The Simple Happy Kitchen provides this fun infographic about plant-based calcium sources (along with similar graphics for protein and iron). The top few fall into several groups:

• Fortified foods: soy milk, tofu
• Legumes: soybeans, white beans, edamame, chickpeas, adzuki beans
• Spinach
• Seeds: tahini, chia
• Other greens: broccoli, okra, snap peas