Foods High in Calcium: UK Portions and Non-Dairy Sources

The foods highest in calcium are tinned sardines eaten with their bones (679 mg per 100 g drained), hard cheese (739 mg per 100 g of Cheddar, so 222 in a 30 g piece), milk and fortified soya drinks (240 to 260 mg a 200 ml glass), yoghurt (243 mg in a 150 g pot of low-fat plain), calcium-set tofu (350 mg per 100 g), curly kale (231 mg per 100 g boiled), tahini and sesame, UK white and brown bread, almonds and dried figs.^{1, 2} Adults aged 19 and over need 700 mg a day, and the NHS names milk, cheese and other dairy foods, green leafy vegetables such as curly kale and okra, soya drinks with added calcium, bread made with fortified flour and fish where you eat the bones as the good sources.³ Two things decide whether that calcium reaches your bones. Vitamin D regulates how much the gut absorbs, so the NHS 10 microgram autumn-and-winter advice is bone advice.⁴ And the plant matters: in absorption studies, 40.9% of kale's calcium was absorbed against 32.1% from milk, while spinach, whose calcium is bound to oxalate, gave up 5.1% against 27.6% from milk.^{5, 6} Food figures are from the UK government's CoFID 2021 tables, per UK portion. Can you rebuild bone density places calcium beside exercise and protein; the vitamins and minerals guide holds the units.

Evidence at a glance

• Food figures: CoFID 2021 per 100 g; calcium-set tofu from the US database, since CoFID has no value.^{1, 2}
• Absorption: crossover isotope studies in 13 adults (spinach against milk) and 11 women (kale against milk).^{5, 6}
• Supplement dose: in 21 adults, absorption rose sharply up to 500 mg and barely above it, making 500 mg the most efficient single dose.⁷
• Heart safety: a 2010 meta-analysis found more heart attacks on calcium without vitamin D (hazard ratio 1.31); a 2015 meta-analysis of 18 trials in 63,563 women found none (relative risk 1.02).^{8, 9}

Sources checked on 29 October 2026.

Which foods are highest in calcium per UK portion?

Percentages are of the 700 mg adult reference intake.^{1, 3}

Other dairy: Parmesan 1,025 mg per 100 g, halloumi 794, feta 360, mozzarella 362, cottage cheese 127, Greek-style yoghurt 126.¹ Boiled spinach shows 160 mg per 100 g, but its calcium is poorly absorbed, below.

How much calcium do you need?

700 mg a day for adults aged 19 and over, and the government's tables keep it at 700 mg from 65 to 74 and from 75, so the UK figure does not rise after the menopause.^{3, 10} Teenagers need more while bone is built: 1,000 mg a day for boys and 800 mg for girls aged 11 to 18.¹⁰ Calcium is needed for the maintenance of normal bones and teeth and contributes to normal muscle function, normal neurotransmission and normal blood clotting, its authorised roles. A glass of milk, a pot of yoghurt and a 30 g piece of Cheddar come to 705 mg.¹

What are the non-dairy sources of calcium?

The NHS vegan diet page lists fortified unsweetened soya, pea and oat drinks, calcium-set tofu, sesame seeds and tahini, pulses, bread and dried fruit such as figs.¹¹ Fortified soya drink matches cow's milk at 120 to 130 mg per 100 ml; not every plant drink is fortified, so read the carton.¹ Calcium-set tofu is the richest plant food: the US tables give 350 mg per 100 g for regular and 683 for firm, so "calcium sulphate" or "calcium chloride" on the label is what to look for.² UK flour other than wholemeal must contain 235 to 390 mg of calcium carbonate per 100 g, rising to 300 to 455 mg from 13 December 2026.¹² A vegan day of fortified soya drink on cereal (250 mg), 100 g of calcium-set tofu (350), two slices of white bread (142) and 80 g of boiled kale (185) comes to 927 mg.^{1, 2}

Why does spinach not count?

Because its calcium is locked to oxalate. In a randomised crossover study, 13 adults ate test meals of spinach or milk each containing 200 mg of labelled calcium: absorption averaged 5.1% from spinach and 27.6% from milk.⁵ Kale is the opposite case, a low-oxalate green: in 11 women, 40.9% of kale's calcium was absorbed against 32.1% from milk.⁶ Oxalate did not interfere with milk calcium eaten alongside it, so a spinach salad does not spoil the cheese on top; it simply contributes little itself.¹³ The NHS puts it plainly: spinach contains high levels of calcium but the body cannot digest it all.³

Do you need vitamin D to absorb calcium?

Yes. The NHS says vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, and advises everyone to consider a daily 10 microgram supplement in autumn and winter, with no more than 100 micrograms a day.⁴ Vitamin D contributes to normal absorption and utilisation of calcium and phosphorus. The clearest trial of the pair is in frail older women: 3,270 care-home residents averaging 84 years given 1.2 g of calcium with 20 micrograms of vitamin D a day for 18 months had 43% fewer hip fractures than placebo.¹⁴ The vitamin D guide covers dose and units, and vitamin D3 and K2 explains what vitamin K is and is not authorised to say about bone.

Calcium supplements: when, and how much at once?

Food first. A supplement is for the gap between what you eat and 700 mg, for example a dairy-free diet without fortified alternatives, or where a doctor advises it after a fracture; do you need a calcium supplement works through who has that gap. Dose matters more than form: in 21 adults given 200 to 2,000 mg as carbonate or citrate, absorption rose sharply up to 500 mg and only slightly beyond, so 500 mg at a time is the efficient dose; citrate gave a somewhat higher urinary rise than carbonate, and both forms work.⁷ The NHS says more than 1,500 mg a day could lead to stomach pain and diarrhoea.³ On the heart, a 2010 meta-analysis of calcium given without vitamin D found a 31% higher rate of heart attacks, while a 2015 meta-analysis of 18 trials in 63,563 older women found no increase in coronary events or deaths (relative risk 1.02).^{8, 9} The reasonable position is a supplement sized to the gap, in doses of 500 mg or less, with vitamin D alongside.

What we don't know

• Whether calcium supplements above food intake affect the heart. The two large analyses disagree; food calcium shows no such signal.^{8, 9}
• How much calcium is in UK calcium-set tofu. CoFID records no value; US figures vary with coagulant and firmness.²

Frequently asked questions

Which foods are high in calcium?

Tinned sardines with bones, hard cheese, milk, yoghurt, calcium-set tofu, fortified soya drinks, white and brown bread, kale, tahini and sesame, almonds and dried figs.^{1, 2}

What are the non-dairy sources of calcium?

Fortified soya, pea and oat drinks, calcium-set tofu, tinned fish with bones, kale and okra, tahini, almonds, dried figs and fortified bread; a vegan day reaches 700 mg with these.^{1, 11}

How much calcium per day in the UK?

700 mg for adults of every age from 19; 1,000 mg for boys and 800 mg for girls aged 11 to 18.^{3, 10}

Do you need vitamin D to absorb calcium?

Yes. Vitamin D regulates calcium absorption; the 10 microgram autumn-and-winter supplement is bone advice.⁴

Is banana or egg high in calcium?

No. A banana has about 6 mg and a medium boiled egg about 28 mg; neither is a calcium source.¹

Sources

1. Public Health England. McCance and Widdowson's Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID), 2021 release, table 1.4 Inorganics, calcium per 100 g. gov.uk.
2. US Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central, SR Legacy: tofu, raw, regular, prepared with calcium sulfate (FDC 172476) and tofu, raw, firm, prepared with calcium sulfate (FDC 172475), published 1 April 2019. doi.org.
3. NHS. Vitamins and minerals: calcium. Page reviewed 3 August 2020. nhs.uk. Great Britain nutrition and health claims register for the authorised wordings.
4. NHS. Vitamins and minerals: vitamin D. Page reviewed 3 August 2020. nhs.uk.
5. Heaney RP, Weaver CM, Recker RR. Calcium absorbability from spinach. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1988. PubMed 3354496. Randomised crossover isotope study, 13 adults, US government funded.
6. Heaney RP, Weaver CM. Calcium absorption from kale. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990. PubMed 2321572. Comparative isotope study, 11 women, US government funded.
7. Harvey JA, Zobitz MM, Pak CY. Dose dependency of calcium absorption: a comparison of calcium carbonate and calcium citrate. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 1988. PubMed 3213620. Oral load study, 21 adults.
8. Bolland MJ, et al. Effect of calcium supplements on risk of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular events: meta-analysis. BMJ, 2010. PubMed 20671013. Meta-analysis, 15 trials; some authors report study drugs supplied by manufacturers.
9. Lewis JR, et al. The effects of calcium supplementation on verified coronary heart disease hospitalization and death in postmenopausal women: a collaborative meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 2015. PubMed 25042841. Meta-analysis, 18 trials, 63,563 women.
10. Public Health England. Government Dietary Recommendations, August 2016, table 5 and table 6. gov.uk.
11. NHS. The vegan diet. Page reviewed 5 June 2026. nhs.uk.
12. The Bread and Flour Regulations 1998, SI 1998/141, schedule 1; The Bread and Flour (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/1162. legislation.gov.uk.
13. Heaney RP, Weaver CM. Oxalate: effect on calcium absorbability. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1989. PubMed 2801588. Crossover isotope study, 18 women.
14. Chapuy MC, et al. Vitamin D3 and calcium to prevent hip fractures in elderly women. New England Journal of Medicine, 1992. PubMed 1331788. Placebo-controlled trial, 3,270 women, 18 months.

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This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have osteoporosis, a fracture after a minor fall, kidney stones or a parathyroid condition, follow your doctor's advice on calcium and vitamin D.