In all my years of talking with patients and students about kidney stone prevention, not one of them has said to me, “Oh Jill, don’t worry. I get plenty of calcium each day.” Most adults don’t get anywhere near the amount of calcium they need.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation “recommends that women aged 50 and younger get 1,000 mg of calcium from all sources daily and that women aged 51 and older get 1,200 mg. For men, NOF recommends 1,000 mg of calcium daily for those age 70 and younger and 1,200 mg for men age 71 and older.”
We recommend the same amounts of daily calcium in kidney stone prevention. Not only does your skeleton need the calcium, but in stone disease, it is how we rid our bodies of excess oxalate. Many of you overate high oxalate foods like spinach and nuts all day, but the combination of this and not getting much calcium in your diet made it the perfect storm for a stone incident.
We do like all calcium to be gotten from foods and not supplements. Supplements in pill form have been shown to increase stone risk. Of course, if your doctor has prescribed calcium supplements because you have had bariatric surgery or have other malabsorption issues, take them as directed.
Many people do not or will not drink milk for various reasons. And many people don’t eat dairy products at all. It certainly makes it harder to get your calcium needs met, especially when you take away some of the best vegan sources like spinach, almonds, and almond milk. Below you will find a list that will help get your needs met without breaking your oxalate goals!
Remember to get your calcium throughout the day, split up to no more than 500mg at a time, not over, as the body will have a more challenging time absorbing it all at once. And don’t go over your total calcium requirements per day. More is not better. Except maybe for fluids!
Also, I am not telling you to have the below foods in the portion sizes listed. I am merely writing down the oxalate and calcium levels by the portion sizes they were measured. You can eat less (or more) of the listed portion size.
Non-Dairy Calcium Sources
Fortified Coconut, Rice, Flax, Oat, and Pea
Although these milks have been fortified, it is easier for the body to absorb the calcium because it’s already broken down. Shake the containers up before pouring. You want to make sure the calcium is properly mixed up and getting in your glass.
No oxalate in this milk. You can get the bulk of your calcium needs met this way.
Orange Juice
Get the lower sugar variety and check that they have added calcium. The brand Simply Orange Juice (light) has over 350 mg of calcium and no added sugar. That being said, it still has 23 grams of naturally occurring sugar and will not suit people with diabetes. You can always choose 1/2 the portion size and drink 4 ounces. You still get 175 mg of calcium and 11 grams of naturally occurring sugar. (Oxalate is LOW. Oranges are high because of the pith).
Canned sardines
One can is known to have up to 800 mg of calcium, zero oxalates. Get a lower sodium option.
Canned pink salmon with bones
You can get up to 232 mg of calcium without any oxalate. Watch sodium in these products.
Fortified cereals like Cheerios
Check labels on cereals and see how their calcium level stacks up. Cheerios has about 130 per 3/4 cup. And if you have it with non-dairy milk, well, there you go!
Fortified English Muffins
Check labels on each brand. Calcium levels will vary, and so will sodium. The best one is the one that is lower sodium and higher calcium. Oxalate is around 8.
Broccoli
43 mg calcium/1 cup chopped
12 mg oxalate/1 cup chopped
Peas
36 mg calcium/1 cup
2 mg oxalate/1 cup
Chinese Cabbage (bok choy)
74 mg calcium/1 cup
4 mg oxalate/1cup
Kale
101 mg calcium/1 cup chopped
2 mg oxlate/1 cup chopped
Mustard Greens
64 mg calcium/1 cup chopped
4 mg oxalate/1 cup chopped
Sunflower Seeds
109 mg calcium/1 cup
12 mg oxalate/1cup
Pistachio Nuts
129 mg calcium/1 cup
about 60 mg/1 cup
Mung Beans (raw)
273 mg calcium/1 cup
16 mg oxalate/1 cup
Red Kidney Beans
263 mg calcium/1 cup
30 mg oxalate/1 cup
Oatmeal
187 calcium/1 cup cooked
0 oxalate/1 cup
So Delicious Coconutmilk Plain “Yogurt”
420 mg calcium/ 3/4 cup
0 oxalate
Let me know what non-dairy foods and drinks you have been using to get your daily calcium needs met.
I’m switching to fortified oatmilk as a low oxalate, calcium rich, plant based milk (switching from soy milk). Question: Oatly “Barista Edition” is vitamin and calcium enriched but it contains “dipotassium phosphate” and some other phosphates and I could not determine any oxalate content of whatever that is, but in the old days when I had my first stone (1994) back then I was told no phosphates (… and lots of other restrictions much different from much of today’s guidance). If possible, could you please advise regarding oxalate content of dipotassium phosphate and or any other kidney stone risk associated with the ingredient? Thanks so very much.
Hi Jessica,
I would not worry about oxalate and dipotassium phosphate. If you have been told to limit phosphate bc of kidney disease than this might be an ingredient you should not have.
j
Does “fortified” not mean an additional calcium addition made by the manufacturer? How does the addition of calcium made by the manufacturer differ from my supplementation with calcium citrate tablets? Thanks.
Hi Alin-
It does indeed. Bit easier to metabolize in this form-
Jill
I just read about fish oil helping with calcium absorption: Researchers at Massey University in New Zealand found that fish oil increases calcium absorption, bone calcium content and bone mineral density, according to a study published in “Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes, and Essential Fatty Acids” in November 2005. The scientists found that DHA increased calcium in bone more effectively than EPA. Luckily, I have to take a lot of fish oil for hyper triglycerides.
This isn’t for me, it’s for my dog, lol. I’ve been home cooking for him since he was diagnosed with kidney disease last year. I want him to get the most out of his food, doing tons of research and that led me to learning all about anti-nutrients, oxalates being just one of them.
I need him to be getting calcium but stopped eggshells when I discovered they kill stomach acid that’s required for proper digestion and to access the nutrients in food.
Sardines and canned salmon I can do, although those have issues of their own. Do you know if calcium citrate is fine in regards to stomach acid? I should probably be taking some kind of calcium supplement myself!
Hi Jodie,
Talk to your vet. Pups are not my specialty, but I hope that yours feels better soon!
j
Okay, never mind giving it to my dogs, lol. I won’t take calcium carbonate either on account of it neutralizing stomach acid. Do you know if calcium citrate does as well? I’m not a fan of canned sardines or salmon. I can only eat so much broccoli.
And my vet likely won’t have a clue. Most of them don’t know about nutrition. My dog would actually be dead almost 9 months now had I listened to them.
I had always heard the calcium in green leaf veggies and in broccoli is not very absorbed in our body!
I’m so confused.
Hi Kath
,
Calcium can be harder to absorb no matter where you get it from. Keep it simple, get it from sources that work best for you and your needs. Dairy or non dairy milk, veggies, and make sure your vitamin D blood levels are where they should be so you are absorbing calcium best you can. My blog has ways to get it whether you are using dairy or not. Kidneystonediet.com/blog
j
Jill, THANK YOU for taking the time to share so much information. As I make my own oat and flax milk I guess that I should not consider them as a calcium source.
I wonder if I can purchase, the calcium that the manufactures add to the oat milk. I will start my round of research on this topic.
Quite honestly, if something is fortified, is it really any different than taking a calcium supplement? I just cannot do dairy anymore. I’ve asked my urologist if I can take a calcium supplement instead, and he thinks it’s fine.
Besides, those other “milks” have too much sugar and filler in them.
Hi Jason,
Calcium supplements can increase stone risk but if you must take them please take them with food.
Hello, Jill.
The calcium value indicated for sunflower seeds and pistachio nuts: is that a cup measured with or without the shells?
Thanks!
Krissy,
Without.
I have just started my kidney stone diet routine. I found a supplement “Coral Calcium powder form–1/4tsp=250mg….I add the powder to my smoothie or in a simple cup of water or juice I make. After will see how I do in a few months. I have 3 stones on the left (2.3mil) and 2 on the left (4Mil)
Sondra,
If you must get your calcium from a supplement (best by food) make sure you are taking it with food.
j
I have just started my kidney stone diet routine. I found a supplement “Coral Calcium powder form(quantum Nutrition labs product)–1/4tsp=250mg….I add the powder to my smoothie or in a simple cup of water or juice I make. After will see how I do in a few months. I have 3 stones on the left (2.3mil) and 2 on the left (4Mil)
Once that cup of raw broccoli is steamed, does it retain the 43 mg. of calcium? Is it true that steaming vegetables makes them more nutritionally available to us? Thank you!
Hi Suzanne,
I do not think that is true.
j
That’s a lot of calcium to ingest as food… can’t really add up to 1200, except with 3 glasses milk or 2 cups of Greek yogurt, not to mention the added calories. Eating sardines is an option, but who can eat a can of salt fee sardines!? And I’d have to eat cups and cups of kale and spinach just to add 100-200 mg calcium, and that will add to my oxalate load. I’m 90% plant plant based, so this small amount of dairy or milk is outside my norm, but I see few options. I’m on my 3rd lithotripsy— last one unsuccessful.
Hi Diana,
You can also use non dairy milks and oj if you like. Read about these options here:https://kidneystonediet.com/oxalate-content-of-plant-based-milk/
j
Hi Jill,
Is it true that calcium citrate is the best form of calcium to take if someone need a little supplementation to go along with their diet?
Hi Lisa,
Not necessarily. Your doc will know best as I don’t have your urine report. Also, typically once patients are educated they have no problems getting their calcium needs met. Just a couple glasses of non dairy milk will get you there for the most part!
jh
Why is 1c chopped broccoli listed here as 2mg oxalates but on the Harvard list it’s 12?
Thanks for all you do Jill
Hi April,
Go by the Harvard list. I will update.
j
Hi Jill, the amount of calcium for red kidney beans is for lone cup raw.
I looked it up.