There is a lot of media attention toward drinking your milk - "Milk does the body good" it is where we get our required dose of calcium... what they don't share is that we are also ingesting pus, blood, hormones and chemicals all of which can cause indigestion and inflammation. Calcium is an important mineral for bone health, muscle health (in it's relationship to magnesium) and more and milk does have high concentrations of it - about 300 mg per 1 cup. There is also chatter on the internet around whether or not that is too much and whether or not we can even metabolize and benefit from the calcium in pasteurized milk. I am happy to share that there are other ways to get it - with better benefit and without the negative side effects.
1 cup of baked beans = 127 mg
1/2 cup cooked white beans = 63 mg
1 cup of broccoli = 74 mg
2/3 cup of broccoli rabe (pronounced rob) = 100 mg (this is broccoli's more bitter cousin)
1 cup of cooked collard greens = 268 mg
1 cup of raw kale = 101 mg
1 cup of cooked spinach = 277 mg
1 cup of shredded bok choy = 74 mg
1 cup of okra = 82 mg
1 cup of low fat fruit yogurt = 338 mg (low fat should be an entire conversation in itself)
2 oz of Almonds = 150 mg
1/2 cup of dried figs = 121 mg
4 oz of Chocolate pudding = 102 mg (not the healthiest but a fun treat in small doses)
1/2 cup of firm tofu = 204 mg (if you can find non-gmo...)
1 cup cooked edamame = 98 mg
3.75 oz can of sardines = 351 mg (watch the sodium here though)
1 large orange = 74 mg
The daily goal is listed as 800 mg for kids aged 4-8, 1,300 for ages 9 - 18 and 1,000 for ages 19 - 50.
Broaden your horizons, your meal plan and your calcium intake with searching for recipes using some of the above ingredients.