Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium

February's Dance Magazine has a great article on bone health, "The Bone Bank" (not available online, unfortunately). If you haven't read your copy, take a look as the author, Nancy Wozny, creates a great image of your bones as a bank that you only get to make deposits on for a few key years after which, the bank pretty much closes. (Read the whole article for the specifics!)Wozny also gives information on common sources of calcium, which reminded me that I have been meaning to post about non-dairy sources of calcium. Some people don't like dairy or their bodies don't process it well, and the good news is you don't have to drink milk or eat cheese in order to get your daily intake of calcium (which is between 800-1,000 mgs for adolescents). Try some of these options instead or in addition to your usual dairy go-tos:

• Spinach- 1 cup- 240 mg calcium
• Collard greens- 1 cup- 250 mg
• Kale- 1 cup- 249 mg
• Amaranth - 1 cup- 267 mg
• Buckwheat- 1 cup- 114 mg
• Chick peas- 1 cup- 150 mg
• Sunflower seeds- 3.5 ounces- 120 mg
• Sesame seeds (whole, not hulled)- 3.5 ounces- 1160 mg
• Pistachios- 3.5 ounces- 131 mg
• Orange- 1 large- 75 mg
• Papaya- 1 medium- 75 mg

Also, remember that calcium cannot be absorbed properly without Vitamin D3- the sunshine vitamin; if you aren't getting some daily exposure to sun, here are a few common sources of that as well:

• Eggs
• Salmon
• Tuna
• Oily fish like mackerel and sardines

Keep those bones dense and strong!