Ask the experts: Calcium sources

Q: “I’m 44 years old and all my life I’ve disliked most milk and dairy products (although I do eat edam cheese and I’m partial to sour cream on nachos!). How can I get enough calcium in my diet?”

Karen

A: HFG senior nutritionist Rose Carr responds:

There are other good sources of calcium, such as canned sardines, mussels, prawns and tofu, and if you’re eating these foods on a daily basis you may be getting enough calcium. Although many foods contain smaller amounts of calcium, without dairy or calcium-enriched dairy alternatives in your diet it can be difficult to get the recommended amount and you may need to consider taking a supplement. As an example, in our week menu plans we tend to average 1100-1300mg daily calcium intake over the week, but if all dairy serves were removed, this would drop to around 500-700mg. As a 44-year-old woman, it’s recommended you aim to average 1000mg calcium each day.