Calcium Rich Foods in Spain: What to Buy and How Much

Calcium rich foods include milk, yoghurt and cheese, tinned sardines eaten with the bones, tofu set with calcium, plant drinks with added calcium, sesame, almonds, beans and green vegetables such as broccoli and kale. In Spain all of these are easy to find in any supermarket. This guide is by Dr. Pedro Yelamo Vera, a GP licensed in Spain (Colegiado No. 484814280).

Which foods have the most calcium?

Dairy foods and fish eaten with their soft bones give the most calcium per portion. MedlinePlus lists dairy as the main source in most diets.

• Milk, yoghurt and cheese: hard and cured cheese packs a lot of calcium into a small piece. Skimmed milk has the same calcium as whole milk.
• Tinned fish with bones: sardines and salmon, as long as you eat the soft bones.
• Foods with added calcium: soya, oat or almond drinks, some plant yoghurts, breakfast cereals and some juices.
• Calcium-set tofu: check the label for calcium sulphate.

What are calcium rich foods called in a Spanish supermarket?

Labels are in Spanish, so these are the words to look for at Mercadona, Carrefour, Lidl, Dia or your local market:

• Milk: leche entera (whole), semidesnatada (semi-skimmed), desnatada (skimmed), sin lactosa (lactose-free).
• Yoghurt: yogur natural. Cheese: queso curado or semicurado, such as manchego.
• Tinned sardines: sardinas en lata. Tinned salmon: salmón en lata.
• Plant drinks: bebida de soja, avena or almendra. Look for con calcio or enriquecida con calcio.
• Tofu: check for sulfato cálcico on the label.
• Greens and beans: brócoli, col rizada or kale, berza, garbanzos, alubias blancas.
• Nuts and seeds: almendras, sésamo, tahini or tahín. Dried figs: higos secos.

Organic plant drinks (ecológico or bio) often have no added calcium. Check the label before you buy.

How much calcium do you need a day?

It depends on your age and on who sets the figure, and Spain, the UK and the US do not use the same numbers.

• EU (EFSA), used as the reference in Spain: about 1,000 mg a day from 18 to 24, and about 950 mg a day from 25.
• UK (NHS): adults aged 19 to 64 need 700 mg a day.
• US (MedlinePlus): 1,000 mg a day for adults aged 19 to 50, and 1,200 mg a day for women from 51 and everyone from 71. Children aged 1 to 3 need 700 mg, aged 4 to 8 need 1,000 mg, and teens aged 9 to 18 need 1,300 mg.

These are totals for your whole diet. They are not a guide to tablets. Most people get enough from a varied diet with two or three portions of dairy or calcium-added options a day.

How do you get enough calcium without dairy?

You can, if you choose foods with added calcium and spread a few sources across the day.

• Lactose intolerance: lactose-free milk has the same calcium. Yoghurt and hard cheese are low in lactose, and many people can eat them.
• Vegan or no milk: pick plant drinks and yoghurts with added calcium, plus calcium-set tofu, beans, almonds, sesame, broccoli and kale. Spinach and chard hold on to their calcium, so your body uses little of it.
• Milk allergy: ask a doctor, especially for a child, so the diet stays complete.

Your body needs vitamin D to take in calcium. If a test showed a low level, read about low vitamin D on a blood test.

Who needs more calcium?

• Children and teens, while their bones grow.
• Women after the menopause, and people over 70.
• People who avoid dairy, eat a vegan diet or have lactose intolerance.
• People with coeliac disease, Crohn's disease or other problems that affect how food is absorbed.
• People who take steroid tablets for a long time, or who have osteoporosis.
• Teenagers who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

When does a calcium supplement need a doctor?

A supplement is only needed when your diet falls short or you have a condition such as osteoporosis, and a doctor should advise on it. More calcium than you need does not make bones stronger.

• Too much calcium from tablets can cause constipation and kidney stones.
• Calcium can stop some medicines working well. These include thyroid tablets (levothyroxine), some antibiotics, iron and some bone medicines.
• Many products also contain vitamin D. The Spanish medicines agency (AEMPS) has warned about serious cases of high calcium from taking too much vitamin D.
• Ask first if you have had kidney stones, have kidney or heart disease, or have been told your calcium is high.

The doctor decides whether you need one, which type and for how long. The amount is set by the prescription or the leaflet. Our guide to osteoporosis follow-up in Spain explains which records to bring.

When to see a doctor

• You cannot eat dairy and are not sure you get enough calcium.
• You broke a bone after a small fall, or you were told you have osteoporosis.
• You take steroids, thyroid tablets or stomach medicines for a long time.
• You want to start a supplement, or you take one with other medicines.
• Your child does not drink milk because of an allergy or a family choice.

Call 112 if you have chest pain, sudden confusion, you faint or you find it very hard to breathe.

Frequently asked questions about calcium rich foods

Getting a medical assessment

If you are in Spain and want to know if you get enough calcium, you can book a video consultation with Dr. Pedro Yelamo Vera, a physician registered in Spain. You can also read about blood test results reviews and Hidroferol, the vitamin D capsule. A prescription is never guaranteed: it is issued only where clinically appropriate after a genuine evaluation, as a private electronic prescription under Spanish law. This service is for urgent, non-emergency care. In an emergency, call 112.

This guide is general information. It does not replace the package leaflet or the advice of your doctor or pharmacist.