Calcium

Easy to get from the right foods — but worth planning, because your bones depend on it.

• Supplement: rarely needed
• Last checked: Oct 2026

Calcium is one of the nutrients where a vegan diet works perfectly well — but only if you include the right foods on purpose.

Why you need it

Calcium builds your bones and keeps your teeth healthy. It also helps your muscles contract — including your heartbeat — and your blood to clot normally. A long-term lack can lead to weak bones later in life (osteomalacia or osteoporosis).

Why it matters for vegans

Research on vegans in the UK is worth knowing about:

• A 2007 study found vegans had more fractures than meat-eaters — but vegans who got at least 525 mg of calcium a day had the same risk as everyone else. The researchers put the difference down to low calcium intake.
• A later study (2020) found vegans had more hip fractures even after taking calcium into account, and concluded that bone health in vegans needs more research.

The part you can control is clear: get enough calcium, and enough vitamin D, which your body needs to absorb it.

Where to get it

Most reliable — eat some of these every day:

• Calcium-fortified plant milks and yogurts. Organic ones are usually not fortified, so check the label.
• Calcium-set tofu — look for calcium sulphate (E516) or calcium chloride (E509) on the ingredients list.
• Fortified breakfast cereals and breads.

Also useful: kale, broccoli, pak choi, watercress, Brussels sprouts, tahini and sesame seeds, almonds, dried figs and white beans.

Not a good main source: spinach and rhubarb. They contain calcium, but also oxalates that stop your body absorbing most of it.

How much?

• The NHS recommends 700 mg a day for adults.
• The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) sets 950 mg a day for adults aged 25 and over, and 1000 mg for 18–24-year-olds, who are still building bone.

A glass of fortified plant milk, a portion of calcium-set tofu and some greens across the day goes a long way — fortified products list their calcium on the label, so it’s easy to add up.

Should you supplement?

Usually not. If you eat calcium-rich foods every day, food is enough. If you don’t, a supplement helps. Taking 1500 mg a day or less from supplements is unlikely to cause harm; more can cause stomach pain and diarrhoea.

How to check

The best check is your plate: count your calcium-rich foods for a few days.

Something wrong or unclear on this page? Tell me