Calcium for pH Balance

Calcium for pH Balance

Calcium is one of the 5 elements of the PRAL calculation for pH Balance Diet Scores.

There is some interesting science behind that, but I like to provide easy to use tables so you can focus on food, not formulas. I only mention the science so you understand that PRAL is a proven method for estimating alkaline diets. Others rely on science fantasy, Foodary uses science fact.

Speaking of facts, always remember that, despite it’s precision, PRAL is really an estimate to guide you towards pH balance. It’s a great tool for checking the important things relating to alkaline diet:

  • Is my total diet is alkaline?
  • Do I eat sufficient acidic foods?
  • Which food changes will improve my alkaline diet?

Calcium is one of the alkaline components of PRAL. Eating more calcium rich foods is generally good for an alkaline diet, but never eat excesses of any single nutrient. Government guidelines recommend a minimum Daily Value of 1,000 mg. That’s an average recommendation for a 2,000 calorie diet. If your energy requirements are different, or health conditions make you need to change, then set your own personal daily calcium requirement. In fact, the World Health Organization suggest that 500mg per day provides sufficient calcium.

Traditional sources of calcium have been milk and dairy products. Modern nutrition advice goes beyond this simple view, the relevant points being:

  • Milk and dairy foods should be limited to two servings per day to avoid vitamin A (retinol) overload
  • Good vegetable sources of calcium generally contain vitamin K which is also good for bone health
  • Calcium is vital for bone health, but it needs vitamin D. I will explain more about vitamin D in a separate article.
  • Weight-bearing exercise is important to encourage bone growth.

High Calcium Foods photoAll this means that managing calcium is more than just counting milligrams. Until I extend the database I use for nutrition data, I cannot provide the detailed analysis that is needed for the best diet planning. However, we are advised to switch from dairy sources of calcium, which was also mentioned in relation to alkaline beverages. My list of foods high in calcium will help you do that. Also, if your diet has a high proportion of foods from the following list, be careful that you do not overload on calcium.

Foods High in Calcium list

The table lists foods in order of highest calcium per 100 calorie serving. You can change the order by clicking on any heading, and repeat clicks will reverse the sort order.

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 PRAL Nutrients Explanation Cals Help PRAL Help Pro
tein Help		 Phos
phorus Help		 Potas
sium Help		 Mag
nesium Help		 Cal
cium Help

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 Long Description 100 Kcal Serve (g) PRAL Score Pro
tein (g)		 Phos
phorus (mg)		 Potas
sium (mg)		 Mag
nesium (mg)		 Cal
cium (mg)

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, Whole Grain TOTAL 31 -12 2.6 83 96 25 1,042

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 Turnip greens, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 500 -25 5.7 145 1,015 110 685

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, TOTAL Raisin Bran 32 -9 1.8 61 162 19 605

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 Spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 435 -45 12.9 243 2,026 378 591

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 Spinach, canned, regular pack, drained solids 435 -34 12.2 191 1,504 330 552

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 Cheese, swiss, low fat 56 11 15.9 338 62 20 537

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 Mustard greens, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 385 -9 9.8 162 623 50 454

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 Spinach, frozen, chopped or leaf, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 294 -20 11.8 147 888 241 450

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 Chicory greens, raw 435 -36 7.4 204 1,826 130 435

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 Spinach, raw 435 -51 12.4 213 2,426 343 430

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 Collards, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 303 -7 8.2 97 355 64 427

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 Parsley, raw 278 -31 8.3 161 1,539 139 383

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 Cheese, pasteurized process, american, low fat 56 16 13.7 459 100 13 380

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 Milk, nonfat, fluid, with added vitamin A and vitamin D (fat free or skim) 294 1 9.9 297 459 32 359

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 Milk, nonfat, fluid, without added vitamin A and vitamin D (fat free or skim) 294 1 9.9 297 459 32 359

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 Pickles, cucumber, dill or kosher dill 833 -16 5.0 100 767 58 350

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 Milk, dry, nonfat, regular, without added vitamin A and vitamin D 28 -1 10.0 267 496 30 347

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 USDA Commodity, cheese, cheddar, reduced fat 35 7 9.6 207 33 12 321

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 Cheese, mozzarella, part skim milk 39 6 9.6 182 33 9 308

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 Endive, raw 588 -35 7.4 165 1,847 88 306

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 Orange juice, chilled, includes from concentrate, fortified with calcium and vitamin D 213 -8 1.4 100 379 23 298

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 Orange juice, chilled, includes from concentrate, fortified with calcium 213 -8 1.4 100 379 23 298

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 Milk, lowfat, fluid, 1% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D 238 0 8.0 226 357 26 298

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 Soymilk, original and vanilla, with added calcium, vitamins A and D 233 -4 6.0 100 284 35 286

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 Cheese, pasteurized process, american, with di sodium phosphate 27 4 5.0 175 36 7 286

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 Cheese, parmesan, grated 23 6 8.9 169 29 9 257

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 Kale, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 357 -15 6.8 100 814 64 257

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 Celery, raw 625 -31 4.3 150 1,625 69 250

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 Cheese, mozzarella, part skim milk, low moisture 33 7 8.6 174 31 9 242

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 Lettuce, green leaf, raw 667 -21 9.1 193 1,293 87 240

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 Milk, reduced fat, fluid, 2% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D 200 0 6.6 184 280 22 240

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 Onions, spring or scallions (includes tops and bulb), raw 313 -16 5.7 116 863 63 225

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 Cheese product, pasteurized process, cheddar or american, reduced fat 42 10 7.3 345 138 14 220

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 Cheese, provolone 28 5 7.3 141 39 8 215

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 Cabbage, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 435 -14 5.5 143 852 65 209

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 Cheese, swiss 26 6 7.1 149 20 10 208

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 Cheese food, pasteurized process, american, without di sodium phosphate 30 3 5.1 133 77 8 207

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 Yogurt, vanilla, low fat, 11 grams protein per 8 ounce 118 0 5.8 159 258 19 201

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 Cheese, monterey 27 4 6.6 119 22 7 200

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 Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw 588 -25 7.2 176 1,453 82 194

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 Cheese spread, pasteurized process, american, without di sodium phosphate 34 9 5.7 302 83 10 194

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 Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D 164 0 5.2 138 216 16 185

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 Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice 588 -21 4.6 112 1,106 65 182

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 Broccoli, frozen, spears, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 357 -5 11.1 196 643 71 182

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 Cheese, cheddar 25 5 6.2 127 24 7 179

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 Cheese, colby 25 4 6.0 116 32 7 174

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, FIBER ONE 50 -1 3.3 100 184 27 167

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 Milk, chocolate, fluid, commercial, lowfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D 141 0 4.6 145 239 18 163

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 Cabbage, raw 400 -11 5.1 104 680 48 160

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, KIX 28 -1 2.2 53 62 14 160

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 Cheese sauce, prepared from recipe 51 3 5.2 116 72 10 158

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 Beans, snap, green, canned, regular pack, drained solids 400 -7 5.0 84 424 52 152

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 Beans, snap, green, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained without salt 357 -9 5.3 104 568 68 150

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 Yogurt, fruit, low fat, 10 grams protein per 8 ounce 98 0 4.3 117 191 15 149

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 Yogurt, fruit, low fat, 10 grams protein per 8 ounce, fortified with vitamin D 98 0 4.3 117 191 15 149

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 Crustaceans, shrimp, mixed species, canned 100 13 20.4 195 80 33 145

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 Yogurt, fruit, lowfat, with low calorie sweetener 95 1 4.6 127 185 15 145

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 Yogurt, fruit, lowfat, with low calorie sweetener, fortified with vitamin D 95 1 4.6 127 185 15 145

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 Milk, chocolate, fluid, commercial, reduced fat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D 132 0 3.9 134 222 18 143

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 Formulated bar, POWER BAR, chocolate 28 2 3.9 169 100 68 139

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 Juice, apple, grape and pear blend, with added ascorbic acid and calcium 192 -5 0.3 21 171 12 138

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 Broccoli, raw 294 -12 8.3 194 929 62 138

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 Squash, summer, all varieties, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 500 -16 4.6 195 960 120 135

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 Milk, chocolate, fluid, commercial, whole, with added vitamin A and vitamin D 120 0 3.8 122 201 16 135

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 Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, stewed 385 -15 3.5 77 796 46 131

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 Lettuce, iceberg (includes crisphead types), raw 714 -16 6.4 143 1,007 50 129

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 Beans, snap, green, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 286 -6 5.4 83 417 51 126

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 Cheese, ricotta, whole milk 57 4 6.5 91 60 6 119

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 Broccoli, frozen, chopped, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 357 -1 11.1 175 507 46 118

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 Spices, chili powder 35 -11 4.8 106 691 53 117

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 Cucumber, peeled, raw 833 -19 4.9 175 1,133 100 117

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 Mollusks, oyster, eastern, wild, raw 196 4 11.2 190 306 35 116

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 Soup, clam chowder, new england, canned, prepared with equal volume low fat (2%) milk 164 5 5.3 284 293 20 115

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 Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 286 -10 6.8 191 837 60 114

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, LUCKY CHARMS 26 1 2.0 76 58 19 114

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 Crustaceans, crab, blue, cooked, moist heat 120 12 21.5 282 312 43 110

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, CHEERIOS 26 0 3.2 127 170 34 106

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 Cereals, QUAKER, corn grits, instant, plain, dry 28 0 2.0 33 45 12 105

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 Asparagus, cooked, boiled, drained 455 -10 10.9 245 1,018 64 105

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 Sauce, salsa, ready-to-serve 345 -16 5.3 117 983 52 103

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, COOKIE CRISP 26 -1 1.4 41 61 8 101

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, Rice CHEX 27 0 1.8 39 44 8 99

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 Waffles, plain, frozen, ready -to-heat, toasted 32 4 2.3 138 46 8 98

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 Bread, white, commercially prepared (includes soft bread crumbs) 38 1 3.5 39 43 9 98

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 Cereals, oats, instant, fortified, plain, dry 28 2 3.3 117 101 35 97

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 Waffle, buttermilk, frozen, ready-to-heat, toasted 32 4 2.4 144 45 7 97

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, COCOA PUFFS 26 0 1.5 58 71 15 97

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 Fast Food, Pizza Chain, 14″ Pizza, cheese topping, thin crust 33 3 4.3 98 66 8 95

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, HONEY NUT CHEERIOS 27 0 2.3 76 109 23 95

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 Carrots, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 270 -9 1.6 84 519 30 95

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, Multi-Grain Cheerios 27 -1 2.2 76 133 15 95

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, QUAKER OAT LIFE, plain 27 2 2.7 113 76 26 94

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 Ice creams, vanilla, light 56 0 2.7 57 116 8 89

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, Corn CHEX 27 0 1.7 35 53 7 87

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 Mustard, prepared, yellow 149 2 6.5 158 206 73 87

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 Carrots, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 286 -12 2.2 86 671 29 86

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 Oranges, raw, all commercial varieties 213 -8 2.0 30 385 21 85

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, REESE’S PUFFS 24 0 1.6 50 59 13 84

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 Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, Honey Nut CHEX 27 -1 1.7 17 42 7 83

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 Cream, fluid, half and half 77 0 2.3 73 100 8 81

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 Carrots, raw 244 -14 2.3 85 780 29 80

 
 

High Calcium Key Foods List

Calcium can certainly help improve your pH balance diet. But, just focusing on calcium is not the right way to plan an alkaline diet. If you believe you have too little calcium in your diet, then this list will help you find better food choices. Similarly, if you have too much calcium in your diet, then reducing intake of some of these high calcium foods will give you better balance.

If you have any questions, experiences, or opinions about calcium in your diet, please join the Calcium for pH Balance discussion.