What it is
Ninety-nine percent of your calcium is structure — bone and teeth — with the last one percent running muscle contraction, nerve signaling, and blood clotting. That one percent is non-negotiable, so when intake falls short, your skeleton pays the difference: the body quietly withdraws from bone to keep the blood level exact.
How much
Reference intakes sit around 1000 mg a day for most adults, rising to ~1200 mg for women after menopause and older adults. And calcium works a partnership: without vitamin D, absorption drops — the two are worth thinking about together.
How well it's tracked
Reasonably: calcium is a common label line and well covered for dairy and fortified foods. Expect fair numbers, with home-cooked vegetable sources undercounted here and there.
Food sources
Dairy is the efficient classic — milk, yogurt, cheese. Beyond it: fortified plant milks and tofu (check the label — fortification varies), canned sardines and salmon with bones, almonds, and leafy greens like kale. If you've cut dairy, hitting the number takes actual intention; this is one of the predictable gaps worth a floor goal.
In the app
Calcium's Insights card tracks your trend with contributors per day — a quick way to check whether your dairy-free strategy is actually adding up.