Evidence-Based Nutrient Recommendations
Evidence-Based Nutrient Recommendations

Calcium and Oxalate Content of Foods

2 comments
Calcium and Oxalate Content of Selected Foods
food serving grams kcal ca
(mg)		 ca absorption ca absorbed
(mg)		 oxalate
total (mg)		 oxalate
soluble (mg)
Almonds—whole kernals, dry roasted 1/4 cup 35 206 92A 21%B, * 19* 151D
Beans – navy—boiled 1/2 cup 91 127 63A 76C
Beans – refried pinto—vegetarian, canned 1/2 cup 121 100 42A 17%B, * 7* 16C
Beets—boiled, drained 1/2 cup 85 37 14A 41E 29E
Bok choy—shredded, boiled, drained 1/2 cup 85 10 79A 40%F 32 20F 20F
Bok choy—shredded, raw 1 cup 70 9 74A 2C
Bread—spelt 100 19G 4G
Bread—white slice 27 79 32A 3G 2G
Bread—whole-wheat slice 42 128 15A 6C 11C
Broccoli—boiled, drained 1/2 cup 78 27 31A 3E 2E
Broccoli—chopped, raw 1 cup 91 31 43A 13E 4E
Brussels sprouts—boiled, drained 1 cup 78 28 28A 5E 2E
Carrots—raw medium 61 25 20A 27E 19E
Carrots—slices, boiled, drained 1/2 cup 78 27 23A 14E 11E
Cashews—roasted 1/4 cup 34 197 15A 59C
Cauliflower—chopped, raw 1 cup 107 27 24A 1C
Celery—raw 1/2 cup 51 8 20A 4C
Cocoa powder—dry 1 tbl 5 12 7A 34D
Greens – beet—raw 1 cup 38 8 44A 231H
Greens – collard—chopped, boiled, drained 1/2 cup 95 31 134A
Greens – collard—chopped, raw 1 cup 36 12 84A 10C
Greens – mustard—chopped, boiled, drained 1/2 cup 70 18 83A 40%F 33 4C
Greens – turnip—chopped, boiled, drained 1/2 cup 72 14 99A
Greens – turnip—chopped, raw 1 cup 55 18 104A 15H
Hazelnuts—chopped 1/4 cup 29 181 33A 48D
Hazelnuts—chopped 1/4 cup 29 181 33A 64D
Hummus—commercial 2 tbl 30 50 11A 8C
Kale—raw 1 cup 67 33 100A 2C
Kale—chopped, boiled, drained 1/2 cup 65 18 47A 40%I 19 1C
Kale—frozen, boiled, drained 1/2 cup 65 20 90A 40%I 36
Macadamia—raw 1/4 cup 34 241 28A 14D
Milk – cow 200 84 250A 22%J 55
Milk – cow 160 67 200A 28%K 56
Milk – cow 32 13 40A 65%L 26
Milk – cow 1 cup 244 102 305A
Milk – soy—calcium fortified 1 cup 70 300M
Milk – soy—calcium fortified 58 250 21%J 53
Milk – soy—calcium fortified 9 40 65%L 26
Molasses 1 tbl 21 61 43A 0C
Okra—raw 1 cup 100 33 82A 50H
Orange—large, 3 in” diameter, raw 1 184 86 74A 29C
Parsley—chopped, raw 1 tbl 4 1 5A 63H
Peanuts—all types, raw 1/4 cup 37 207 34A 35C
Pecans—chopped 1/4 cup 27 127 19A 10C
Pistachios—raw 1/4 cup 31 173 32A 15C
Potato—boiled 1 cup 156 134 12A 39E 27E
Potato—baked 1 cup 122 113 18A 38E 33E
Potato – sweet—raw 1 cup 133 114 40A 28C
Radish—slices, raw 1/2 cup 58 9 14A 0C
Rhubarb—stalks, boiled, drained 1/2 cup 120 139 174A 9%F 16 371E 106E
Rolls—rye roll 36 103 11A 6G 3G
Rolls—white roll 38 105 35A 8G 3G
Soy protein concentrate 1 oz 28 92 50A 27C
Soybeans—boiled, drained 1/2 cup 88 149 88A 4C
Spinach—boiled, drained 1/2 cup 90 21 122A 414E 96E
Spinach—boiled, drained 1/2 cup 90 21 122A 5%K 6 291K
Spinach—raw 1 cup 30 7 30A 344E 241E
Swiss chard – green—chopped, boiled, drained 1/2 cup 88 18 51A 293E 86E
Swiss chard – red—chopped, boiled, drained 1/2 cup 88 18 51A 375E 106E
Tahini 1 tbl 15 89 64A 21%B, * 13* 16C
Tofu—prepared w/ ca sulfate, firm 1/2 cup 126 88 253A 17C
Walnuts—chopped 1/4 cup 29 191 29A 8C
Watercress—chopped, raw 1 cup 34 4 41A 36H
* Calcium absorption was estimated, not directly tested.
A. USDA National Nutrient Database
B. Weaver, 1994
C. Oxalate Content of Foods, 2007
D. Massey, 2007
E. Chai, 2005
F. Weaver, 1997
G. Siener, 2006
H. Oxalic Acid Content of Selected Vegetables, 2013
I. Heaney, 1990
J. Zhao, 2005
K. Heaney, 1988
L. Tang, 2010
M. Wildwood, 2013

Bibliography

Chai, 2005. Chai W, Liebman M. Effect of different cooking methods on vegetable oxalate content. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Apr 20;53(8):3027-30.

Heaney, 1988. Heaney RP, Weaver CM, Recker RR. Calcium absorbability from spinach. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Apr;47(4):707-9.

The calcium content of spinach was measured in this study to be 200 mg per 477.5 mg of oxalate. 1/2 cup of boiled spinach contains 122 mg of calcium per the USDA database and would, therefore contain about 291 mg of oxalate.

Heaney, 1990. Heaney RP, Weaver CM. Calcium absorption from kale. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990 Apr;51(4):656-7.

Massey, 2007. Massey LK. Food oxalate: factors affecting measurement, biological variation, and bioavailability. J Am Diet Assoc. 2007 Jul;107(7):1191-4; quiz 1195-6.

Oxalic Acid Content of Selected Vegetables, 2013. Oxalic Acid Content of Selected Vegetables. Gives amounts of oxalate in 100 g of the raw, unprepared food (according to correspondence with the USDA Nutrient Data Library 05/13/2013).

Oxalate Content of Foods, 2007. Oxalate Content of Foods.xls Excel sheet from Harvard University published in 2007.

Siener, 2006. Siener R, Hönow R, Voss S, Seidler A, Hesse A. Oxalate content of cereals and cereal products. J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Apr 19;54(8):3008-11.

Tang, 2010. Tang AL, Walker KZ, Wilcox G, Strauss BJ, Ashton JF, Stojanovska L. Calcium absorption in Australian osteopenic post-menopausal women: an acute comparative study of fortified soymilk to cows’ milk. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2010;19(2):243-9.

USDA National Nutrient Database. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 26.

Weaver, 1994. Weaver CM, Plawecki KL. Dietary calcium: adequacy of a vegetarian diet. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 May;59(5 Suppl):1238S-1241S.

Weaver, 1997. Weaver CM, Heaney RP, Nickel KP, Packard PI. Calcium Bioavailability from High Oxalate Vegetables: Chinese Vegetables, Sweet Potatoes and Rhubarb. Journal of Food Science. 1997 May;62(3):524-5.

Wildwood, 2013. Wildwood Organic Soymilk Unsweetened. Carton. November 2013.

Zhao, 2005. Zhao Y, Martin BR, Weaver CM. Calcium bioavailability of calcium carbonate fortified soymilk is equivalent to cow’s milk in young women. J Nutr. 2005 Oct;135(10):2379-82.

Leave a Reply to JackNorrisRD Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Before you comment, please read:

  • If you have a question about whether it's okay to cut supplements in half or combine supplements to achieve the dose we recommend, the answer is “Yes.” Be aware that nutrient recommendations are only estimates—it's not necessary to consume the exact amount we recommend every single day.
  • We aren't able to respond to questions about which brands of supplements to take.
  • We cannot provide personal nutrition advice for specific health conditions. If you need private counseling, here's a list of plant-based dietitians and we especially recommend VeganHealth contributor Taylor Wolfram, MS, RDN, LDN.
  • We urge you to consult with a qualified health professional for answers to your personal questions.

2 thoughts on “Calcium and Oxalate Content of Foods”