The table on the following page shows the comparative richness in calcium of a number of staple articles of food.

It will be seen that there are enormous differences in the calcium content of different foods, whether expressed in percentage of the food material or in relation to its protein content or energy value. Meat is exceedingly poor in calcium and is therefore, notwithstanding its high protein content, a very onesided and inadequate source of "building material." Milk is so rich in calcium that one need take only 400 Calories of milk to obtain the entire day's supply of this element, while to get the same amount of calcium from round steak and white bread it would be necessary to take 10,000 Calories. Polished rice and new process corn meal are even poorer in calcium than white flour. The difference in calcium content between the whole grains and the "fine" mill products, while not so great as in the case of iron or phosphorus, is still considerable. In general the milling removes more than half of the calcium. The fruits and vegetables in general are fairly rich in calcium, while some of the green vegetables are strikingly so; but in most cases the intake of calcium depends mainly upon the extent to which milk (and its products other than butter) enters into the dietary. A quart of milk contains rather more calcium than a quart of clear saturated lime water. By far the most practical means of insuring an abundance of calcium in the dietary is to use milk freely as a food.

Approximate Amounts Of Calcium In Food Material