The Surprising Origin of Calcium

And Why it Matters for People with MS

Table laden with almonds, oranges, figs, sardines, lentils, broccoli, and, yes, cheese. Image Source Canva Pro.

Calcium. We all know we need it.

But what is calcium? Where does it come from?

Guess what? Calcium is not made by cows.

Calcium is a mineral.

It comes from the earth, specifically, from limestone.

Plants and grasses extract the calcium from the limestone.

What do cows eat? Grass and plants.

That’s why the milk they produce contains calcium.

Liquid cows milk contains around 110 mg of calcium per 100 mL or 3.38 fluid ounces.

B ut other foods are higher in calcium.

This is handy to know if you’re allergic to dairy — or don’t eat dairy for some other reason (such as it triggering MS flareups like it does for me).

Foods with more calcium than cows milk

Almonds have around 385 g per cup.

Eating a whole cup of almonds is unlikely, but you can grind them and sprinkle them over your salad or breakfast.

Kale — Two cups of chopped raw kale contains a whopping 180mg of calcium.