What Foods to Avoid When Calcium is High?

Hypercalcemia is a health condition with high calcium levels. What you eat plays an important role in managing the condition because eating foods high in calcium will worsen the condition. So, let’s see what foods you should avoid when calcium is high in the body.

What Foods To Avoid When Calcium Is High?

If you have high calcium levels in your body, then you should avoid all foods that are high in calcium. It includes:

1- Dairy Products

When you have high calcium levels (hypercalcemia), you should avoid all dairy products including:

• Milk
• Yogurt
• Cheese
• Ice cream
• Puddings

All these dairy products have high levels of calcium in them that can increase your already raised calcium levels. When you limit or avoid these foods high in calcium, it can help in the regulation of calcium levels in the body. 

2- Calcium Fortified Foods

All ready-made cereals and orange juice has been fortified with additional calcium. When the calcium levels of the body are high, you should avoid these calcium-fortified foods. 1 serving of calcium-fortified cereals contains up to 1000 mg of calcium and 1 serving of calcium-fortified orange juice has 350 mg of calcium.

3- Eggs

People with high calcium levels should also limit or avoid eating eggs. This is because eggs contain vitamin D, which also regulates calcium homeostasis, increasing the levels of calcium in the body. 1 egg contains 43.5 IU of vitamin D. Foods that are made of eggs should also be limited. 

4- Seafood

Seafood is high in vitamin D. When the calcium levels of the body are high, you should also avoid foods that are high in vitamin D like sea foods. The reason is that foods with vitamin D also regulate calcium homeostasis like parathyroid hormone and increase the body’s calcium levels.

5- Canned Salmon Or Sardine

Canned salmon or sardines should be avoided with high calcium levels in the body. They are loaded with calcium and increase the body’s calcium levels. A 3 oz of canned salmon has 19% DV of calcium while a 3 oz sardine has 25% DV of calcium.  

6- Leafy Greens

All leafy greens are high in calcium and should be limited or avoided when your calcium is high. Below mentioned are the vegetables along with the calcium present in them (1 cup) that you should avoid: 

• Cooked Collard greens (265 mg)
• Cooked Spinach (240 mg)
• Cooked Turnip greens (198 mg)
• Cooked Kale (180 mg)
• Mustard  greens (165 mg)

7- Tofu And Soy Milk Fortified

The calcium-fortified soy milk and drinks should also be avoided when calcium is high. A 100 g of tofu has 350 mg of calcium and a fortified soy milk drink has around 200 mg of calcium. 

8- Soybeans

Soybeans are high in calcium content. 1 cup of roasted soybeans contains 237 mg of calcium and should be avoided with high calcium levels in the body. 

9- Baked Beans

Baked or canned beans are also high sources of calcium and should be avoided with hypercalcemia. 1 cup of baked or canned beans contains 126 mg of calcium.

10- Seeds

There are some seeds that are also high in calcium and should be avoided when calcium levels are high. For example:

• Chia seeds (1 oz has 180 mg of calcium)
• Sesame seeds (1 tbsp has 88 mg of calcium)

Conclusion

Foods high in calcium should be avoided when the body’s calcium levels are high. These include dairy products, calcium-fortified foods, eggs, seafood, canned salmon or sardines, leafy greens, tofu, soymilk, soybeans, baked beans, and some seeds. These foods regulate calcium homeostasis and increase the levels of calcium in the body which is not good for hypercalcemia where the calcium is already high.