Does oat milk contain calcium?
What is calcium and do you need it?
Calcium is a mineral generally associated with bone and teeth health, but it’s also essential for other functions like muscle contractions and nerve processes.
Common sources of calcium include dairy, vegetables, and baked beans. For those on a dairy-free diet, it can be difficult to get enough calcium (unless you’re living on baked beans and toast!).
How much calcium do you need per day?
The recommended daily intake of calcium depends on your age.
- 0–1 years - 250mg per day
- 1–3 years - 700mg per day
- 4–8 years - 1,000mg per day
- 9+ years - 1,200mg per day
How much calcium is in dairy milk?
Regular cow's milk is a notorious source of calcium and contains around 120mg per 100ml. To put this into perspective a 200ml glass of milk would provide 20% of an adult's daily recommended calcium intake.
Does oat milk contain calcium?
The good news is that oat milk naturally contains calcium. The bad news is that it’s present in much smaller quantities compared to dairy milk. Although this varies from brand to brand, most unfortified oat milk will contain just 10mg per 100ml.
As a result, calcium is often added to oat milk to bring the levels closer to dairy milk so those drinking plant based don't miss out.
Oat milk that has added calcium is often referred to as “fortified”.
How much calcium is in fortified oat milk?
Oat milk that is fortified with calcium usually contains between 60mg and 120mg per 100ml.
As we mentioned previously, in comparison, cow’s milk contains 120mg per 100ml, thus calcium-fortified oat milk can be considered a good calcium replacement for dairy.
Which UK oat milk brands are calcium fortified?
✅ Oat milk brands which are fortified with calcium
- Oatly oat milk is often fortified with calcium.
- Overherd oat milk is fortified with calcium.
- Califia Farms oat milk is fortified with calcium.
- Alpro oat milk is usually fortified with calcium.
❌ Oat milk brands which are not fortified with calcium
- Minor Figures oat milk is not fortified with calcium.
- Jord oat milk is not fortified with calcium.
- Plenish oat milk is not fortified with calcium.
- Rude Health oat milk is not fortified with calcium.
Why doesn’t oat milk contain much calcium naturally?
As we mentioned oats do naturally contain calcium; however, it's important to remember that oat milk is 90% water so the calcium content is essentially diluted.
This is why we launched Overherd oat milk powder, where you add the water instead.
How to know if oat milk has added calcium?
1️⃣ Health claim
Look for an “added calcium” or “fortified” claim on the packaging.
2️⃣ Ingredient list
Check the ingredient list on the packaging. Oat milk that has been fortified with calcium will contain ingredients such as “calcium carbonate” or “tricalcium phosphate”.
3️⃣ Nutritional info
Check the nutritional information on the packaging. If the amount of calcium listed is 60mg per 100ml or above then the oat milk has been fortified.
If the calcium content is not listed then no calcium has been added.