Calcium is a mineral that is very important at all ages for strong bones and teeth.  It is also needed for healthy muscle and nerve function.  Adults from nineteen years (male and female) right through to older age population need around 700mg per day of calcium.  It’s advised to have three good portions of dairy per day to achieve this.  So, what would this look like in a practical context? A 250ml serving of semi skimmed milk provides around 312mg of calcium.  This is slightly more than a portion size which is 200ml.  Greek yoghurt zero percent fat will give you around 150mg.  And reduced fat cheddar cheese will provide around 250mg.  This totals 712mg of calcium and will help a person achieve one hundred percent of their dietary calcium needs. If you don’t achieve three portions of diary a calcium supplement is recommended at 700mg per day.  If you follow a vegan diet, make sure the plant based alternative has added calcium.  The ‘’Alpro brand’’ has calcium added to it in connection with their plant milks and yoghurts.  The vegan cheese brands usually don’t have much calcium vs. diary so three portions of plant-based alternatives may not suffice.  This is where a calcium supplement would come in handy which can be bought in shops like home bargains as well as B and M for pennies.