VEGETABLE INFORMATION SHEET

Calcium & Phosphorous Content of Common Vegetables & Fruits (Adapted from "Food Values of Portions Commonly Used", by Bowes & Church, revised by Jean Pennington, 15th Ed.)

The following information lists how many milligrams of calcium & phosphorous ar contained in a 1 cup portion of each food item. Proper health and bone development depend not only on adequate amounts of calcium, but also on a proper calcium to phosphorous ratio; ideally this should be between 1.5 : 1 and 2 : 1. This means that you need to have 1.5 to 2 times as much calcium as phosphorous in the diet; other wise your pet may develop bone disease and other problems, even if the calcium levels in the diet are fairly high. The individual food items don’t always have to have an ideal Ca : P ratio, but the AVERAGE value of the overall diet needs to be in balance. Feeding a variety of foods is the best way to avoid problems with any nutrients, not just calcium and phosphorous. Concentrate on feeding items from the "Ideal Ratio" list, along with items from the "High Ratio" list and "Moderate Ratio" lists; give only small portions of the items in the "Poor Ca/P Ratio" list (no more than 10-158% of the total veggies fed.) Especially minimize items in the "Poor Ca/P Ratio" list which have very high phosphorous levels, i.e. over 80mg phosphorous per cup of food.

For pets with diagnosed kidney disease, as is common with Iguanas, the priorities become different. Diseased kidneys tend to retain phosphorous, so levels of this mineral become very high in the blood and tissues. The diet in these patients should be as low as possible in overall phosphorous, regardless of the Ca : P ratio. Therefore select foods from the "Ideal Ratio", "High Ratio", and "Moderate Ratio" lists which have a total phosphorous content of less than 30mg per cup of food. High phosphorous content is dangerous, even if the Ca : P ratio is ideal! For instance, plums would be safer to feed a kidney patient than beet greens, despite the fact that plums have a poor Ca : P ratio while beets have a great Ca : P ratio! Use no supplements which contain ANY phosphorous. Often a phosphate binder (such as Tums) is fed with the meal; this minimizes absorption of phosphorous from the food.

Ideal Ca:P Ratios | High Ca:P Ratios | Moderate Ca:P Ratios | Poor Ca:P Ratios

TABLE 1: FOOD ITEMS WITH IDEAL Ca : P RATIOS
FOOD TYPE (1 CUP)	CALCIUM	PHOSPHOROUS	Ca : P RATIO
Mustard Greens	104mg	58mg	1.8 : 1
Leeks	60mg	36mg	1.7 : 1
Watercress	40mg	20mg	2 : 1
Chard	102mg	58mg	1.7 : 1
Endive	23mg	14mg	1.6 : 1
Green Leaf Lettuce	28mg	14mg	2 : 1
Blackberries	46mg	30mg	1.5 : 1
Raspberries	27mg	15mg	1.8 : 1
Spinach:(note: 1/3 of calcium is absorbable and is not as calcium rich)	56mg	28mg	2 : 1

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TABLE 2: FOOD ITEMS WITH HIGH Ca : P RATIOS
FOOD TYPE (1 CUP)	CALCIUM	PHOSPHOROUS	Ca : P RATIO
Kale	98mg	36mg	2.7 : 1
Beet Greens	164mg	58mg	2.8 : 1
Chinese Cabbage	74mg	26mg	2.8 : 1
Dandelion Greens	104mg	36mg	2.9 : 1
Parsley	78mg	24mg	3.5 : 1
Turnip Greens	106mg	24mg	4.4 : 1
Papaya	72mg	16mg	4.5 : 1
Yellow Wax Beans	174mg	34mg	5.1 : 1
Collards (cooked)	148mg	19mg	7.8 : 1

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TABLE 3: FOOD ITEMS WITH MODERATE Ca : P RATIOS
FOOD TYPE (1 CUP)	CALCIUM	PHOSPHOROUS	Ca : P RATIO
Grapes	13mg	9mg	1.4 : 1
Cabbage	46mg	34mg	1.3 : 1
Turnips	36mg	30mg	1.2 : 1
Radish	24mg	20mg	1.2 : 1
Green Beans	58mg	48mg	1.2 : 1
Okra	100mg	90mg	1.1 : 1
Eggplant	30mg	26mg	1.1 : 1
Apples	10mg	10mg	1 : 1
Mango	21mg	22mg	1 : 1
Lettuce (iceburg)	16mg	16mg	1 : 1
Pineapple	11mg	11mg	1 : 1

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TABLE 4: FOOD ITEMS WITH POOR Ca : P RATIOS
FOOD TYPE (1 CUP)	CALCIUM	PHOSPHOROUS	Ca : P RATIO
Pears	15mg	18mg	1 : 1.2
Rutabaga	72mg	84mg	1 : 1.2
Cherries (pitted)	10mg	13mg	1 : 1.3
Cucumber	14mg	18mg	1 : 1.3
Strawberries	42mg	56mg	1 : 1.3
Guavas	18mg	23mg	1 : 1.3
Apricots	15mg	21mg	1 : 1.4
Beets	18mg	26mg	1 : 1.4
Cantaloupe	17mg	27mg	1 : 1.6
Blueberries	18mg	30mg	1 : 1.6
Cauliflower	28mg	46mg	1 : 1.6
Brussels Sprouts	56mg	88mg	1 : 1.6
Squash (all varieties)	26mg	46mg	1 : 1.7
Parsnips	58mg	108mg	1 : 1.9
Sweet Potato	64mg	124mg	1 : 1.9
Pumpkin	36mg	74mg	1 : 2.1
Peaches	5mg	11mg	1 : 2.2
Carrots	28mg	64mg	1 : 2.3
Asparagus	44mg	108mg	1 : 2.5
Banana	7mg	22mg	1 : 3.1
Plums	4mg	14mg	1 : 3.5
Yams	18mg	66mg	1 : 3.6
Tomato	16mg	58mg	1 : 3.6
Peas	38mg	168mg	1 : 4.4
Corn	10mg	120mg	1 : 12
Mushroom	4mg	72mg	1 : 18

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