Calcium from whole foods/algae?

For someone almost a year out from RNY, I should not have calcium questions, right?  Well, today I do:

Any thoughts about calcium from whole food sources, like algae?  I have been happily taking my Calcium Citrate since Surgery.  At first, I used a liquid, then when I could swallow big pills again, I switched to TwinLab Calcium Citrate. At the health food/supplement store the other day, I asked one of the employees if the liquid was absorbed better than the pills.  (I had always wondered, and this store usually has knowledgeable employees.). She said, that if I REALLY was concerned about absorption, I should switch to a whole food plant-based calcium, and she showed me two brands:  Alive brand and Raw Vitamin Code brand.

She said this is much more bioavailable than even calcium citrate.  What do ya'll think?  Does anyone have any good scientific information on this?

http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Way-Calcium-Formula-Tablets/dp /B007RMK3II

http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Life-Vitamin-Calcium-Capsules/d p/B003L31NM2/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1448726021&sr=1-1& keywords=Raw+vitamin+code+calcium

I wonder if that's true of RNY patients, though.... I'd ask my dietitian or surgeon first.

Both products toss around a bunch of catch phrases intended to appeal to some people and scare others. But they are very vague.

One of the reasons calcium carbonate, tricalcium phosphate, and several others are not good for us is the lack of stomach acid need to absorb it. I have no idea if this stuff is the same, and it's partly because they are unclear about what these products are. But despite their florid prose, these are not natural foods. They are processed tablets and capsules. There's nothing natural about it.

We KNOW that calcium citrate works. It's easy to find, reliable, and inexpensive. I wouldn't even think about risking my health taking a gamble on something like these products..

Thanks, Grim.  Helpful perspective.  I guess I was chasing that illusion that can fuel so many purchases in the supplements world: the illusion that there is some secret special thing that only "a few" know about.