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As you set sail on your pregnancy journey, remember the health and well-being of the little one growing up inside you are directly proportional to what diet you’re following. Yes! We know that You might be filling up all your pregnancy diet requirements in just a few bites, but, don’t forget your calcium intake during pregnancy. Do you know why and how? Read this article to find out.
Why Is The Intake of Calcium Important During Pregnancy?
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG), you must have 1000 mg of calcium daily. After all, calcium and pregnancy have a close relationship with each other. Calcium is an important constituent both for your musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Consuming foods that have calcium in them can strengthen your bones so that you can carry the extra weight of the developing baby inside you. Calcium from your food passes on to the growing baby inside you not just forms the entire baby skeleton system, but also forms the bones, teeth, nerves, heart, and hormones. Since your baby is using the calcium from the foods that you’re having, it’s also essential for you to replace the amount you’ve shared. Otherwise, you might end up with the risk of osteoporosis, hypertension, numbness, and muscle and leg cramps during pregnancy.
What Calcium-rich Foods Can You Have During Pregnancy?
So, to ensure that both you and your baby get enough calcium, here’s a calcium-rich foods for pregnancy ready for you.
Milk and Milk Products
Milk is a natural source of calcium. You can have around 3 glasses of milk as per your doctor’s recommendation. In fact, from one glass of milk, you can get 276 mg of calcium. Along with milk, there are milk products like yogurt and cheese which are also healthy sources of calcium. While 8 ounces of low-fat yogurt can give you 415 mg of calcium, 2 slices of cheese can give you 307 mg of calcium. You can have milk directly, mix it with some chocolate chips, or make juice to make it tasty, after your breakfast. You can alternately, have yogurt with your rice or yogurt smoothie and have 2 slices of cheese with bread.
Almonds, Dates, and a Few Other Dry Fruits
You can have just a small bowl of almonds roasted, or salted to get 370 mg of calcium. Along with almonds; you can have the exotic sweet dry fruits like dates and figs, that are full of energy and various types of nutrients, especially calcium. A must-have in your third trimester. Who knows if you would be able to deliver your baby easily? Figs can strengthen your bones and deal with your pregnancy constipation. You can also munch on dates during your snack time to deal with your massive sweet tooth.
Calcium Fortified Orange Juice
You can get 349 mg of calcium from 1 glass of orange juice. This can certainly tease your taste buds during your days of morning sickness.
Oats or Oatmeal
This is one of the best food items for pregnant women. You can add your oats in your smoothies or make yourself a porridge and have them in every trimester. This again is a calcium – rich food to keep your bones and teeth strong.
In the calcium-containing foods list, you can have dark leafy greens, beans, broccoli and raisins.
As vegetarian or vegan sources of calcium. Above all, since Vitamin D regulates the amount of calcium in your body, you would require food that is rich both in calcium and Vitamin D. For instance, a few oily fish, eggs, and meat.
Last but not the least, you can also include calcium supplements in the form of capsules, liquids, and tablets during your pregnancy with your doctor’s permission.