Pregnancy and Calcium
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It is delightful to feel a new life grow inside you, but what you need the most to take care about are the steps that ensure that that life develops healthily. Since the diet of the mother provides nutrition to the baby, you must eat well and cautiously. Calcium, the most important mineral, should be carefully included in the diet.
Why is it needed?
Including a sufficient amount of calcium in your diet helps the baby in growing stronger bones and teeth, a healthy heart, nerves and muscles. It also helps to develop normal heart rhythm and blood clotting abilities. And if your baby does not get enough amount of calcium in your diet, it is bound to obtain it from your bones instead, which may affect your health later on.
Where can I get it?
As per the needs of both your baby and you, you must take at least 1300mg of calcium per day. 1000mg is the amount needed for a non-pregnant woman. You can easily get that amount if you include dairy products (pasteurized), especially skimmed milk, yoghurt and hard cheese (cheddar, Swiss) in your diet. Other sources include green leafy vegetables (such as broccoli), canned fish, almonds, Brazil nuts, dried beans, calcium-fortified orange juice, soy milk, cereals and crackers. Also, you can have unlimited access to ice-cream too, since it, too contains a good amount of calcium.
Also, another option can be calcium supplements. Look for calcium carbonate as it is most easily absorbed and search for tablets that say ‘lead-free’ because some of the calcium supplements contain small amount of lead, which may be harmful for your baby. Consulting a doctor before taking them is wise.
Vitamin-D helps your body absorbs and uses calcium, so be sure to get some of the sunlight. Food sources of Vitamin-D include fortified milk, egg-yolks and dark-meat fish (such as salmon). Also, caffeine should be consumed in fewer amounts because it increases the amount of calcium excreted by the body, the rate being more than at which it is absorbed.
Even after pregnancy, that is after your baby is born and nursed, you should continue consuming the same amount of calcium because insufficient calcium in the body leads you towards osteoporosis, which causes the thinning of bones. Osteoporosis results in weak, brittle bones that can break very easily.
Avoiding spicy and junk food too can prove to be beneficial and as far as what you eat is healthy. You may eat as much as 8-9 small meals per day and make sure that all meals include the required amounts of nutrients.
Along with a proper diet, some simple weight-bearing exercises such as walking may help you as well as you baby’s health.
Related posts:
- Vegetarian Pregnancy
- Pregnancy and Iron
- Pregnancy and Fluoride
- Nutrition Tips for Healthy Pregnancy
- Why are Dairy Products so Important?
- Safe Fish Consumption in Pregnancy
- Copper: Required for the Formation of Blood Cells
- Riboflavin: the “energizing” Vitamin B
- Prevent Birth Defects with Folic Acid
- Be Cautious With What You Eat During Pregnancy
Filed Under: Health & Diet
