Best calcium-rich foods for pregnant woman
Strong bones and healthy bone joints can be greatly maintained with proper intake of calcium-rich foods. Deficiency of calcium can degrade your bone density, and you may suffer from numerous health disorders. As the pregnant woman’s body has specific nutritional needs, they need to intake ample amount of calcium-rich foods. During the phase of pregnancy, the requisition of calcium in the female body predominantly increases. Approximately 200 mg/day of calcium is taken up by the baby to develop properly. Moreover, a breastfeeding mother should intake about 1200 mg of calcium to ensure proper growth of her baby.
Important calcium-rich foods to be included in the diet of a pregnant woman:
• Milk-The topmost food element which contains a high percentage of Calcium is Milk. Children consume a high amount of milk in their childhood, to promote healthy growth of their bones and teeth. It has been observed that a single cup of fat-free cow milk supplies almost 30% of calcium to the body. In addition to calcium, milk also contains essential minerals like magnesium, potassium, Vitamin A and Vitamin D. The body needs to have an adequate amount of Vitamin D, to absorb the calcium from the foods.
• Low-fat Yogurt-Yogurt, especially the low fast one contains a high amount of calcium. Yogurt is formed by the deposition of healthy bacteria in the milk, which thereby enhances the nutritional requirement of the body.
• Cheese-Another popular milk product cheese has high amounts of Calcium. Women suffering from lactose intolerance can incorporate cheese into their snacks or diet. Healthy cheese can promote re-mineralization of the bones and also increases the strength of the tooth enamel.
• Calcium-fortified Cereal-Many of the food experts do recommend including calcium-fortified cereals in your daily diet. The cereals are also rich in the fibre content to increase your nutritional requirements. Whole grains bread and oatmeal are high in fibres, low in calories and contain a high proportion of calcium to maintain optimal body weight.
• Leafy green vegetables-There is a wide variety of leafy green vegetables like spinach or lettuce, which are a great source of calcium. Including these green vegetables in your daily diet can significantly improve your health conditions. According to various researchers, one cup of spinach may provide almost 256mg calcium.
By including all these calcium-rich foods during pregnancy can help you fight away the disorders caused out of calcium deficiency. The importance of calcium intake and pregnancy is also established by the fact that the rate of calcium loss through urine is the highest during pregnancy. Hence, to assure appropriate absorption of calcium by the bloodstream, a pregnant woman may also be prescribed to consume vitamin D or multi-vitamin tablets. Additionally, your pregnancy food should comprise high-calcium elements to ensure healthy pregnancies.
