Calcium is the nutrient that is needed to build your baby's bones and teeth during pregnancy. Throughout your pregnancy, if you do not consume enough calcium, it will be leeched from your bones. It is also important to feed your body calcium to keep your bones and teeth strong, and your body is also storing calcium to use in milk production later. Calcium is also involved in muscle contractions, the clotting of blood, nerve function and the regulation of heart rhythm. These are all very important functions during pregnancy. Therefore, the calcium recommendation for pregnant women is 1,000 milligrams each day.
This can be achieved by consuming 3 to 4 servings of dairy products a day. Do not assume you are meeting your calcium needs by taking your prenatal supplement. Most prenatal supplements only have 170-300 milligrams. (Breastfeeding moms need 1,200 milligrams, while bottlefeeding moms need 1,000.)
If you are wondering how to give your bones a boost, check out these food sources high in calcium.
Food sources |
Milligrams
|
Fruit yogurt, 8 ounces |
345 |
Canned sardines with bones, 3 ounces |
325 |
Milk, 1 cup |
300 |
Calcium fortified juice, 1 cup |
300 |
Cheese pizza, 1/4 of a 12 inch |
220 |
Black-eyed peas 1 cup, cooked |
211 |
Cheese, 1 ounce |
200 |
Canned salmon with bones, 3 ounces |
180 |
Blackstrap molasses 1 T |
172 |
Baked beans, 1 cup |
154 |
Pudding, 1/2 cup |
150 |
Tofu, calcium set, 1 cup |
130 |
Taco with cheese, 1 small |
109 |
Frozen yogurt, 1/2 cup |
106 |
Kale, 1 cup |
94 |
Collard greens, cooked, 1/2 cup |
90 |
Ice cream, 1/2 cup |
88 |
Cottage cheese, 1/2 cup |
77 |
Chinese cabbage 1 cup |
74 |
Pancakes made with milk, 2 - 4 inch round |
72 |
Almonds 1 ounce |
70 |
Orange, 1 medium |
52 |
Broccoli, cooked, 1/2 cup |
47 |
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