Calcium is an extremely important chemical element and is essential for all living things, including humans. Calcium helps develop and maintain strong bones, besides, calcium also helps to connect between the brain and different parts of the body.
When you are pregnant, your unborn baby needs calcium for strong bones and teeth, heart development, healthy nerves, and muscles, and helps regulate the heart rate and normal blood clotting ability. If you do not get the necessary amount of calcium from your daily diet, your baby will take calcium from your bones, leading to weaker health in the future.
The amount of calcium needed may depend on age and health conditions:
Women over 18 years: 1,000 mg one day before, during and after pregnancy;
Females 18 years and younger: 1,300 mg per day.
Most women don't get enough of this important mineral. One day, you should eat 4 servings of foods rich in calcium or dairy products. These products can help you get the calcium you need.
Even after giving birth and breastfeeding, you also need to pay attention to the amount of calcium in your diet every day to keep bones strong and avoid the risk of osteoporosis in the future.
If you are taking a vitamin supplement during pregnancy, this vitamin can provide at least 150-200 mg of calcium for you. You can try calcium supplements, but keep in mind that your body can only absorb about 500 mg of calcium at a time. Therefore, you should take calcium supplements in small doses several times a day.
However, you should not overdo calcium. Too much calcium can cause constipation, increase the risk of kidney stones, and interfere with the absorption of iron and zinc. Make sure the total amount of calcium from foods, supplements, and water does not exceed 2,500 mg. (Tap water typically contains between 1 and 135 mg calcium per liter, bottled mineral water contains an average of 208 mg per liter, and bottled purified water usually contains only very small amounts.)
You can take a variety of calcium supplements, such as calcium citrate and calcium carbonate. Calcium citrate is the most easily absorbed type of calcium your body can absorb. Calcium carbonate provides the most calcium, but requires the stomach to secrete more acid to dissolve, so it's best to take calcium carbonate supplements between meals. Calcium citrate, on the other hand, doesn't need much stomach acid to dissolve, so you can take these without food. People taking heartburn medications and medications that reduce stomach acid should take calcium citrate.
In addition, some calcium supplements may contain a small amount of lead and may affect fetal development. Therefore, make sure to use lead free medicines.
Calcium is found in many different foods and beverages. Experts also encourage that we should get calcium from a variety of sources.
Here are calcium-rich foods and beverages:
Milk;
Cheese;
Yogurt;
Seaweed;
Nuts, including pistachios, sesame, almonds, hazelnuts;
Kinds of bean;
Figs;
Broccoli;
Spinach;
Tofu;
Calcium-fortified breakfast cereals;
Drinks such as soy milk and fruit juices;
Crushed eggshell - eggshell can be ground into powder and added to foods and drinks.
In addition to calcium, you may also need iodine, iron, or vitamin D supplements to prepare you for a healthy pregnancy. Consult with your doctor and nutritionist if you have any questions.
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