Importance of calcium for pregnant mothers

Calcium an important mineral for all age group but plays a vital role during pregnancy and is essential even for lactating mothers

Calcium plays a pivotal role in our health and daily routine. It is an essential nutrient, more so for expecting and lactating mothers. Calcium provides a solid platform for bone and teeth development. For pregnant women, the amount of calcium required is more than that for non-expecting ones. The reason is that a developing baby needs calcium for its own bone, skeletal and teeth formation. Calcium also helps blood to clot normally, and ensures proper functioning of muscles, nerves and heart, maintenance of healthy blood vessels, regulation of proper blood pressure, and even prevention of insulin resistance (which could lead to Type 2 diabetes).

Deficiency of calcium may lead to different health issues, osteoporosis being one of them. In Osteoporosis, the bones become weak and are susceptible to fractures. Thus, it’s important to take proper calcium-rich foods and also calcium supplement tablets as prescribed by your doctor.

Expecting mothers and lactating mothers should try and include lots of calcium-rich food in their diet to meet the requirement. Food sources rich in calcium are milk, yoghurt, cheese, almonds and spinach. Though there are many more to add, these are the easily available ones. Fish lovers don't forget Salmon, a rich source of calcium. Leafy greens, seafood, legumes, and fruits like oranges, dried apricots, dried figs and dates also contain calcium as does ragi flour and dry coconut.

Just remember to try and pair non-dairy sources of calcium with vitamin D: The body needs vitamin D to help absorb calcium! Don’t forget to stay in sunlight for some time as it builds up Vitamin D which in turn helps in proper absorption of calcium from food sources.

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