Nine essential calcium-rich pregnancy foods
Calcium is a key building block in the development of your little one’s teeth and bones. Which makes getting your recommended daily intake (RDI) especially important during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
To help you hit your calcium RDI, no matter which stage of pregnancy you’re at, we’ve compiled a useful list of delicious ingredient inspiration. Keep reading to discover how almonds, watercress and more, can help both mum-to-be’s and babies’ teeth be at their best.
“The recommended daily intake of calcium during pregnancy is 700mg, and 1,250mg while breastfeeding
According to the British Dietetic Association”
What's on the menu?
The following foods are all high in calcium and are handy during pregnancy to help you keep up your calcium intake.
1. Milk
Perhaps the most obvious way to hit your daily calcium intake, just two 200ml glasses of semi-skimmed milk is enough to give you around 464mg of your 700mg target.
Make sure to only drink UHT or pasteurised milk during pregnancy, as they’ve been treated to kill bacteria before being sold.
2. Yoghurt
Yoghurt is another no-brainer. We’d recommend going for a low-fat plain yoghurt for the best nutritional balance. Some flavoured yoghurts contain lots of sugar, which can cause damage to your teeth.
Two tablespoons for dessert will give you almost 20% (130mg) of your RDI.
3. Curly Kale
A super-nutritious form of cabbage, kale is packed with green goodness. Including 120mg of calcium to every four heaped teaspoons.
4. Watercress
Small but mighty. You might be surprised to discover that watercress packs a real punch when it comes to calcium – 136mg from a single 80g bowl.
Watercress is a great option for calcium but also provides lots of iron. It’s ideal for vegetarians or vegans who aren’t getting nutrients from eating meat.
5. Cheese
100g of certain cheeses like cheddar, red Leicester and edam are enough to hit your full calcium intake in one go.
6. Dried fruits
Apricots. Prunes. Dates. Many dried fruits make an ideal snackable source of calcium. For example, even just a couple of dried figs can quickly add up to as much as 92mg. Dried fruits are also rich in iron, which have multiple benefits including fighting off conditions such as anaemia.
7. Sardines
Soft-boned fish are an excellent source of calcium. In fact, half a can of sardines in brine will give you almost half your RDI in one dish.
It’s important to limit your use of sardines to two portions of oily fish per week when pregnant.
8. Sesame seeds
A tablespoon sprinkling of sesame seeds won’t just add some crunch to your salad – it’ll give you an impressive 80mg of calcium too.
9. Almonds
Amazingly, keeping hunger at bay with a tasty snack of 10 whole almonds can make a 53mg contribution to your calcium RDI.
^ We may record or monitor our calls.
Bupa Dental Care is a trading name of Oasis Dental Care Limited. Registered in England and Wales No: 00478127. Registered office: Bupa Dental Care, Vantage Office Park, Old Gloucester Road, Hambrook, Bristol, United Kingdom BS16 1GW.
Oasis Dental Care Limited has a number of trading names including Bupa Dental Care. For a list of all our different trading names please follow this link.
