Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : April 15, 2016 10:48 AM IST
Calcium intake during pregnancy is crucial. It not only helps in growth and development of the fetus' bones, but also keeps the mother healthy. Adequate calcium through diet eases joint pains that could trouble a mother during pregnancy. The joints become flexible to help the body prepare for labour and lack of calcium can lead to pains. One advice that often comes to the expecting mothers during pregnancy is to drink enough milk. Sometimes even women who are lactose intolerant are forced to drink milk as it is thought to be healthy and beneficial for the baby. However, if you don t like milk, it s perfectly fine. The truth is you don t have to gulp down glasses of milk to up your calcium intake during pregnancy.
However, dairy products during pregnancy have their own importance. Apart from imparting calcium, they also come with a host of macro and micronutrients that are good for both mother and baby. An expectant mother needs about 1200 mg of calcium through her diet to meet her calcium needs. Since there is a possibility that she might not be able to meet the requirement only through diet doctors prescribe supplements. However, that isn t enough, during pregnancy you should have your supplements and at least three servings of milk or milk products, explains Sonali Shivlani an Internationally Certified Pregnancy, Lactation, and Child Nutrition Counsellor. Even according to the USDA recommendation a pregnant woman should drink at least three cups of milk or other dairy products. If milk is not your thing, there are other forms of the diary that you can choose from like yoghurt, cheese, buttermilk, cottage cheese or paneer, etc.
However, if the expectant mother suffers from primary lactose intolerance, she might not be able to tolerate milk. However, women who suffer from secondary intolerance can still tolerate other dairy products like cheese or curd. But milk and dairy products are not the only foods that help to up the calcium intake. If one is lactose intolerant they can opt for plant-based sources of calcium like sesame, spinach, green moong dal, jaggery, nachni and other calcium-rich foods.
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