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Calcium counts for Mothers-To-Be |
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 When you’re pregnant or nursing your newborn, you experience lots of changes - especially with your body. And as your body changes, so does its demand for nutrients. If you aren’t getting enough nutrients to support your baby’s growth, your baby will take what it needs from you.
During pregnancy, 1,000mg calcium/day is recommended if you’re 19 years of age or older. If you’re 18 years of age or younger, 1,300mg calcium/day is recommended.
Because nutritional needs are high during pregnancy, your health care provider may prescribe certain supplements as a safeguard. However, this doesn’t mean you’re eating right! Most health experts agree that it’s best to get calcium from food and most name milk and milk products as their first choices. Why? Just look what comes along with the package: protein, vitamins A, D (if fortified), and B12, riboflavin, potassium, phosphorus, and niacin.
Match the Milk
Milk and milk products are the richest sources of calcium – one, 8-ounce glass of milk provides 300 mg of calcium. As a mom-to-be, you can meet your calcium needs by drinking at least 3-4 cups a day or by consuming other calcium-containing foods. Listed below are common sources of calcium; however, you may need to eat more of them to get the same amount of calcium from a glass of milk. Guess how much you’ll need to eat of the following foods to match the calcium in one, 8-ounce glass of milk (300mg).
 ? oz natural cheese
? cup(s) cottage cheese
? cup(s) yogurt
? oz process cheese
? cup(s) ice cream
? cup(s) pudding
? cup(s) macaroni and cheese
? cup(s) frozen yogurt
? oz canned salmon with bones
? cup(s) spinach
? cup(s) broccoli
? oranges
? corn tortillas, 6”
Answers:
1½ ounces natural cheese
2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup yogurt
2 ounces process cheese
1½ cups ice cream
1 cup pudding
1 cup macaroni and cheese
1½ cups frozen yogurt
4 ounces canned salmon with bones
1½ cups cooked spinach
3 cups cooked broccoli
6 oranges
6 corn tortillas
Putting the Clamp on High Blood Pressure
 Pregnancy-induced high blood pressure happens in 10% to 20% of all pregnancies. If not corrected, it may lead to preeclampsia (a potentially life-threatening disorder of late pregnancy.) If you can boost your calcium intake to 1,200 to 1,500mg/day, you’re a step ahead in reducing your risk of pregnancy-induced high blood pressure and preeclampsia.
Consuming 4 servings of milk or milk products a day provides enough calcium to help reduce your risk of high blood pressure by 62% and preeclampsia by 70%. These foods also contain potassium and magnesium, both of which help lower blood pressure.
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, April 10, 1996.
“Milk It”
On A Daily Basis
 On the go? Grab one of the new yogurt drinks, chocolate milk, or zap a personal pizza in the microwave.
- Have an individual flair? Try new foods and food combinations that include calcium-rich milk and milk products – mix a teaspoon of vanilla extract into milk for a sweet drink or mix plain yogurt with your own blend of spices for a great dip.
- Fast food fanatic? Learn to choose nutritious, calcium-rich foods from all Five Food Groups. Some good options: chef’s salad, taco with cheese, baked potato topped with cottage cheese, low-fat milkshake, and frozen yogurt.
- Have morning sickness? Try eating smaller servings of all foods, including diary foods, throughout the day to avoid the nausea that may come with pregnancy.
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| Cheese can help to reduce risk of certain cancers, research finds |
Low fat milk, cheese and yoghurts could reduce the risk of certain cancers by almost a quarter in women, researchers have found. |
| by Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor |
| Last Updated: 9:36PM GMT 23 Feb 2009 |
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 Women who consumed the most calcium from dairy products or supplements were 23 per cent less likely to develop cancer than woman with the lowest consumption of calcium.
For men there was a 16 per cent reduced risk in those who had calcium rich diets compared with those who ate the least of the mineral.
The study of almost 500,000 people was carried out by a team from the National Cancer Institute in America and is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
In America the Institute for Medicine recommends that adults aged over 50 consume 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day while in the UK the Food Standards Agency recommends 700mg a day for adults.
Good sources of the mineral calcium include milk, cheese and other dairy foods, green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and okra, soya beans, tofu, soya drinks with added calcium, nuts, bread and anything made with fortified flour.
 The researchers studied questionnaires filled in by subjects in 1995 and 1996 on their diets and supplement intakes and matched it to cancer databases until 2003.
Over an average of 7 years of follow-up, 36,965 cancer cases were identified in men and 16,605 in women.
Men who consumed 1,530 milligrams per day had a 16 per cent lower risk of these types of cancer than those who consumed 526 milligrams per day.
For women, those who consumed around 1,881 milligrams per day had a 23 per cent lower risk than those who consumed 494 milligrams per day.
The decreased risk was particularly pronounced for colorectal cancer and there was no effect seen on cancer outside the digestive system.
Lead author Yikyung Park, Sc.D., of the National Cancer Institute, said: "Dairy food, which is relatively high in potentially anticarcinogenic nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D and conjugated linoleic acid, has been postulated to protect against the development of colorectal and breast cancer.
"In conclusion, our findings suggest that calcium intake consistent with current recommendations is associated with a lower risk of total cancer in women and cancers of the digestive system, especially colorectal cancer, in both men and women."
Calcium has been shown to reduce abnormal growth and encourage normal cells growth in the gastrointestinal tract and breast. |
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Eat Like an Egyptian – And Get Your Calcium, Too
The good news is that you CAN find calcium in nearly every group in the Food Guide Pyramid. However, milk and milk products are by far the richest and one of the well-absorbed sources of calcium in the pyramid. Here’s a look at how your favorite foods stack up:
- Milk Group (provides 73% of the calcium in our food supply) milk, buttermilk, chocolate milk, yogurt, cheese, pudding, ice cream, milkshakes, frozen yogurt, cottage cheese
- Meat Group (provides 9%) tofu, sardines with bones, salmon with bones, perch, almonds
- Fruit Group (provides 3%) oranges, prunes
- Vegetable Group (provides 6%) broccoli, okra, beet greens, turnip greens, collards, bok choy
- Grain Group (provides 5% ) whole wheat bread, pancakes, bagels, corn tortillas
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And don’t forget the combination foods: macaroni and cheese, lasagna, quiche, enchiladas, pizza, cheeseburgers and soup made with milk.
Any food that provides 20% or more the Daily Value (%DV) for calcium is an excellent source of this nutrient! Just remember that the calcium percentages on levels are meant for the general population – a recommendation of 1,000 mg/day. So in this example, the food provides 300 mg (30% of 1,000mg). If you’re between 9 and 18 years of age, aim for 130% of the Daily Value each day or 4 servings from the Milk Group. |
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