Entering the second trimester, the growth rate of the fetus accelerates, especially the rapid growth of bones, and the blood volume of pregnant women also increases greatly. Once the diet is unbalanced, it is easy to become deficient in calcium and iron. Calcium and iron supplementation are important tasks during pregnancy. How to supplement? Today we will discuss this issue.
Calcium supplement
After the 20th week of pregnancy, fetal bone growth accelerates, and the bones begin to calcify at the 28th week of pregnancy. The fetus alone needs to deposit about 110mg of calcium every day, which comes entirely from the mother\’s body. From this point of view, every pregnant woman needs calcium supplements.
Calcium supplementation should start with diet. According to the recommendations of the \”Reference Intake of Dietary Nutrients for Chinese Residents\”, the appropriate intake of calcium in the second trimester is 1,000 mg/day. How to eat to ensure calcium intake? Expectant mothers should drink at least 250 ml of milk or 400 ml to 450 ml of low-fat milk every day, and eat more cheese, yogurt, soy products, kelp, sea rice, fish, etc.
Calcium supplementation alone is not enough. Chen Yongchun reminded expectant mothers to spend more time in the sun, walking and other soothing exercises, which can promote the synthesis of vitamin D in the body and help the absorption and utilization of calcium.
Calcium tablets should be taken once a day preferably before going to bed
Once the leg cramps are severe, or the trace element test shows a high calcium deficiency, calcium preparations must be used.
Whether it is calcium carbonate (the highest calcium content, 40 mg of elemental calcium per 100 mg), calcium acetate or calcium lactate. The absorption rate of any type of calcium in the body is around 30%, with a maximum of no more than 40%.
When is the best time to take calcium tablets?
Oral calcium supplements are best taken once in the morning and once before going to bed. If taken several times a day, it is best to take it one hour after meals to reduce the impact of food on calcium absorption. Human blood calcium is lowest in the middle of the night and early morning. If you choose a once-a-day calcium preparation, it is best to take it before going to bed so that the calcium preparation can be fully absorbed and utilized.
As for how much to supplement, it is best to ask a professional to evaluate the calcium content in the diet. Together with calcium supplements, 1,000 mg of calcium per day is enough. Pregnant women taking too much calcium tablets may not only cause premature closure of the fetal cranial sutures, causing dystocia, but also cause premature aging of the placenta, resulting in poor fetal development. Moreover, excessive calcium intake is not conducive to the development of other trace elements such as iron, zinc, and magnesium. The absorption and utilization of phosphorus, especially iron, can easily cause anemia.
Cooking tips to improve absorption
You may want to ask: Why don’t we eat more calcium-rich foods? Why don\’t they absorb well?
The oxalic acid contained in vegetables combines with calcium to form calcium oxalate, which is not conducive to calcium absorption. Spinach, amaranth, leeks, wild rice and other foods contain higher oxalic acid content. Chen Yongchun suggested boiling it in boiling water before eating to dissolve the oxalic acid in the water.
You might as well add some vinegar when drinking bone broth. In a certain acidic environment,Calcium ions in bones are easily free, which is beneficial to calcium absorption.
Expert advice:
1. Don’t consume too much protein every day. Experiments have shown that when women consume 65 grams of protein per day, calcium will not be lost, but when the protein is increased to 98 grams, 26 grams of calcium will be lost per day.
2. Excessive salt intake will also increase the loss of calcium from urine. For adults who consume 0.5 grams of salt per day, the calcium content in urine remains basically unchanged. If increased to 5 grams, the calcium content in urine will increase significantly.
3. Don’t drink too much coffee every day. Drinking more than 4 cups of coffee per day significantly increases the number of people who develop osteoporosis.