The first think a pregnant women hear (well at least it was in my case!) is: "make sure you drink enough milk, you need calcium for the baby"... and yes it is true we all need calcium as it is a nutrient that helps to keep our bones and teeth strong, and it is also involved in our nervous system, blood clotting and controlling the muscles. And during pregnancy, calcium helps the baby grow a healthy skeleton and teeth, cardiovascular system, and heart rhythm; and will also protect the child from increased fracture risk later in life. And if I don't supply enough now, baby will take the calcium it needs out of my bones stores, leaving myself vulnerable! Sure I am aware of that and I want to make sure my baby and I have enough calcium.
But how much is necessary and where can we get it from? The recommend intake for adults is 700mg per day and during pregnancy 1000mg per day. Moms to be need the whole pregnancy but those first months can be even more essential. Calcium is always associated with dairy products, but we can get all the calcium needed from a vegan diet!
We get enough calcium from almond, soy milk, tofu, broccoli, boy choy, beans, sesame seeds, figs, nuts, leafy greens...plus the prenatal supplement that we are advised to take.
I think there are enough recipes we can prepare with all this ingredients and have the enough supply of calcium a mom to be need =) These week 15 is being packed with avocados, almond butter and tofu recipes!
Easy and quick breakfast:
-Almond milk
-homemade granola
-banana
-blueberries
-2tbsp of almond butter from Crushin’ It by @joanna_f_rossman
Lunch - Budha Bowl:
-Quinoa
-Moong beans
-cooked broccolis
-roasted pumpkin
-almond butter-ginger dressing
-toasted sesame seeds
Yammi snack:
-Banana with almond butter and coconut flakes