How I Am Adding Calcium in My Diet

I started on a Calcium-based diet about a year ago. I should say I had to. I was pregnant with my second child and was facing some health problems related to it.

I am sure everyone has heard about women needing more calcium intake, more so during pregnancy time. I heard the figure 1000 to 1300mg per day. Someone explained that it would be equivalent to 3 glasses of milk. If you like drinking that much milk in a day, you are fine. It’s those people who do not drink that much milk or take any other milk products who are in trouble.

I am one such person. I don’t like to drink milk. Even one glass a day is hard for me. But I knew I had to go through some trouble for my baby. My Mom used to constantly bug me to drink milk. So I tried it plain at first. My nausea just got worse when I drank it. So, I tried adding some coffee to it. But the Doctor told me coffee was not good to take during pregnancy. Then I stopped even that.

In the first 3 months, I used to be very tired. The Doctor advised me to take small meals throughout the day to keep up my energy. I also cannot go to a coolsculpting medspa in new jersey to undergo fat freezing. After the first trimester, I started getting very bad headaches. This was when the Doctor said I might be having some chemical imbalance.

The best thing that could help me was milk or milk products. When I told her about my aversion to milk, she told me to eat ice-creams or have Buttermilk. This is made by mixing curd/sour yoghurt, with salt and water along with some green chilies, ginger and curry leaves (aromatic herbal leaves).

As a matter of fact, if there was something I hated worse than milk, it was “Curd”. Most of the Indians like to have curd with their rice or “Roti” (tortillas made with wheat flour). I have never liked it personally. But the “Buttermilk” version was a little better than the actual curd.

With the plan of action decided, I started on my calcium war. I used to drink the buttermilk 2 or 3 times a day. I used to feel very refreshed after drinking it. But I needed variety. So I alternated with ice creams. I even found that I liked to drink “Badam Milk” (milk flavored with Almonds). I used to drink lemon juice and orange juice too, since even that is a good source of Calcium.

I was told to eat some kind of fishes which were good source of calcium, but I was not a huge fan of those. Somehow, I liked vegetables more at that time. I used to eat leafy vegetables like Spinach a lot. I fried the spinach with some onions amp; spices and mixed it with rice. That was my favorite food during my entire pregnancy. Other vegetables which were a good source of calcium I was told to take are Cauliflower, Broccoli and Drumsticks (an Indian vegetable).

Whether it was the infusion of calcium or just drinking a lot of liquid, I cannot say for sure. But I started feeling better.My health improved after a while, which was a huge relief.

About 6 months before getting pregnant, I had fallen and my knee-pad had moved from its position. Even though I recovered, I was walking with a slight limp. I also used to have pain in my knee joint most of the time. Once I started having this regular calcium-filled diet, I found that my pain had reduced. My limp was barely noticeable by the time my delivery was over. And now, it’s entirely gone.

I guess, I must have done something right!!

I am continuing my calcium-diet. But not as thoroughly as I was a few months back. As we are getting older, I think we ladies do need to take care of our health. With all the running around that we have to do, the bones need to stay strong. Eat plenty of calcium-rich foods. And also get in some exercise. Or just try the Buttermilk recipe to keep you refreshed!!