Calcium

You and your baby both need calcium for strong bones and teeth. When you are pregnant, you are making a whole skeleton for your baby and those bones need calcium to be strong. You are also making teeth for your baby that need calcium. If you don’t get enough calcium when you are pregnant, you can make your own bones weaker and your baby may not have strong and healthy bones and teeth when he or she is born.

Where do we get Calcium?

We get calcium from the food we eat. Here are some foods that have calcium:

• Fish head soup
• Clams
• Soft bones
• Whole wheat bannock made with baking powder
• Willow
• Seaweed
• Char with skin
• Milk (all types of milk)
• Cheese 
• Yogurt
• Canned salmon or sardines with bones
• Orange juice with added calcium (special kind of orange juice)

Am I getting enough?

The best way to make sure you are getting enough is to eat the right amount of servings from the Milk and Alternatives food group of Canada’s Food Guide everyday. 

• Teens need 4-5 servings per day
• Adults (up to age 50) need about 3 servings per day

One serving is:

• 1 cup of milk
• ¾ cup of yogurt (small container)
• Piece of cheese the size of 2 thumbs
• ½ can canned salmon or sardines with bones mashed in

Question

I don’t like milk but I eat lots of yogurt. How can I make sure I am getting enough calcium?

Answer: One great way to see if you are eating enough is to go online to the Calcium Calculator. You can select the foods you are eating and it will add up the calcium and let you know if you are getting enough. A lot of women like how they can get an answer that is based on the foods THEY eat.  Calculate how much calcium you're getting using the Calcium calculator.