Calcium is essential for healthy bones and teeth – yours and the baby’s. Try these five ideas to make sure you get enough:

1. A cheese sandwich and a glass of milk - Milk and cheese give protein and calcium, essential for healthy bones and teeth. Use wholemeal, granary or soft grain bread for fibre and B vitamins.
2. Yoghurt smoothes and milkshakes - Whizz up your favourite fruit with some natural yoghurt, milk or calcium-enriched soya milk in a blender. Blackcurrants, blackberries and oranges are higher in calcium than other fruit. If you don’t have time, just have some fruit, yoghurt and honey as a tasty low-fat dessert.
3. Quick nutty snacks - Almonds are particularly high in calcium, but Brazil, hazel and pistachio nuts are also a good source. Why not try adding sesame seeds or sunflower seeds to pasta or salad dishes?
4. Tinned sardines on a baked potato - The soft, edible bones in canned fish are an excellent source of calcium and the carbohydrate in the potato will keep you going.
5. Tofu as you like it - Tofu is the Japanese name for soya-bean curd. It’s a good vegetarian source of iron and protein as well as calcium. Look for recipes with tofu if you don’t like dairy products.

Vitamin D tip

Calcium and vitamin D work together and you need more vitamin D in pregnancy. Excellent sources are oily fish such as mackerel, sardines and pilchards. Eggs and fortified margarines and cereals are good sources too.
Vitamin D is also made in your body by sunlight on the skin. It is recommended that you take a supplement of 10 micrograms (0.01mg) vitamin D a day, particularly if you are Asian or have limited exposure to sunlight.