Hey gals. Found this info on iron and calcium intake, most significant in the third trimester. So thought of sharing with you. Hope you find it useful. Take care. Simmi

MUST-HAVE MINERALS
You may be taking a prenatal vitamin, but it's essential that you get vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat, too. This is especially true for calcium and iron.

GOT CALCIUM?
It's a vital building block for your baby's bones and teeth and helps preserve your bone strength, too. Women younger than 19 need 1,300 milligrams (mg) each day; those 19 and older need 1,000 mg daily.

Each of the following is equal to one serving (300 mg) of calcium. Try to eat four servings every day.
About 0.25 litres of milk or 250 grams of yoghurt
40 grams (1 1/2 ounces) hard cheese
40 to 60 grams (1 1/2 to 2 ounces) cottage cheese
350 grams of cooked, fresh green vegetables

BLOOD BUILDER
Iron helps create blood cells and prevents anaemia. When you're pregnant you need 30 mg of iron daily. It's good to get iron from your diet, since iron supplements can cause constipation, something you may already be dealing with. However, most women need to take iron supplements during pregnancy, because it's hard to get the desired amount through food alone.

Aim for at least four servings a day of these iron-rich foods:
125 grams of dried fruit, like apricots, raisins, or prunes (fresh prunes are good too)
250 grams of cooked dried beans, dried peas, or lentils
250 grams dark green leafy vegetables
1 slice whole-wheat bread or about 30 grams of whole-grain cereal
About 60 grams (2 ounces) almonds or walnuts
About 60 grams (2 ounces) red meat
Nikita replied. Hi Simmi,

Thanx a lot for such useful info. I knew we had to take care of what we eat, but as Avi also mentioned, didn't know we had to take this much qty. This should surely help.

Thanx again.
Vindhya replied. Hi Simmi,

Thanks for the information. As for calcium, I am pretty much on track. Taking iron has been very challenging. I hate dried fruits, I bought dried apricots, but haven't been able to eat them. I wish I could eat 30mg of raw iron everyday.

Vindhya Avi replied. Thanks Simmi, very useful info....I didn't know we needed so much quantity wise.... this helps a lot....

And like Radhika mentioned, I think taking Calcium rich foods along with Iron rich foods will lessen the Iron absorbtion process, so keeping their intake seperate (if we need more Iron) would be a good idea too.