168 Eating for Good Health
➤ Avoid cooking food
for a long time. This
destroys folic acid and
other vitamins.
Folic acid (folate)
The body needs folic acid to make healthy red blood cells.
Lack of folic acid can lead to anemia in women and severe
problems in newborn babies. So getting enough folic acid is
especially important during pregnancy.
Good sources of folic acid are:
• dark green leafy
vegetables
• mushrooms
• liver
• meats
• fish
• nuts
• peas and
beans
• eggs
133
weak bones
Calcium
Everyone needs calcium to make their bones and teeth
strong. In addition, girls and women need extra calcium:
• During childhood. Calcium helps a girl’s hips grow wide
enough to give birth safely when she is fully grown.
• During pregnancy. A pregnant woman needs enough
calcium to help the baby’s bones grow, and to keep her
own bones and teeth strong.
• During breastfeeding. Calcium is necessary for making
breast milk.
• During mid-life and old age. Calcium is needed to prevent
weak bones (osteoporosis).
These foods are rich in calcium:
• milk, curd,
yogur t
• cheese
• bone meal
• green leafy
vegetables
• ground sesame • almonds
• beans, especially
soy
• shellfish
• lime (carbon ash)
Sunshine will help you
use calcium better.
Try to be in the sun
at least 15 minutes
every day. Remember
that it is not enough
to just be outdoors.
The sun’s rays must
touch the skin.
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012
To increase the amount of
calcium you get from food:
• Soak bones or egg shells in vinegar or
lemon juice for a few hours, and then
use the liquid in soup or other food.
• Add a little lemon juice, vinegar, or
tomato when cooking bones for soup.
• Grind up egg shells into a powder and
mix with food.
• Soak maize (corn) in lime (carbon ash).