It’s well known that calcium is important for strong bones and healthy teeth, but it also plays an important part in losing weight after pregnancy.
Calcium-rich recipes should be included in your healthy eating plan, and with healthy foods like milk, cheese, yoghurt, almonds and brazil nuts all being good sources of calcium, it shouldn’t be too hard to include calcium in your diet each day.
Calcium’s role in weight reduction and maintenance has been studied by many institutions around the world, with clear links emerging between increased consumption of low-fat dairy foods and greater weight loss. It’s thought that calcium plays a crucial role in the metabolism of energy, with calcium-deficiency linked to a reduction in the body’s ability to burn fat.
Reduced Fat Cottage Cheese & Fresh Strawberries
Calories per serve: 240
Simply mix together 1 cup of reduced fat cottage cheese with 5 freshly cut strawberries and you’ve got yourself a high calcium snack that is also low in calories, high in protein and packed with fibre and antioxidants.
Cherries, Rockmelon & Yoghurt – click here
Calories per serve: 160 calories
Good news! Several studies have linked the consumption of reduced-fat, plain yoghurt to increased weight loss. Greek yoghurt is a great variety to include in your weight loss plan as it’s a low calorie variety that contains little to no sugar and is filled with probiotics that support a healthy gut and digestive system.
Blueberry Heaven Smoothie – click here
Calories per serve: 231
This filling, nutritious snack is high in calcium not only because it is made with dairy milk, but also because there’s a handful of spinach thrown in too. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that dairy isn’t the only source of calcium, leafy greens are rich in calcium too.
2 Ingredient Coconut Date Balls – click here
Calories per serve: 70 (per ball)
Apart from being super easy to make, these delicious snacks provide a good source of calcium thanks to dates being the main ingredient. While not many fruits are high in calcium, dates are an exception, containing a good amount of calcium. Make these balls on the weekend, and store in an airtight container to have on hand for the week ahead. These are also great treats for kids lunchboxes.
Mini Cheese and Spinach Pies – click here
Calories per serve: 193 per pie
Filled with ricotta cheese and feta cheese, these tasty pies are a good calcium-packed savoury snack option for those days when you want something hot. Ricotta and feta cheese are both good low-calorie cheese options, and a great substitute to use in recipes instead of high-calories cheeses like blue cheese, brie or camembert.
Want to see more delicious snacks and over 800 family friendly recipes? Join our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge today. You will be doing the challenge with 1000’s of other mums and the average weight loss is 4-6kgs over the 28 days. See all the details here
