Diet For Anemia

Anemia is a condition when the blood does not have sufficient red blood cells. In other words we can say that the hemoglobin of the blood drops. This condition if neglected can be life threatening too. It is caused by external bleeding, pregnancy, some chronic ailment, alcoholism, infections or other hereditary problems.

A person who is anemic gets tired off easily and feels extremely exhausted. One can alter this condition by following a good diet and by doing this one can increase the red blood count in the blood. The diet should be well balanced and should have all the nutrients that are needed for the body.

Diet- the diet should be special; it should contain iron and other iron supplements in large quantities. The absorption of iron in the blood is another important factor and cannot be overlooked. It depends on numerous factors. Heme iron is usually found in animal sources, it is easily absorbed by the body. Liver of pork, oysters, sardines, turkey, liver, chicken contain these in large quantities. Non-heme iron is found in vegetables and is not absorbable easily. Green leafy vegetables, cereals, beans and lentils, pumpkin seeds, potato, pasta are rich in non-heme iron. But care should be taken that the pregnant women should not consume liver as it is abundant in vitamin A.

Now for the vegetarians this absorption of non-heme iron is vital. By consuming foods that are enhances the absorption non-heme iron. Some of the food items that we eat enhance the absorption of iron in the body while others can inhibit the regular absorption of iron. Some of the iron absorption foods are meat and poultry. One can also go for fruits like oranges, cantaloupe, strawberries or grapefruit. Vegetables like broccoli, sprouts, tomato, Brussels, green and red peppers also act as iron enhancers.

An anemic person should increase the intake of iron by food like, green leafy vegetable, chicken, fish etc. the non-vegetarians has numerous choices as the iron gets absorbed easily then compared to the plant source. Fruits and dishes that are rich with vitamin C is suggested as vitamin C increases the uptake of iron. Again remember lack of vitamin B12 results in anemia. Increase the consumption of folate.

By following the iron rich diet one can easily recover from anemia.