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Some links in this article are affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we find useful to our readersWhenever you visit a doctor suspecting signs and symptoms of anemia, the first thing that the doctor will revert saying with is that you need to either upgrade or completely change your diet and that is true. Diet and lifestyle play a very crucial role in the maintenance of proper blood production as well as circulation. If you thought “diet for anemia” is a laymen term just used for the sake of using, you were slightly mistaken.
While you might be here thinking what kind of anemia treatment foods you need to adhere to or what to eat and what necessarily one needs to avoid, right? Well, there are an ample spectrum of foods and nutrition when it comes to treating Anemia.
In this article, we are going to be discussing the common and easy ways of curing anemia with diet. Stick on to till the end of the article to know all the dos and don’ts when it comes to the kind of food that is best suited for an anemic patient.
How to Treat Anemia with Food?
Anemia is primarily caused because of either three reasons:
- Vehement blood loss
- Destruction of the red blood cells
- Inability of formation of red blood cells
Now, when it comes to curing anemia with diet, the very first thing to do is to opt for foods that actually propagate the purpose of producing more red blood cells in the body that is generally required by it.
Food plays a huge role in not just curing the disease but also acts as a common reason behind its induction in the first place. If you were unaware, anemia can be of various types, the iron deficiency anemia being the most common one in the lot. This itself must be enough for you to understand why this actually does play a very crucial and important role in curing and preventing anemia and that too, effectively.
Not just that, even the lack of folate as well as Vitamin B-12 can adversely affect the normal process of red blood cells production of the body. These are the reasons why the adequate amount of Vitamin B12, folate and most importantly, iron, have an amazing effect in providing with an amazing cure for anemia.
Anemia Diet Plan
Breakfast
First Option
- Get some cereal with milk
- Glass of fortified orange juice
Second Option
- White bread with jam or butter
- Eggs (boiled or poaches)
- Yoghurt with some strawberries and some seeds sprinkled on top
Lunch
First Option
- Green leafy salad with a perfect fillet of grilled salmon
- A side of fortified white rice
Second Option
- Sandwich with fortified white bread and some meat or even beans
- A salad on the side if just the sandwich is not filling enough
Dinner
First Option
- Cottage cheese with some roasted potatoes and a green leafy salad on the side
- Grilled lamb or pork chops with some mashed potatoes and blanched curly kale
Second Option
- A hearty stew with beans, meat, veggies and a white bread toast on the side
- If you are vegetarian, skip out on the meat
What to Eat for Anemia?
If you are looking for an effective and healthy diet for anemia, this is just the place that you need to look into. Make sure that you include these specific foods into the diet without fail if you have been consistently suffering from anemia.
1. Leafy Green Vegetables
These kinds of leafy green vegetables, especially the darker green ones actually contain a good quantity of non-heme iron as well as folate both of whose deficiency ends up causing anemia.
With that out of the way, it has also been witnessed that a number of these leafy green vegetables which are rich in iron and folate also contain a good portion of folate which could possibly be fatal for kidneys and might even arrest the absorption of iron which is why it is necessary to ensure that you consume these in considerable amounts but not solely depend on it for all forms of nutrition.
Some of the popular green leafy veggies that treat anemia include:
- Collard greens
- Spinach
- Swiss chard
- Kale
- Lettuce
Some of them like collard greens and Swiss chard are rich in Vitamin C content which is beneficial in the absorption of iron.
2. Liver
If you have been shying away from organ meat like that of liver but you have been consistently suffering from the signs and symptoms relating to anemia, it is high time to actually get going with this idea. Liver meat is rich in not just iron but folate as well, two of the main compounds that contribute to the possible signs of anemia in a person.
Some of the other organ meat that has high levels of iron includes:
- Heart
- Kidney
- Beef tongue
These are an amazing source of nutrition for people suffering from iron deficiency anemia.
3. Meat and Poultry
The meats and the various cuts of it contain more heme protein in comparison to the poultry meat. But both of them have more or less good effects in amping up the lacking levels of iron in the body which could be a primary reason behind the condition of anemia.
4. Seafood
Some of the amazing varieties of fishes that are loaded with iron as well as essential omega-3 fatty acids include:
- Canned sardines
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Halibut
- Haddock
If you are opting for salmon to gain those extra levels of iron in the body, ensure that you go for the fresh variant because the canned salmon tend to have higher levels of calcium in them which tends to obstruct the seamless absorption of the iron. This is why it is necessary to mix calcium rich foods with the iron rich ones because the former tends to block the proper absorption of the latter.
5. Beans
Not only are they very inexpensive and light on the budget, but they also have a very versatile approach when it comes to cooking them.
Some of the iron-rich options in terms of beans and legumes include:
- Kidney beans
- Soybeans
- Pinto beans
- Chickpeas
- Black eyed peas
- Lima beans
- Peas
Canned or just the dried version which you can cook as you like, beans can actually provide with the sufficient amount of iron that you are looking for in your day to day diet to curb the condition of anemia.
6. Fortified Foods
Some of the varieties of fortified foods that you can consume in the diet plan for anemia include:
- Cereals
- White bread
- Fortified orange juice
- Fortified pasta
- Fortified white rice
- Fortified corn flour or corn meal
Make sure that you limit the amount of how much fortified foods you are consuming because the ruthless and sole dependence on this might adversely affect one’s well being which is definitely not something you want.
7. Nuts and Seeds
Some of the good sources of iron in nuts and seeds include:
- Cashew nuts
- Pine nuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Sunflower seeds
If you are here wondering why almonds are not mentioned in the list above, it is primarily because of the fact that they are not just rich in iron content but also calcium which tends to abruptly arrest the absorption of the iron, thereby degrading the condition even further.
What to Not Eat for Anemia?
Now that we have discussed about the diet for anemia and what one needs to eat, let us focus a bit on the foods that one need to avoid if they are anemic.
1. Spinach
2. Coffee and Tea
3. Red Wine
4. Soy Proteins
5. Hold Down the Gluten
6. Cut Down the Alcohol
7. Calcium Rich Foods
Anemia is a very common disease that affects women more than it does men. If you are one of those who is currently suffering from this condition, trying to cope from the persistent exhaustion and tiredness, it is time that you opt for this mentioned diet plan for anemia to lead a healthy life.