Best Diet Plan for Anemia

Anemia diet plan

Anemia treatment plans often include dietary changes. The best diet plan for anemia includes foods rich in iron and other vitamins essential to hemoglobin and red blood cell production. It should also include foods that help your body absorb iron better.

There are two types of iron in foods: heme iron and nonheme iron.

Heme iron is found in meat, poultry, and seafood. Nonheme iron is found in plant foods and foods fortified with iron. Your body can absorb both types, but it absorbs heme iron more easily.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for iron is 10 milligrams (mg) for men and 12 mg for women.

Although anemia treatment plans are individualized, most require150 to 200 mgof elemental iron daily. You’ll likely need to take prescription iron or an over-the-counter iron supplement until your levels are replenished.

Add these foods to your diet to get more iron and help fight iron deficiency anemia:

1. Leafy greens

Leafy greens, especially dark ones, are among the best sources of nonheme iron. They include:

• spinach
• kale
• collard greens
• dandelion greens
• Swiss chard

Some leafy greens such as Swiss chard and collard greens also contain folate. A diet low in folate may cause folate deficiency anemia. Citrus fruits, beans, and whole grains are good sources of folate.

When eating dark, leafy greens for iron, there’s a catch. Some greens high in iron, such as spinach and kale, are also high in oxalates. Oxalates can bind with iron, preventing the absorption of nonheme iron.

So while it’s beneficial to eat your greens as part of an overall anemia diet, don’t depend on them solely to treat the condition.

Vitamin C helps your stomach absorb iron. Eating leafy greens with foods that contain vitamin C such as oranges, red peppers, and strawberries may increase iron absorption. Some greens are good sources of both iron and vitamin C, such as collard greens and Swiss chard.

2. Meat and poultry

所有的肉类和家禽都含有血红素铁。红肉,lamb, and venison are the best sources. Poultry and chicken have lower amounts.

Eating meat or poultry with nonheme iron foods, such as leafy greens, along with a vitamin C-rich fruit can increase iron absorption.

3. Liver

Many people shy away from organ meats, but they’re a great source of iron.

Liver is arguably the most popular organ meat. It’s rich in iron and folate. Some other iron-rich organ meats are heart, kidney, and beef tongue.

4. Seafood

Some seafood provides heme iron. Shellfish such as oysters, clams, scallops, crabs, and shrimp are good sources. Most fish contain iron.

Fish with the best levels of iron include:

• canned or fresh tuna
• mackerel
• mahi mahi
• pompano
• fresh perch
• fresh or canned salmon

Shop for canned tuna online.

Although canned sardines are good sources of iron, they’re also high in calcium.

Calcium may bind with iron and reduces its absorption. Foods high in calcium shouldn’t be eaten at the same time as iron-rich foods.

Other examples of calcium-rich foods include:

• dairy milk
• fortified plant milks
• yogurt
• kefir
• cheese
• tofu

5. Fortified foods

Many foods are fortified with iron. Add these foods to your diet if you’re a vegetarian or struggle to eat other sources of iron:

• fortified orange juice
• fortified ready-to-eat cereals
• foods made from fortified refined flour such as white bread
• fortified pasta
• foods made from fortified cornmeal
• fortified white rice

6. Beans

Beans are good sources of iron for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. They’re also inexpensive and versatile.

Some iron-rich options are:

• kidney beans
• chickpeas
• soybeans
• black-eyed peas
• pinto beans
• black beans
• peas
• lima beans

Shop for canned beans.

7. Nuts and seeds

Many types of nuts and seeds are good sources of iron. They taste great on their own or sprinkled on salads or yogurt.

Some nuts and seeds that contain iron are:

• pumpkin seeds
• cashews
• pistachios
• hemp seeds
• pine nuts
• sunflower seeds

Findraw pumpkin seeds,raw cashews, andraw pine nutsonline.

Both raw and roasted nuts have similar amounts of iron.

Almonds are also a good source of iron. They’re great as part of a healthy eating plan, but since they’re also high in calcium, they may not increase your iron levels that much.

Takeaway

No single food will cure anemia. But eating an overall healthy diet rich in dark, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, seafood, meat, beans, and vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables can help you get the iron you need to manage anemia.

Be sure to discuss supplements with your healthcare provider because it’s difficult to get enough iron from diet alone.

A cast iron skillet is an anemia diet plan staple. Foods cooked in cast iron absorb iron from the skillet. Acidic foods absorb the most iron, and foods cooked for short periods of time absorb the least.

When following a diet plan for anemia, remember these guidelines:

• Don’t eat iron-rich foods with foods or beverages that block iron absorption.These include coffee or tea, eggs, foods high in oxalates, and foods high in calcium.
• Eat iron-rich foods with vitamin C-rich foods, such as oranges, tomatoes, or strawberries, to improve absorption.
• Eat iron-rich foods with foods that contain beta carotene, such as apricots, red peppers, and beets, to improve absorption.
• Eat a variety of heme and nonheme iron foodsthroughout the day to up your iron intake.
• Eat heme and nonheme iron foods togetherwhenever possible to increase iron absorption.
• Add foods rich in folate and vitamin B-12to support red blood cell production.