What is Anemia?
Anemia results from lack of red blood cells in the body. The condition is caused by blood loss, the destruction of red blood cells or body's inability to create red blood cells. There are many types of anemia, the most common is Iron Deficiency Anemia.
Common Symptoms of Anemia
- Fatigue, impaired work performance
- Hair Loss
- Irritability
- Weakness
- Disturbance in Thermoregulation
- Reduced Immunity
Anemia can be treated and managed with little care and taking foods that fight anemia like diet that is rich in iron and other vitamins essential to hemoglobin and RBC's production. Anemia Diet Plan should also include foods that help in better absorption of iron.
Foods to Have to Fight Anemia
- Green Leafy Vegetables like sarson, bathua, methi, radish leaves, mint leaves, cabbage, brocolli. The high amount of chlorophyll in green vegetables is a good source of iron.
- Pulses like moong dal, rajmah, black chana, soya bean and lobia.
- Sprouts like chana, moong and moth.
Nuts and Seeds like Almonds, kishmish, munakka, anjeer, dates, seeds like pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
- Fruits especially rich in vitamin C helps your stomach absorb Iron and fight anemia. You can have oranges, strawberries, guava, anar, watermelon to increase iron absorption.
- Lotus Stem
- Meat and Poultry are good food for fighting anemia. They contain heme iron which can be easily absorbed in body.
- Drinking water from Copper vessels also helps replenish minerals in the body.
- Bananas are also beneficial as they contain assimilable iron - folic acid and Vitamin B12.
- Beetroot and amla are extremely important in curing anemia. The juice of red beetroot and amla strengthens the body to regenerate and reactivate the RBCs.
- Pomegranate juice or anar juice is also rich in iron and other supportive minerals.
Some Useful Diet Tips to Fight Anemia
- Avoid Tea/ Coffee at least 1/2 hour - 45 mins before and after meals.
- For better absorption of iron from food sources, have natural sources of vitamin c along with your meals like lemon water, fresh mausami/ orange juice, tomato salad, green chutney with amla/ lemon etc.
- Sprouts if taken raw are better source of iron.
- Eat Green Rotis especially for winters, wash and chop green leafy vegetables, steep in hot water for about 10 mins, cool and purse knead your dough with this. Excellent source of iron.
- Cook your food in Iron pots/ kadai. Food cooked in cast iron absorbs iron from the skillets.
- Cook food for a shorter period of time.
- Foods rich in folate and Vitamin B12 supports RBCs production.
- Foods rich in calcium should be avoided as they inhibit iron absorption.
- Antacids also decrease iron absoption hence should be restricted.
Hence, no one food will cure Anemia. But eating an overall Healthy Diet rich in dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, seafood, beans and by combining them with vitamin c rich fruits and vegetables along with the meals to increase the bio-availability of Iron can help you fight Anemia.