Anemia is a disease that occurs when red blood cells have some type of condition and are unhealthy. These are responsible for bringing oxygen to the body's tissues.
Since there is not enough oxygen, the easiest symptoms to feel are weakness and fatigue. It can also produce a feeling of lack of air, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, and headache…
The most common type of anemia is iron deficiency, which is caused by a deficiency of iron, which means that not enough hemoglobin can be produced. But in addition to this type, we can find many other types:
- Anemia due to vitamin B12 deficiency
- Anemia due to folic acid deficiency
- Hemolytic anemia
- Megaloblastic anemia
- Aplastic anemia of unknown cause
- Pernicious anemia
- Sickle cell anemia
- thalassemia
What should I eat and what should I avoid if I have anemia?
To improve the previously mentioned symptoms of anemia, you need to pay special attention to food, as it plays a very important role. Mainly, with food there are several things we can do:
- Include foods high in:
- Vero
- Vitamin B12
- Folic acid
- We don't have iron
- Avoid foods that interfere with absorption:
- Vero
- Vitamin B12
- Folic acid
- Avoid processed foods
1. Foods that contain a high percentage of iron and foods that hinder its absorption
This is essential for the production of red blood cells, so it is important to ensure you get a good amount of iron from the diet. We find foods such as red meat, poultry, lentils, fish, spinach, broccoli, and others.
If we also add vitamin C when eating these foods, we will make the iron absorbed better. We can do this with foods such as peppers, oranges, tangerines, kiwi…
On the other hand, there are foods that will prevent its proper absorption, leading to worsening of anemia. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid or reduce the consumption of tea, coffee and red wine. The content of tannins and polyphenols will prevent its absorption.
We should also avoid taking calcium with iron, so it is recommended to limit the consumption of dairy products during or after an iron-rich meal.
2. Foods that contain vitamin B12 and foods that hinder its absorption
Like iron, this vitamin is also necessary for the production of red blood cells. We have seen that anemia can also appear due to the absence or deficiency of this vitamin, so it is necessary to eat foods that contain it.
So we will include meat, fish, eggs and dairy products in our diet. If you follow a vegetarian diet, supplements will be essential.
In contrast, almost the same foods that interfere with the absorption of iron are those that interfere with the absorption of vitamin B12. In this way we will avoid or reduce the consumption of tea and coffee.
3. Foods that contain a high percentage of folic acid and foods that hinder its absorption
Folic acid is also necessary for the production of red blood cells. We will add foods such as spinach, asparagus, lentils, cauliflower and oranges. We will avoid or reduce as much as possible the consumption of alcohol and tobacco, as they can impair the absorption of folic acid.
4. Foods that contain a high percentage of non-heme iron and foods that hinder its absorption
It is important to include both the iron-rich foods mentioned above and foods high in heme iron. So let's talk about foods like spinach, lentils, cauliflower, and walnuts.
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