What to eat with iron deficiency anemia

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Not only pregnant and lactating women will benefit from knowing what to eat for iron deficiency anemia. This problem can appear in any person, regardless of the characteristics of the body and age. Following the recommendations of specialists, it will be possible to return hemoglobin to the optimal level and get rid of the unpleasant sensations characteristic of anemia.

Basic principles of nutrition for anemia

The main prohibition concerns fasting. If diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia, all kinds of restrictive diets aimed at weight loss should be ruled out. But if you need to lose weight and not gain weight, they focus on whole grain cereal products. They are healthy sources of micronutrients, are rich in fiber and provide long-term satiety.

A special diet provided for iron deficiency anemia (IDA) involves the use of foods rich in iron, vitamins B9 and B12. For the normal absorption of trace elements, the presence of additional ingredients in the menu that correspond to the principles of a balanced and healthy diet is required.

Iron present in food is not 100% absorbed by the body. But it is possible to increase the percentage of the splittable microelement due to the correct preparation of products.

Key dietary rules for iron deficiency anemia in children and adults:

1. Using mostly raw vegetables. Sometimes they can be stewed, or at least boiled. But if heat treatment is used, it should be short-lived.
2. All fruits, with the exception of the peach, should also be eaten raw. At the same time, many Western experts are of the opinion that it is better not to cut fruits and vegetables, but to eat them whole.
3. It is good to include sprouted seeds and roasted nuts in the menu, from which iron is better absorbed.
4. For baking lovers, use whole grain flour to make the dough.
5. Legumes are a good source of iron, but they should be presoaked for better absorption of trace minerals.
6. It is better not to boil oatmeal, but to soak it in water or milk. Boiled cereals do not supply enough iron to the body, while increasing blood sugar levels.

Additional tips on what to eat for iron deficiency anemia:

1. Avoid coffee and strong black tea. Cut out alcohol.
2. Limit milk, but don't give it up completely.
3. If making vegetable salads, add at least a little orange juice to them, or cut the orange into slices. The presence of vitamin C promotes better absorption of iron from the components of such a dish.

Try to include in the menu as much as possible a variety of foods, both plant and animal sources, rich in iron.

Key vitamins and trace elements for IDA

The diet of both women and men should be rich in substances that support hematopoiesis. This is evidenced by the memo on proper nutrition for iron deficiency anemia, developed by the Ministry of Health of Russia. Not only iron is important, but also other key vitamins and minerals. It is possible to distinguish as the main vitamins B9, that is, folic acid, and vitamin B12, called cyanocobalamin.

Iron is an essential component of a therapeutic diet. When it is not enough in the diet, the body does not produce enough hemoglobin. This compound is found in sufficient quantities in red meat, offal, especially liver.

Brewer's yeast is also rich in iron. In smaller quantities, the trace element is present in eggs, seafood, dried fruits. Iron must be combined with vitamin C in the diet.

Vitamin B12 can be obtained from animal products such as beef, liver, fish fillets, dairy products and eggs. An excellent source of folate is dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli and spinach. Vitamin B9 is rich in fruits, beans, nuts, yeast and wheat germ.

Prohibited foods

In addition to the recommended products, you should also know the list of prohibited ones. It is believed that calcium can interfere with the absorption of iron. But nutritionists do not advise to completely abandon the sources of this trace element.

What else can not be eaten with iron deficiency anemia:

• fatty types of meat and fish;
• mutton and other harmful animal fats;
• sausage and other smoked meats, pork ribs, which will not bring any benefit;
• margarine.

You do not need to consume drinks such as strong tea and coffee, which slow down the absorption of iron and, in general, negatively affect the absorption of any vitamins and minerals.

Recommendations for women and men

It is best to consume foods raw if possible. Meat and fish should be steamed or stewed. This is what women need to eat with iron deficiency anemia, including during pregnancy. Fried is not strictly prohibited, but it is better to keep its presence on the menu to a minimum.

The following guidelines are equally relevant for women and men:

1. Don't skip breakfast. Boil oatmeal or buckwheat with milk or water, rather than boil it. The porridge will turn out to be crumbly and very useful. For a pregnant woman, especially with low hemoglobin levels, additional strengthening ingredients, such as chicken liver, can be added to breakfast. For better absorption of iron from offal, it is better to drink them with berry compote or cranberry juice.
2. Divide your food intake into 5 meals.
3. Don't forget about snacking. If you don't feel like eating, you can have a snack with a few dried dates, nuts, a couple of apple slices, but in no case ignore these meals.
4. For lunch, be sure to prepare a meat dish - these are the nutritional requirements for iron deficiency anemia in men and women. You can supplement it with broth.
5. It is good to cook lean beef stew for lunch, chicken fillet with vegetables, and serve fruit salad for dessert. If the problem of a lack of hemoglobin has to be solved by a nursing mother, then a list of products should be selected after consulting a pediatrician. This is important to prevent baby allergies.
6. Eat low-fat cottage cheese with honey 2-3 times a week. This is a good option for an afternoon snack. Naturally, you should not get carried away with dairy products until the hemoglobin count returns to normal.
7. Make dinner with healthy, low-calorie foods. An excellent option is baked fish, complemented by dill or parsley and tomato salad.

Some people wonder what is recommended to eat for iron deficiency anemia in men, although there is no gender dependence in this regard. Perhaps the representatives of the strong half, who are engaged in hard physical labor, need enhanced nutrition to replenish their resources.

Why focus on heme iron

Not everyone knows, but iron can be heme and non-heme. The first is absorbed much better than the second. The species in question are found in various foods. Even if you consume foods with non-heme iron in large quantities, you can face dry skin, decreased immunity, insomnia and even a lack of oxygen, rapid fatigue, and weakening of mental abilities.

Iron, which is inorganic in origin, can be not only useless for anemia, but also cause minor harm. Heme iron is only found in animal products. It is assimilated by a person better.

Non-heme is an integral part of plants. Of the total volume entering the body with plants, only a tenth of this iron is absorbed. You can improve its absorption by supplementing such foods with vitamins B12 and C.

Nutrition for anemia in the elderly

It is sometimes difficult to determine iron deficiency anemia in old age, since the symptoms are largely reminiscent of chronic pathologies. But if, nevertheless, a diagnosis such as IDA is made, the principles of nutrition will be approximately the same. The menu will have to be supplemented with proteins of animal origin, which activate the synthesis of hemoglobin.

Include beef and beef liver and other meat dishes in your diet. Use them with fruits and vegetables, especially red and orange. Apples and pomegranates should be an addition to the main menu.

Eating exclusively on plant foods, hemoglobin cannot be raised. As for vegetables, older people should give preference to cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, red and yellow peppers.

To improve the composition of the blood, natural dark honey and rosehip infusion should be consumed at least once a day.

Diet for children

The food recommended for iron deficiency anemia in children has its own characteristics. They are usually prescribed anti-anemic diet No. 11. Foods with white flour, which hinder the absorption of iron, coffee and tea should be excluded.

As in the case of adults, in children, the key form of iron must be heme. It is iron that comes from meat, fish and poultry. On average, a child with anemia is advised to consume about 80-100 g of meat or fish, which are supplemented with vegetables and fruits.

If he does not like meat, you should not indulge him; instead, it is better, by experiment, to choose a dish that seems tasty enough to him. Babies often refuse cooked meat in the form of a whole piece. At the same time, they enjoy eating cutlets, steamed meatballs and meatballs.

We must not forget about folic acid and sources of copper, trace elements that contribute to the formation of healthy blood cells in a growing body and improve hematopoiesis. Copper is found in liver, cashews, cocoa, hazelnuts, pistachios, and peanuts.

The use of cereals should be limited, as they interfere with the absorption of iron. The only exception is buckwheat porridge.

Outcomes

1. People with iron deficiency anemia, regardless of age and gender, need foods with heme iron - lean red meats, offal.
2. Since iron from food is not completely absorbed, for its improved breakdown, meat products should be supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as juices based on them.
3. Fast food, strong tea and coffee, alcoholic beverages should be excluded, as they disrupt the absorption of iron.