From Green Vegetables to Seafood, a Look at Iron-rich Foods to Help Fight Anemia

Anaemia is a medical condition where a person is unable to produce healthy red blood cells that in turn hinder the process of carrying the adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. According to India’s National Family Health Survey, 68.4% children and 66.4% women surveyed suffered from anaemia in 2019.

Red Blood Cells contain hemoglobin, a protein which is full of iron. Patients of anaemia cannot make the hemoglobin their body needs to create enough red blood cells to deliver oxygen-rich blood throughout your body. Anaemia can be caused by deficiency of folate and vitamin B-12 which impacts the body’s ability to make red blood cells.

Hence, for those with anemia a diet rich in iron, B vitamins, and vitamin C is recommended. Consulting a medical specialist is also recommended for any supplementary medicines that may prove essential for the patient.

Green vegetables

To overcome the lack of iron in the body, patients of Anaemia are recommended to consume green vegetables, especially the ones with dark green shade that are the best sources of nonheme iron rich.

However, it is also suggested that one should not solely depend on leafy green vegetables because some veggies such as spinach and kale, are also high in oxalates. Oxalates can bind with iron, preventing the absorption of nonheme iron in the blood.

Folate rich foods

Citrus fruits like oranges, beans and whole grains are rich in folates. Consuming Vitamin C rich fruits with green vegetables like kale, bitter gourd will make iron absorption easy.

Beans and legumes like kidney beans, chickpeas, soybeans, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, black beans are a good alternative for vegetarians who want to increase their iron intake.

Seafood

For those living along the coastal areas, consuming fresh seafood will work as one of the healthiest ways of incorporating heme iron in one’s diet. Include a variety of fish, oysters, clams, scallops, crabs, and shrimps in your diet to increase the heme iron level in your diet.

Nuts and Cereals

For a healthy breakfast, people diagnosed with Anaemia can consume dried fruits and nuts like flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, pistachios along with a bowl of cereal.

Meat and Liver

For non-vegetarians red meat is considered the best source of iron. Liver organs are known to be rich in iron and folate sources. Other organs of animals that can overcome your iron and folate deficiency is heart, and kidney.

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