Low haemoglobin
called anemia is a most common condition in majority of population especially
in females. Recently I volunteered a blood donation camp in which I observed
many healthy people who were eager to donate blood were unfit for blood
donation just because of a low haemoglobin count. Low haemoglobin levels
without any underlying conditions like in pregnancy, liver or kidney diseases,
absorptive disorders, thalassemia, cancers, bleeding wounds etc. can be usually
due to improper eating habits, low nutritional content of foods, inadequate
nutrient intake or improper cooking methods which can lead to deficiency of
nutrients like iron, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin C and proteins together
responsible for low levels of haemoglobin.
When you
have blood haemoglobin levels below 12.5g% it is termed as anemia. Adequate haemoglobin
is required for transport of oxygen to your body cells. It also transports
carbon-dioxide to lungs to be exhaled. Our body uses dynamic mechanism to
maintain its haemoglobin. It tries to maintain normal haemoglobin by using
these stores of nutrients like iron. Once the stores are depleted, slowly the haemoglobin
levels start decreasing below normal showing various symptoms. Low haemoglobin
gives you general fatigue, paleness, weakness, pale skin, shortness of breath,
dizziness, cold extremities (hand and feet), tingling sensation in legs, fast
or irregular heartbeat, cravings to items that are not foods (mud, clay, chalk
etc.), brittle nails, headaches, etc.
Donating
blood for a social cause is a good initiative for which we should keep
ourselves fit not only from health point of view but also to maintain your haemoglobin
count. To maintain haemoglobin throughout the year we need to have a balanced
diet rich in various nutrients. Haemoglobin is made up of heme and globin which
requires iron, vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin B12 and proteins. To improve your
haemoglobin, you need all these nutrients in your diet in correct amount. Iron
deficiency anemia is most common and is seen in majority of females than males.
Improve
your iron intake by increasing following iron rich
foods in your diet:
- Non
– veg : Meat and fish
- Eggs
- Pulses
and Beans, peas and lentils.
- Nuts
– Walnuts, Roasted almonds, peanuts
- Seeds
– Garden cress (Aliv seeds), Pumpkin, Sesame and flax seeds
- Whole
grains
- Most
dark green leafy vegetables – Spinach, Shepu, Cauliflower leaves,
Broccoli, Rajgeera.
- Iron
fortified breakfast cereals and breads
Usually
the vegetarian varieties contain non-heme iron and require vitamin C rich
foods consumed along with iron rich foods for better absorption. These foods
include:
- Amla
and Guava
- Sweet
lime, orange
- Fermented
products
- Tomatoes,
peppers, broccoli, peas
- Green
leafy vegetables
Diet
should contain a considerable amount of good quality protein to
improve your hemoglobin levels. They include:
- Egg
- Lean
Chicken
- Meat
and Fish
- Milk
and milk products
- Pulses
- Legumes
If you
have a anemia due to folic acid and vitamin b12 deficiency,
you need to incorporate following foods in your diet.
- Egg
yolk
- Curd
- Spinach
- Gingelly
seeds
- Sorrel
(Ambat Chuka), Ladies finger, Cluster beans (Gavar), Tomatoes
- Whole
Wheat
Some
Important Tips to improve your haemoglobin:
- Avoid
intake of tea and coffee along with meals to improve iron absorption.
- Cook
at least 1 to 2 dishes in cast iron pan to provide two to three times more
iron content than the one cooked in any other pan.
- Consume
foods rich in vitamin C and iron together to improve absorption of iron.
- Soak,
Sprout and ferment foods to improve bioavailability of iron. It reduces
amount of phytates and improves iron absorption.
- Consume
minimum of processed foods which lack iron. Consume plenty of natural
foods to improve overall intake of nutrients.
Improve
your haemoglobin levels… Maintain it all the time…
Take a
balanced diet…
Maintain
your nutrition and be fit for blood donation…
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