Eat to prevent anemia

Anemia is the most common health disorders in the world population. Do you know how to keep it away?

According to the WHO, about to 30% of the population suffers from anemia and this percentage may be reaching 50% in children, especially those younger than two years.

Anemia is the decrease of red blood cells in the blood. Although the causes of anemia can be several orders, the most common is iron deficiency anemia, caused by inadequate consumption of iron ingestion or by its poor absorption by the body.

To address this deficiency, you should pay more attention to your diet and try to incorporate iron-rich foods to try to increase the levels of this mineral in the blood.

Foods with higher iron content are the dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, watercress, broccoli, Arugula), red meats, especially beef liver, oysters, seafood, fatty fish, egg yolk and leguminous crops like various kinds of beans or lentils. Also walnuts, almonds and Brazil nuts are a good source of iron.

And if you are a vegetarian and don’t want to eat meat, know that tofu has the same percentage of iron as beef liver: about five milligrams of iron per 100 grams’ portion.

If you include in your diet many of these foods, your blood iron levels increase up to normal levels.

However, for a successful assimilation of iron by the body, there are two essential aspects to consider: the first is that foods rich in vitamin C helps to absorb iron better; the second is that the products rich in calcium, such as dairy products, hamper this absorption.

Doctors recommend that along with iron rich foods, you eat foods rich in vitamin C, in order to have a better mineral absorption. When it comes to foods containing calcium, avoid consuming them simultaneously with those that are rich in iron, wait at least 1 hour between one and another in order to not disturb its absorption.