Anemia is a general term for a condition characterized by a lack of healthy red blood cells in the body. A lack of sufficient iron, or iron deficiency, in a man's body can lead to a medical condition called iron-deficiency anemia. Iron-deficiency anemia usually develops gradually if there is not enough iron available to build healthy red blood cells.
Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia. It commonly affects children and women of all ages – especially women who are menstruating. It's estimated that at least 1 out of every 5 women in North America have iron-poor blood.
Anemia of chronic disease is a mild form of anemia that occurs with people who have diseases that last more than 1 to 2 months. Such diseases include tuberculosis, HIV, cancer, kidney disease, rheumatologic disorders, and liver disease.
Sickle cell anemia is another well-known type of anemia. This condition affects millions of people worldwide. It is a hereditary disease, passed on to children by parents with the altered genetic material. People most commonly affected include those of African, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, or Indian descent. Every year, 1 in 12 babies of African descent are born with a genetic potential to pass sickle cell anemia on to their children. It's estimated that 1 out of 400 babies of African descent will have the disease.
Aplastic anemia is a form of anemia where the bone marrow stops producing all types of blood cells. This type of anemia is very serious, but fortunately rare. It affects 2 to 12 out of every 1 million people each year. Aplastic anemia occurs in both adults and children.
Symptoms and Complications
The symptoms of anemia vary, depending on the degree of RBC loss or shortage.
Menstrual bleeding or iron deficiency tends to cause mild chronic anemia with symptoms of fatigue, pallor (pale skin colour), and weakness.
If anemia is due to major blood loss, such as in cases of severe GI bleeding caused by ulcers, you may feel dizzy and very weak, especially if you stand up suddenly.
Severe anemia can cause tissues and organs to be completely starved of blood and oxygen. When this happens, cells rapidly die in a process called ischemia.
In sickle cell anemia, RBCs, which are normally disc-shaped, become sickle-shaped. This abnormal shape of the cells causes them to get lodged in small blood vessels, blocking normal blood flow. People with this disease may get serious ischemia in their feet, sometimes requiring amputation, or in other organs, causing pain. People with sickle cell anemia are at a high risk of stroke, since the sickle-shaped cells can easily bunch together, forming masses (clots) that block blood flow in the brain's blood vessels.
For those with cancer, the most common symptoms of anemia are usually fatigue and shortness of breath. This makes it difficult to keep up usual energy levels and activities, and can have very negative effects on daily life.
Cause of anemia:
Anemia is not an actual disease – it's a condition that's caused by some other problem. There are three basic ways you can develop anemia:
Blood loss
The most common cause of anemia in North America is blood loss. Many women are borderline anemic, usually because their diets lack the proper nutrients to replace their monthly blood loss through menstrual flow. Another frequent cause is gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding due to illnesses like ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, and colon cancer. Use of certain medications such as acetylsalicylic acid* (ASA) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may also cause GI bleeding.
Other conditions that can cause bleeding include:
- gastric ulcers
- hemophilia
- hemorrhoids
- hookworms
Rapid destruction of RBCs
Healthy bone marrow can only produce so many RBCs a month. If the body is destroying cells faster than they are made, anemia will result. Old, "worn out" RBCs are mostly broken down in the spleen, which is the organ that filters the blood, checks it for infection, and removes undesirable substances. Some conditions can cause the spleen to grow larger. A variety of conditions may cause hypersplenism(enlarged spleen), including liver disease, malaria, lupus, or tuberculosis. An oversized spleen can trap and destroy even healthy RBCs, causing anemia
Sickle cell anemia and thalassemia are inherited diseases in which the RBCs are deformed. Sickle cell anemia is widespread among people of African descent, while thalassemia tends to run in families of Mediterranean descent. Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disease that occurs when individuals receive a copy of the sickle cell gene from both parents, resulting in misshapen or crescent-shaped RBCs. The spleen recognizes them as abnormal, and it grows to cope with the extra workload of killing them. This destruction of RBCs causes anemia. Interestingly, the gene that causes sickle cell disease also gives people resistance to, or protection from, a parasite that causes malaria.
Low production of healthy RBCs
The body needs iron to make hemoglobin, a protein on RBCs that carries the oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Hemoglobin also gives blood its red colour. In addition to lack of iron, there tends to be a lack of vitamin B12 and folic acid in the diet as well.
These deficiencies are less common in North America, but they still occur. People with increased iron requirements include infants, pregnant women, and teenagers going through a growth spurt. Slow bleeding can also cause iron-deficiency anemia. Even healthy people lose a small amount of blood a day in their stool. A slightly larger amount can easily go unnoticed and yet be enough to cause anemia.
The cause of anemia of chronic disease is not completely understood. It is related to a decreased production of RBCs.
Individual RBCs only last about 4 months and must be replaced by new ones, which are made in the bone marrow. If your marrow is destroyed or so badly damaged that it can't produce enough RBCs, you have aplastic anemia. Some medications and radiation therapy can kill bone marrow, but the most common cause is an autoimmune reaction. This occurs when cells that normally protect you against disease attack your own tissue instead. In 50% of cases, the cause of the autoimmune reaction is unknown.
Other conditions that can destroy bone marrow and cause aplastic anemia include viral hepatitis and severe rheumatoid arthritis. Fanconi anemia is a rare inherited aplastic condition in which the bone marrow is deficient. Anemia is common for people who have severe kidney disease. This is because healthy kidneys make a hormone called erythropoietin, a natural hormone that causes the bone marrow to produce more RBCs as they are needed by the body. Diseased kidneys cannot produce enough of this hormone to keep the body supplied with RBCs, leading to anemia.
A healthy diet is a prerequisite for any anemic patients. It is vital for you to include foods that are rich in Vitamin B12, folic acid and Vitamin C in your diet apart from most important ingredient iron. The following are the top 10 superfoods that will help you to get rid of anemia.
1. Tomatoes
Vitamin C is the main ingredient in tomatoes along with lycopene. The Vitamin C in tomatoes helps in easy absorption of iron. Tomatoes are also rich in beta carotene and Vitamins E and hence help in natural conditioning of the hair and skin.
Usage Of Tomatoes
• You can eat one or two raw tomatoes everyday to increase Vitamin C in your body and to encourage quick iron absorption.
• You can also drink a glass of raw tomato juice every day to fight anemia.
• Adding tomatoes while preparing food everyday will also help in combating anemia.
2. Spinach
Spinach is a very popular leafy vegetable that help in preventing anemia. It is a rich source of calcium, Vitamins A, B9, E and C, iron, fiber and beta carotene. It will help in improving the overall health of your body. It is found out that half a cup of boiled spinach contains 3.2 mg of iron and this accounts for about 20 percent of the iron requirement for a woman’s body. So, make sure that you take spinach in your daily diet to increase the blood in your body.
Ways To Consume Spinach
• You can increase the quantity of spinach in your green vegetable salad and can include it with other green vegetables like celery, broccoli, kale and watercress to easily fight anemia. Eat a plate full of green salad every day to fight anemia.
• You can also boil the spinach leaves in a cup of water and add necessary seasoning to make a good soup. Drink spinach soup two times a day to fight anemia.
3. Beetroot
Beetroot is known to be very effective in fighting anemia. It is a vegetable that is filled with iron content. It will help in repairing and reactivating your red blood cells. Once the red blood cells are activated, the supply of oxygen to all parts of the body increases. Adding beet-root in any form in your daily diet will help to easily fight anemia.
Ways To Use Beetroot
• Beetroot can be mixed with other leafy vegetables as well as vegetables like carrot, capsicum, tomatoes and so on to make a good salad. Consume this every day to fight anemia.
• You can also crush one or two beetroot in a juicer mixer to prepare a glass of beetroot juice. Having this glass of juice every day in the morning along with breakfast will improve the RBC count.
4. Red Meat
There is rich iron content in lamb, beef and other red meats. It contains heme-iron which will be easily absorbed by the body. The heart, kidneys, and the liver of the red meats are those parts that contain high quantities of iron. It is also a great source of Vitamin B12. It is said that the beef liver has more than 600 percent of your daily requirements of iron.
Consumption Of Red Meat
• Three ounces of cooked beef or chicken or ham have about 1 to 2.5 mg of heme iron. Make sure that you consume red meat at least two to three times a week to fight anemia.
• Including 3 ounces of beef liver or chicken liver will help in increasing your red blood cell count as it contains about 2.1 mg of heme-iron. Try to include these livers in your daily diet.
5. Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is a rich source of iron. Try to include peanut butter in your daily diet. If you do not like the taste of peanut butter, you can also think of eating a handful or roasted peanuts everyday to fight anemia. Two tablespoons of peanut butter contain 0.6 mg of iron.
Ways To Consume Peanut Butter
• Peanut butter can be used on your morning breakfast bread. Drinking orange juice along with your peanut butter spread bread will help in quick absorption of iron in your body.
• You can also take two tablespoons of plain peanut butter everyday to fight anemia.
• Adding peanut butter while cooking will also help in fighting anemia.
6. Nuts
Nuts are a great source of iron and will help you to easily boost the iron levels in your body. It helps you immensely to gain iron levels in your body even when you are on the move.
• Pistachio nuts are the best source of iron as it contains 15 mg of iron in 100 grams of nuts.
• Take a handful of pistachio and apricot nuts everyday as a mid breakfast snack or mid afternoon snack everyday to increase iron levels in the body.
7. Eggs
Eggs are a rich source of proteins and contain a lot of antioxidants that will help in stocking up vitamins in the body when you are suffering from anemia. A large egg is said to contain 1 mg of iron and hence consumption of an egg everyday will help in fighting anemia.
Egg Preparations:
• A boiled egg is one way of adding eggs to your daily diet. Take a boiled egg every day with your daily breakfast to boost vitamins in your body.
• You can consume a poached egg or a half boiled egg or full boiled egg or egg scrambler along with your daily breakfast to improve bone joints.
8. Pomegranates
One of the popular fruits that contain a rich source of iron and Vitamin C is pomegranates. It helps in improving the blood flow in your body and is also very effective in treating anemic symptoms like weakness, dizziness, exhaustion and even loss of hearing.
• Make it a point to eat one full pomegranate every day to reduce the anemic symptoms.
• You can also prepare a strong juice out of the pomegranate seeds and consume a glass of it everyday with your breakfast.
9. Soy Beans
Beans are a great source of iron and vitamins. Soybeans are considered to be the beans that contain high iron content. It contains phytic acid that prevents the absorption of iron. Soybean is a low fat and high protein food that fights anemia. It is important for you to prepare the soybeans properly in order to gain maximum health benefits.
Preparation:
• You need to soak the soy beans in warm water overnight to reduce the phytic acid in the beans.
• You can use half a cup of boiled soybeans in your food or eat it with some seasoning to enjoy half the recommended daily consumption of iron.
10. Whole Grain Bread
A slice of whole grain bread is said to contain about six percent of the daily iron required for the body. It is a very good source of non-heme iron and will help the body to fight deficiency of iron effectively. The whole grains in the bread contain phytic acid that has the potential to inhibit iron in the body. But, since whole grain bread is prepared through fermenting process, the phytic acid inhibitors in the grains are significantly lowered.
• Replace your white bread with whole grain bread for breakfast.
• Take two to three slices of whole grain bread every day to boost iron levels in the body.
Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia. It commonly affects children and women of all ages – especially women who are menstruating. It's estimated that at least 1 out of every 5 women in North America have iron-poor blood.
Anemia of chronic disease is a mild form of anemia that occurs with people who have diseases that last more than 1 to 2 months. Such diseases include tuberculosis, HIV, cancer, kidney disease, rheumatologic disorders, and liver disease.
Sickle cell anemia is another well-known type of anemia. This condition affects millions of people worldwide. It is a hereditary disease, passed on to children by parents with the altered genetic material. People most commonly affected include those of African, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, or Indian descent. Every year, 1 in 12 babies of African descent are born with a genetic potential to pass sickle cell anemia on to their children. It's estimated that 1 out of 400 babies of African descent will have the disease.
Aplastic anemia is a form of anemia where the bone marrow stops producing all types of blood cells. This type of anemia is very serious, but fortunately rare. It affects 2 to 12 out of every 1 million people each year. Aplastic anemia occurs in both adults and children.
Symptoms and Complications
The symptoms of anemia vary, depending on the degree of RBC loss or shortage.
Menstrual bleeding or iron deficiency tends to cause mild chronic anemia with symptoms of fatigue, pallor (pale skin colour), and weakness.
If anemia is due to major blood loss, such as in cases of severe GI bleeding caused by ulcers, you may feel dizzy and very weak, especially if you stand up suddenly.
Severe anemia can cause tissues and organs to be completely starved of blood and oxygen. When this happens, cells rapidly die in a process called ischemia.
In sickle cell anemia, RBCs, which are normally disc-shaped, become sickle-shaped. This abnormal shape of the cells causes them to get lodged in small blood vessels, blocking normal blood flow. People with this disease may get serious ischemia in their feet, sometimes requiring amputation, or in other organs, causing pain. People with sickle cell anemia are at a high risk of stroke, since the sickle-shaped cells can easily bunch together, forming masses (clots) that block blood flow in the brain's blood vessels.
For those with cancer, the most common symptoms of anemia are usually fatigue and shortness of breath. This makes it difficult to keep up usual energy levels and activities, and can have very negative effects on daily life.
Cause of anemia:
Anemia is not an actual disease – it's a condition that's caused by some other problem. There are three basic ways you can develop anemia:
Blood loss
The most common cause of anemia in North America is blood loss. Many women are borderline anemic, usually because their diets lack the proper nutrients to replace their monthly blood loss through menstrual flow. Another frequent cause is gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding due to illnesses like ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, and colon cancer. Use of certain medications such as acetylsalicylic acid* (ASA) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may also cause GI bleeding.
Other conditions that can cause bleeding include:
- gastric ulcers
- hemophilia
- hemorrhoids
- hookworms
Rapid destruction of RBCs
Healthy bone marrow can only produce so many RBCs a month. If the body is destroying cells faster than they are made, anemia will result. Old, "worn out" RBCs are mostly broken down in the spleen, which is the organ that filters the blood, checks it for infection, and removes undesirable substances. Some conditions can cause the spleen to grow larger. A variety of conditions may cause hypersplenism(enlarged spleen), including liver disease, malaria, lupus, or tuberculosis. An oversized spleen can trap and destroy even healthy RBCs, causing anemia
Sickle cell anemia and thalassemia are inherited diseases in which the RBCs are deformed. Sickle cell anemia is widespread among people of African descent, while thalassemia tends to run in families of Mediterranean descent. Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disease that occurs when individuals receive a copy of the sickle cell gene from both parents, resulting in misshapen or crescent-shaped RBCs. The spleen recognizes them as abnormal, and it grows to cope with the extra workload of killing them. This destruction of RBCs causes anemia. Interestingly, the gene that causes sickle cell disease also gives people resistance to, or protection from, a parasite that causes malaria.
Low production of healthy RBCs
The body needs iron to make hemoglobin, a protein on RBCs that carries the oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Hemoglobin also gives blood its red colour. In addition to lack of iron, there tends to be a lack of vitamin B12 and folic acid in the diet as well.
These deficiencies are less common in North America, but they still occur. People with increased iron requirements include infants, pregnant women, and teenagers going through a growth spurt. Slow bleeding can also cause iron-deficiency anemia. Even healthy people lose a small amount of blood a day in their stool. A slightly larger amount can easily go unnoticed and yet be enough to cause anemia.
The cause of anemia of chronic disease is not completely understood. It is related to a decreased production of RBCs.
Individual RBCs only last about 4 months and must be replaced by new ones, which are made in the bone marrow. If your marrow is destroyed or so badly damaged that it can't produce enough RBCs, you have aplastic anemia. Some medications and radiation therapy can kill bone marrow, but the most common cause is an autoimmune reaction. This occurs when cells that normally protect you against disease attack your own tissue instead. In 50% of cases, the cause of the autoimmune reaction is unknown.
Other conditions that can destroy bone marrow and cause aplastic anemia include viral hepatitis and severe rheumatoid arthritis. Fanconi anemia is a rare inherited aplastic condition in which the bone marrow is deficient. Anemia is common for people who have severe kidney disease. This is because healthy kidneys make a hormone called erythropoietin, a natural hormone that causes the bone marrow to produce more RBCs as they are needed by the body. Diseased kidneys cannot produce enough of this hormone to keep the body supplied with RBCs, leading to anemia.
Anemia can also be caused by a combination of factors.
Anemia is very common in people with cancer. In fact, about half of people with cancer develop anemia. It can have a variety of different causes, including tumours in the bone marrow, blood loss, poor nutrition, chemotherapy or radiation therapy that damages the bone marrow where RBCs are produced, or a combination of these reasons.
In people with severe kidney disease, anemia is caused by a combination of decreased production of RBCs, decreased RBC lifespan, and blood loss related to dialysis.
Treatment and Prevention of Anema
The treatment for anemia depends on the underlying illness causing it. Severe bleeding is usually treated with blood transfusions. You may also need regular transfusions of blood if you have a serious chronic type of anemia (e.g., Fanconi anemia or sickle cell anemia).
There has been a great improvement in lifespan for people with sickle cell anemia. In the past, those with the disease often did not make it to adulthood.
Iron supplements are used to treat iron-deficiency anemia. Infants who have this problem tend to be bottle-fed. A baby is able to absorb more iron from breast milk than from cow's milk. You may want to take iron supplements for yourself when breast-feeding your child. Iron supplements will also help in cases of mild anemia that's due to GI or menstrual bleeding.
Vitamin B12, vitamin C, and folic acid are all crucial to RBC production, and a deficiency in any one of these vitamins puts you at risk for anemia. Good sources of vitamin B12 include beef and fish. Vegetables don't contain this vitamin, so if you don't eat meat, fish, or dairy products, you'll need to take vitamin B12 supplements. Sources of folic acid include spinach, green peas, oranges, and cantaloupe.
When anemia is caused by decreased production of RBCs, such as in cancer or severe kidney disease, medications such as epoetin alfa and darbepoetin alfa can be used. These medications mimic the action of erythropoietin, the natural hormone that causes the bone marrow to produce more RBCs.
Superfoods To Fight Anemia:
In people with severe kidney disease, anemia is caused by a combination of decreased production of RBCs, decreased RBC lifespan, and blood loss related to dialysis.
Treatment and Prevention of Anema
The treatment for anemia depends on the underlying illness causing it. Severe bleeding is usually treated with blood transfusions. You may also need regular transfusions of blood if you have a serious chronic type of anemia (e.g., Fanconi anemia or sickle cell anemia).
There has been a great improvement in lifespan for people with sickle cell anemia. In the past, those with the disease often did not make it to adulthood.
Iron supplements are used to treat iron-deficiency anemia. Infants who have this problem tend to be bottle-fed. A baby is able to absorb more iron from breast milk than from cow's milk. You may want to take iron supplements for yourself when breast-feeding your child. Iron supplements will also help in cases of mild anemia that's due to GI or menstrual bleeding.
Vitamin B12, vitamin C, and folic acid are all crucial to RBC production, and a deficiency in any one of these vitamins puts you at risk for anemia. Good sources of vitamin B12 include beef and fish. Vegetables don't contain this vitamin, so if you don't eat meat, fish, or dairy products, you'll need to take vitamin B12 supplements. Sources of folic acid include spinach, green peas, oranges, and cantaloupe.
When anemia is caused by decreased production of RBCs, such as in cancer or severe kidney disease, medications such as epoetin alfa and darbepoetin alfa can be used. These medications mimic the action of erythropoietin, the natural hormone that causes the bone marrow to produce more RBCs.
Superfoods To Fight Anemia:
A healthy diet is a prerequisite for any anemic patients. It is vital for you to include foods that are rich in Vitamin B12, folic acid and Vitamin C in your diet apart from most important ingredient iron. The following are the top 10 superfoods that will help you to get rid of anemia.
1. Tomatoes
Vitamin C is the main ingredient in tomatoes along with lycopene. The Vitamin C in tomatoes helps in easy absorption of iron. Tomatoes are also rich in beta carotene and Vitamins E and hence help in natural conditioning of the hair and skin.
Usage Of Tomatoes
• You can eat one or two raw tomatoes everyday to increase Vitamin C in your body and to encourage quick iron absorption.
• You can also drink a glass of raw tomato juice every day to fight anemia.
• Adding tomatoes while preparing food everyday will also help in combating anemia.
2. Spinach
Spinach is a very popular leafy vegetable that help in preventing anemia. It is a rich source of calcium, Vitamins A, B9, E and C, iron, fiber and beta carotene. It will help in improving the overall health of your body. It is found out that half a cup of boiled spinach contains 3.2 mg of iron and this accounts for about 20 percent of the iron requirement for a woman’s body. So, make sure that you take spinach in your daily diet to increase the blood in your body.
Ways To Consume Spinach
• You can increase the quantity of spinach in your green vegetable salad and can include it with other green vegetables like celery, broccoli, kale and watercress to easily fight anemia. Eat a plate full of green salad every day to fight anemia.
• You can also boil the spinach leaves in a cup of water and add necessary seasoning to make a good soup. Drink spinach soup two times a day to fight anemia.
3. Beetroot
Beetroot is known to be very effective in fighting anemia. It is a vegetable that is filled with iron content. It will help in repairing and reactivating your red blood cells. Once the red blood cells are activated, the supply of oxygen to all parts of the body increases. Adding beet-root in any form in your daily diet will help to easily fight anemia.
Ways To Use Beetroot
• Beetroot can be mixed with other leafy vegetables as well as vegetables like carrot, capsicum, tomatoes and so on to make a good salad. Consume this every day to fight anemia.
• You can also crush one or two beetroot in a juicer mixer to prepare a glass of beetroot juice. Having this glass of juice every day in the morning along with breakfast will improve the RBC count.
4. Red Meat
There is rich iron content in lamb, beef and other red meats. It contains heme-iron which will be easily absorbed by the body. The heart, kidneys, and the liver of the red meats are those parts that contain high quantities of iron. It is also a great source of Vitamin B12. It is said that the beef liver has more than 600 percent of your daily requirements of iron.
Consumption Of Red Meat
• Three ounces of cooked beef or chicken or ham have about 1 to 2.5 mg of heme iron. Make sure that you consume red meat at least two to three times a week to fight anemia.
• Including 3 ounces of beef liver or chicken liver will help in increasing your red blood cell count as it contains about 2.1 mg of heme-iron. Try to include these livers in your daily diet.
5. Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is a rich source of iron. Try to include peanut butter in your daily diet. If you do not like the taste of peanut butter, you can also think of eating a handful or roasted peanuts everyday to fight anemia. Two tablespoons of peanut butter contain 0.6 mg of iron.
Ways To Consume Peanut Butter
• Peanut butter can be used on your morning breakfast bread. Drinking orange juice along with your peanut butter spread bread will help in quick absorption of iron in your body.
• You can also take two tablespoons of plain peanut butter everyday to fight anemia.
• Adding peanut butter while cooking will also help in fighting anemia.
6. Nuts
Nuts are a great source of iron and will help you to easily boost the iron levels in your body. It helps you immensely to gain iron levels in your body even when you are on the move.
• Pistachio nuts are the best source of iron as it contains 15 mg of iron in 100 grams of nuts.
• Take a handful of pistachio and apricot nuts everyday as a mid breakfast snack or mid afternoon snack everyday to increase iron levels in the body.
7. Eggs
Eggs are a rich source of proteins and contain a lot of antioxidants that will help in stocking up vitamins in the body when you are suffering from anemia. A large egg is said to contain 1 mg of iron and hence consumption of an egg everyday will help in fighting anemia.
Egg Preparations:
• A boiled egg is one way of adding eggs to your daily diet. Take a boiled egg every day with your daily breakfast to boost vitamins in your body.
• You can consume a poached egg or a half boiled egg or full boiled egg or egg scrambler along with your daily breakfast to improve bone joints.
8. Pomegranates
One of the popular fruits that contain a rich source of iron and Vitamin C is pomegranates. It helps in improving the blood flow in your body and is also very effective in treating anemic symptoms like weakness, dizziness, exhaustion and even loss of hearing.
• Make it a point to eat one full pomegranate every day to reduce the anemic symptoms.
• You can also prepare a strong juice out of the pomegranate seeds and consume a glass of it everyday with your breakfast.
9. Soy Beans
Beans are a great source of iron and vitamins. Soybeans are considered to be the beans that contain high iron content. It contains phytic acid that prevents the absorption of iron. Soybean is a low fat and high protein food that fights anemia. It is important for you to prepare the soybeans properly in order to gain maximum health benefits.
Preparation:
• You need to soak the soy beans in warm water overnight to reduce the phytic acid in the beans.
• You can use half a cup of boiled soybeans in your food or eat it with some seasoning to enjoy half the recommended daily consumption of iron.
10. Whole Grain Bread
A slice of whole grain bread is said to contain about six percent of the daily iron required for the body. It is a very good source of non-heme iron and will help the body to fight deficiency of iron effectively. The whole grains in the bread contain phytic acid that has the potential to inhibit iron in the body. But, since whole grain bread is prepared through fermenting process, the phytic acid inhibitors in the grains are significantly lowered.
• Replace your white bread with whole grain bread for breakfast.
• Take two to three slices of whole grain bread every day to boost iron levels in the body.
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