The most common form of anemia is iron-deficiency anemia, which occurs when the body doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. Eating foods rich in iron and avoiding those that inhibit iron absorption can help prevent or treat the condition.
Iron helps the body make hemoglobin and other red blood cells. The body can absorb heme iron from animal sources, such as meat and fish, and nonheme iron, which is found in plant-based foods and foods fortified with iron. The body absorbs heme iron more easily than nonheme iron. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of iron is 10 milligrams for men and 12 milligrams for women.
Food good for anemia contains iron, vitamin C and folate, which are also essential to red blood cell production. It’s important to get enough iron from diet because it isn’t always possible to consume enough through supplements.
Your body stores iron in your liver, spleen and bone marrow. When you need to make more red blood cells, your body draws on the stored iron from these storehouses. If you don’t eat enough iron-rich foods or if you have an intestinal disorder that affects your body’s ability to absorb iron, you may develop anemia.
If you have anemia, a registered dietitian can help you create meal plans that contain the nutrients your body needs to thrive. Your dietitian can recommend foods that are rich in iron, folic acid and B-complex vitamins. They can also help you avoid foods that inhibit iron absorption, such as coffee and tea, and red meat.
You can find foods rich in iron at most supermarkets. A serving of beef or chicken provides about 1 mg of iron, while a cup of spinach contains 6.6 mg. Other iron-rich foods include eggs, beans, legumes, tofu, leafy green vegetables and iron-fortified cereals. You can also get a source of iron by eating foods that are cooked, such as broccoli and kale, because the body absorbs more of the mineral from cooked foods than from raw foods.
Shellfish, such as oysters and crab, are a great source of iron. A 3-ounce serving of shellfish contains about 28 mg of iron, which is 155% of the RDI for iron. Beans and lentils are also good sources of iron. You can prepare them in a variety of ways, such as adding them to salads or cooking them in chili. You can also eat them with fruits, such as strawberries and kiwis, which are high in vitamin C, to improve iron absorption. Nuts and seeds are good sources of iron, too. A handful of raw nuts or roasted sunflower seeds provide about 5 mg of iron. You can also find seeds and nuts in some prepackaged salads and in health food stores.