Low blood count? Eating the right foods can help

By Cherice Bronte-Tinkew, RD

Constant exhaustion and tiredness can be linked to iron-deficiency Anaemia. It’s important to check with your doctor to have this diagnosed. This condition can be associated with chronic inflammation, or another disease which increases bleeding, or even poor stress management.

Your diet is one area you should address if this is diagnosed. Diet habits like skipping meals or having unbalanced meals like just bread or just a potato pie or maybe just a soft drink, are not going to help solve the problem. If you find yourself doing this often, you end up reducing some very important nutrients which help create red blood cells.

Red blood cells form a major part of our blood, and they carry oxygen around our body to the various organs. This helps us to live, breathe and work efficiently every day. Red blood cells are created with the help of important nutrients such as iron, protein, vitamin B12 and folate/folic acid.

Iron is a mineral found in both animal and plant-based foods, and it creates the colour of blood. Some animal sources include chicken, beef, pork, fish, shellfish, eggs, tuna and sardines. Some plant-based foods include beans, peas, nuts, seeds, dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and callaloo and tofu. Foods can be fortified with iron too like cereals and bread. It’s important to note when consuming plant-based foods, Vitamin C foods are needed for better absorption of iron in the body. Drinking a glass of cherry and guava juice or adding sweet peppers in a meal with peas and rice will be helpful.

Vitamin B12 helps with the formation of red blood cells and luckily, they are found in similar animal-based foods too. Salmon, beef, yogurt, milk, chicken and tuna just to name a few.

If you are vegan or vegetarian, Vitamin B12 is present in nutritional yeast if consumed, but if not, you may be recommended a vitamin supplementation. Folate/folic acid is also a B vitamin, and it helps the growth of red blood cells. Dark green leafy vegetables, beans and peas are great food sources.

Changes to the diet can be simple and it’s not just one meal but your daily intake. Beverages like tea, coffee and milk can hinder the absorption of iron and is best to eat these separate from the iron-rich foods. Try drinking these beverages an hour or two before consuming the iron rich foods.

What are some ways one can improve their intake of these nutrients?

• Avoid skipping meals. Try having small frequent meals throughout the day.
• Always include an animal or plant-based protein source at your meal.
• Add in snacks which contain iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12 like a handful of nuts, or channa.
• Drink 100 per cent fruit juice or have some fruits after a meal made with rice and peas.

Iron-deficiency Anaemia can occur at different ages. It’s important to have a wider variety of foods to increase the amounts of the vitamins and minerals mentioned.

Cherice Bronte-Tinkew has been a registered dietitian for over nine years. She is a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Nutritionists and Dietitians.

For more information: Facebook and Instagram pages @JustCherNutrition.

Email- justchernutri@gmail.com

Reference

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/anemia/iron-deficiency-anemia