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Not just apples: 17 foods that increase hemoglobin
To keep everything in order with the blood, you need to consume a sufficient amount of iron. But not only – this microelement itself will not be absorbed.
According to WHO statistics, about 2 billion people on the planet have the problem of low hemoglobin. That is, almost a third of the entire population of the Earth suffers from a lack of iron in the body.
Signs of low hemoglobin
Hemoglobin is a protein rich in iron. It is necessary in order to saturate tissues with oxygen, while ridding them of carbon dioxide. It turns out that we need hemoglobin about the same as air. Without it, our body is simply unable to breathe normally, and the organs are faced with oxygen starvation. Signs that the level of hemoglobin in the blood is low may be similar to symptoms of many other ailments:
pallor, sometimes to blue;
drowsiness;
general weakness, fatigue;
dry skin, peeling, cracks along the edges of the lips;
low blood pressure and appetite, dry mouth;
brittle nails and hair loss – in severe cases.
Children who have low hemoglobin levels often get sick, but pain itself is not a sign of anemia.
If the pallor of the skin and gums persists for a long time, combined with muscle weakness, palpitations, often headaches and unexplained bruises appear, an urgent need to run to the doctor.
But at the initial stage, the problem can often be corrected simply with the help of proper nutrition.
What to eat
At first, foods rich in iron. By the way, they are quite affordable, there is no exotic in this list:
liver and offal,
shellfish
beef,
broccoli and white cabbage,
spinach,
apples,
green bean,
bitter chocolate,
cabbage,
beans, chickpeas and lentils,
tofu,
baked potato,
buckwheat,
tomato juice.
Secondly, foods containing folic acid. Without it, normal regeneration of erythrocytes, red blood cells containing hemoglobin, is impossible. Folic acid is found in:
beef,
spinach,
asparagus and common beans,
avocado,
salad,
rise,
peanuts.
So that it is better absorbed
But it is naive to think that if you just eat a handful of buckwheat every day, then everything will be fine with your hemoglobin. The fact is that nutritionists divide iron into two types: heme and non-heme. The first type of trace element is found only in animal products. The champions in its content are red meat and beef liver. True, they are also very fatty, so you should not abuse them. Unless, of course, your doctor has prescribed a keto diet for you.
The second variety, non-heme iron, is found in plant foods. Its main drawback is that iron from such sources is absorbed by our body much worse. This is why vegans are more likely to be iron deficient than omnivores.
In addition, there are foods that improve the absorption of iron, those that contain a large amount of vitamin C. These are greens, citrus fruits, strawberries, rose hips. Products with vitamin A are also useful in this regard: carrots, pumpkin, mango and others.
What hinders
There are also antidotes that interfere with the normal absorption of iron. These include foods rich in calcium: milk, almonds, figs. Foods containing a large amount of phytic acid are also not friendly with iron: walnuts and Brazil nuts, sesame seeds.