Some effective home remedies for anemia entail diet modification.
Diet for anemia
- Liver – Eating around 4 to 6 ounces of liver per day is recommended to replenish your depleted red blood cells. Liver is the most iron-rich food you can possibly eat.
- Green leafy vegetables
- Prune juice
- Rice bran
- Pinto beans
- Kidney beans
- Parsley – This vegetable is rich in vitamin C and iron. Try to vary your presentation like serving parsley in fritters, salads, tabbouleh and pesto.
- Blackstrap molasses – This also referred to as pregnancy tea and is rich in minerals, B vitamins and iron. It can also be used as a natural and gentle laxative.
- Spirulina – This is a type of algae that is used to treat macrocytic and microcytic
- anemias. Spirulina is also a very good source of protein.
- Brewers yeast – Eating this can supply you with adequate B vitamins and iron. Eat this together with rice crackers and with a little olive.
- Korengo or kelp – These sea products are rich in iron content; however, if you suffer from hyperthyroidism, eating this product is not recommended.
Oxalic acid is a product that impairs iron absorption in the body and so avoiding or limiting the eating of foods and drinking of fluids having this ingredient is required for anemic patients particularly if they are eating foods rich in iron. Foods rich in oxalic acid include swiss chard, spinach, sorrel, soda, rhubarb, kale, cocoa, chocolate, cashews and almonds. If you are vegan (pure vegetarian) you need to supplement your diet with vitamin Vit B12.
Coffee and tea actually impairs the function of the body to absorb iron and so it’s best to avoid these beverages. Dairy foods likewise retard iron absorption and so stay away from dairy foods if you’re eating iron rich foods.
Supplements for anemia
To add more iron in your body if you think the foods you eat is not enough for your iron needs, you can consider the supplementations like ferrous glycinate, ferrous glycerate, ferrous succinate and ferrous fumerate. Ferrous sulfate can cause bad effects like constipation and stomach pain and is poorly absorbed by the body compared to the other aforementioned iron supplements.
Vitamin C – At the least you need to take in half a gram of vit C tablets a day
Cyanocobalamine or vit B12 – About 1,000 IU a week 2X a day for about a month is good to supply the body with adequate vit B12. Foods rich in cyanocobalamine include: • Cheese
- Fish
- Eggs
- Organ meats
Folic acid – Grains and green leafy vegetables are perfect sources of folic acid.
Omega-6 essential and Omega-3 fatty acids – Taking about 1,000 – 1,500 IU of these prevents you from incurring problems like sickle-cell anemia and enhance the clotting function of the blood.
Herbs to Fight Anemia
Herbal therapies to address anemia can include:
- Yellowdock
- Burdock
- Dandelion leaf or root
- Alfalfa
- Ashwaganda
- St. Mary’s thistle
- Barberry
- Gentian
- Nettle
If you suffer from mild anemia, these herbs can raise the level of your hemoglobin.
Homeopathy for anemia
Homeopathic approaches will first consider the type of constitution of the person. By constitution we mean the person’s psychological, emotional and physical makeup. After appraising, the homeopath can determine the best treatment approach for the person.
- Calcarea phosphorica – This is especially effective for anemic children suffering from fatigue, cool extremities, poor digestion and nighttime bone aches
- Ferrum phosphoricum – This is for addressing iron deficiency
Lifestyle Considerations
- Shunning alcohol and drugs that can disrupt the function of your gastrointestinal system is one way you can avoid developing anemia.
- Drink adequate amounts of water prevent dehydration and the likelihood for sickle cell problems.
- Keep you body refreshed during extreme cold and hot temperatures since exposure to these extremes can enhance the likelihood of sickle cell problems.
- Your body is prone to sickle cell problem when you’re subjected to too much stress so you need to reduce stress all the time.
