Your body produces red blood cells with the help of the protein, iron and vitamin B that you get from foods in your diet. When you ingest too few of these dietary nutrients or your body fails to absorb them due to a medical condition, your blood count drops. The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise selecting foods to eat for protein, iron and B vitamins instead of taking supplements to raise your blood cell count.
Lean Meats and Seafood
Eating a variety of foods for iron and protein will naturally lead you adequate B vitamin intake. The richest iron content among animal-based protein foods -- as much as 130 percent of daily iron value per 3-oz. serving -- is concentrated in organ meats, such as beef liver, and mollusks, such as clams. These are low in fat and contribute various B vitamins to your diet.
The American Heart Association recommends low-fat protein sources to support cardiovascular health as you raise your blood count. Eating fish such as salmon, halibut, trout and sardines more often than fatty beef, chicken, pork and lamb cuts will deliver the protein, iron and vitamin B you need in the lowest-fat form.
Fortified Breakfast Cereal
Choosing plant-based foods for iron represents another way to reduce the saturated fat in your diet while you encourage red blood cell production. To the natural iron in whole grains, cereal manufacturers add up to 100 percent daily value, or 18 mg, of iron in some varieties, per suggested serving.
Choose a wheat bran, oat, rice or corn cereal that has at least 25 percent daily value of several B vitamins, such as thiamin, folate and B12. The National Institutes of Health suggest adding dried fruit such as prunes or raisins to cereal for greater iron contributions. One cup of reduced-fat milk will add moderate protein and B vitamins, including B12, to your breakfast cereal.
Dry Beans and Peas
Among the foods to eat as alternative protein sources, dry beans, peas, lentils and soybeans have the greatest nutritional profiles. These mineral-rich legumes supply 20 percent or more of your daily protein and iron needs, in lower-fat foods than animal products. Their B vitamin content also benefits your blood cell count.
The USDA Nutrient Database notes that black, navy, Great Northern, pinto, lima, kidney and garbanzo beans have high iron of up to 30 percent daily value per 1 cup. Lentils and soybeans provide as much as 50 percent of daily iron needs per serving.
