If you've been diagnosed with anemia or suffer from anemia symptoms like fatigue and weakness, your diet can help treat this nutritional deficiency. Your doctor may perform tests to determine whether your stores of iron or certain B vitamins are low. Many foods contain both of these elements and you can improve your body's levels of iron and many of the eight B vitamins, as well as the protein needed to form healthy red blood cells, by adding certain nutritious foods to your menu.
Breakfast Cereal
To address any of your diet-related anemia issues, turn to hot, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals. They contain significant amounts of iron and several B vitamins, as well as protein. Manufacturers help consumers avoid or treat this low--blood count condition by fortifying many brands of cereal with as much as 100 percent daily value, or DV, of iron, B-12 and other B vitamins per suggested serving. Choose a low-sugar oat, wheat, corn, barley, rye or rice variety to keep calories in check when adding cereal to your diet. The American Diabetes Association recommends cereals with 5 g or less of sugar.
Milk
Milk's larger amounts of protein and broader vitamin content per 1-cup serving complement cereal's good nutrition, for a healthy complete breakfast. While milk has just a trace of iron, it does provide significant amounts of all eight of the B vitamins as well as potassium and calcium, minerals that are important to cardiovascular function. Keep your arteries healthy by selecting fat-free milk.
Liver Sausage
Eating liver gives your iron and B vitamin levels huge boosts, along with strong protein contributions. Lunch on a pork liver sausage sandwich, also called braunschweiger, gives you more iron contributions, or choose a beef liver entree for additions of B vitamins, including more than 600 percent DV of vitamin B-12 per 3 oz., according to the USDA.
Whole Wheat Bread
Combining liver sausage and whole wheat bread in a sandwich makes a good source of nutrition to combat iron or vitamin B deficiencies. Whole grain breads retain more of their natural nutrients than refined white breads. Like cereals, many flours used to make wheat bread are enriched by the manufacturer with additional iron and B vitamins.
Beans
Beans are low-fat, high-protein foods that also address anemia issues with strong iron and vitamin B ratios. Pinto, black and kidney beans make good alternatives to meat in your menus, especially if you have a cardiovascular health risk. The high fat content of pork liver sausage and high cholesterol in beef liver offset some of their beneficial qualities by threatening your arterial health. Serve beans over brown rice, another whole grain that provides protein, iron and vitamin B.
