Having a low blood count can trigger a variety of health conditions including anemia. It can also be caused by some conditions, like cancer. To ward off a low blood count, eat foods high in iron. The iron in your diet stimulates red blood cell production, which increases blood count.
Dried Thyme
Eat 1 oz. of dried thyme, and you take in 34.9 mg of iron -- this accounts for 193.8 to 436.22 percent of the amount of iron your body requires each day to boost red blood cell production. You can combine thyme with other foods containing iron, such as beef, to introduce even more iron into your meal plan. Extra iron in your diet is stored in your spleen, muscles, liver and bone marrow.
Spleen
Spleen is not a common organ meat for consumption in the United States, but you can often find this offal for sale at butcher shops. When you suffer from anemia, a condition triggered by iron deficiency, eating spleen can help you get iron. A 3-oz. serving of beef spleen, for instance, provides 33.4 mg of iron. Men require 8 mg of iron per day, while women need 18 mg.
Wheatgrass Juice
Drink a 2 oz. shot of wheatgrass juice, and you get 20 percent of the daily recommended intake of iron. Many people consume wheatgrass after a workout, which bolsters your red blood cell count even further -- a study published in the May 2011 issue of Biological Trace Elements Research indicates that resistance exercise increases the quantity of hemoglobin in the bloodstream in rats. Human studies are needed to confirm these findings, but exercising and then downing a shot of wheatgrass may be beneficial to blood count.
Liver
Include liver in your diet to rev up your red blood cell production. A 3.5 oz. serving of beef liver, for instance, introduces 6.5 mg of iron. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicates that women often do not take in enough iron, so consuming liver can help you get the amount you require.
Oysters
Oysters are a good food to increase your blood count due to their iron content. Three oz. of this mollusk provides 6.6 mg of iron, or 36.6 to 82.5 percent of the quantity you should consume each day. Some people worry about contaminants in oysters, but they contain very little mercury. Even if you are pregnant, you can consume up to 12 oz. of oysters per week -- pregnant women require 27 mg of iron each day.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Iron; June 2009
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Spices: Thyme, Dried
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Beef, Variety Meats and By-Products: Spleen, Cooked, Braised
- Fit Bit: Wheatgrass Shot -- 2 oz.
- Biological Trace Elements Research: "Effect of Resistance Exercise on Iron Status in Moderately Iron-Deficient Rats"; T. Fujii, et al.; May 2011
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Beef, Variety Meats and By-Products: Liver, Cooked, Braised
