Anemia has many different forms, some of which can be controlled or overcome by diet. Anemia is directly related to the amount of iron stored in your body. This mineral is a component of all the cells in your body, and it also is part of the protein hemoglobin, which transports oxygen through your bloodstream. Getting sufficient iron in your diet or through supplements is only part of the picture. You also need to ensure that you don't consume foods that block iron absorption and that you do consume the vitamins your body needs to process the iron in your diet.
Definition
Anemia is a condition in which you have an abnormally low number of red blood cells, or your red blood cells lack sufficient hemoglobin to absorb oxygen from your lungs and deliver it to the rest of your body. This deficiency deprives your muscles, organs and other tissues of the oxygen they need to function at full capacity. Diet-rated iron deficiency anemia, or IDA, is the most common form of anemia, but you also may have anemia as a result of a blood or bone marrow disease, a vitamin deficiency or a chronic disease that affects your body's ability to produce red blood cells, such as cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn's disease.
Types of Iron
There are two types of dietary iron, and your body absorbs them differently. Your body absorbs three times more iron from meat, seafood and poultry---called heme iron---than from non-heme sources, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Your body's ability to absorb the non-heme iron in foods, such as spinach, certain beans and fortified cereals or breads, depends on other foods you eat at the same meal. Foods that contain vitamin C or heme iron enhance your body's ability to absorb non-heme iron.
Foods to Avoid
Coffee, tea and milk contain substances that interfere with your body's ability to absorb iron. If you find it hard to give up these drinks, consume them between meals so that your body has time to absorb iron from your diet before the iron-blocking substances enter your system. Foods containing whole grains, calcium and legumes decrease the quantity of iron that you absorb from non-meat sources. These foods are part of a healthy diet, so you should not avoid them, but it is important to consume them separately from foods with iron content.
Enhancing Iron Absorption
Your body needs vitamin C to absorb iron. Citrus fruits, berries and melons are good natural sources of vitamin C. Your body also needs vitamin B12 and folate, which produces folic acid, to manufacture red blood cells to receive and transport the iron in your diet. Megaloblastic and pernicious anemias are the result of insufficient amounts of these nutrients in your diet. Vitamin B12 comes from animal-derived and -fortified foods. Folate, a B vitamin, is present in green leafy vegetables, dried beans, peas and fruit.
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