Smart Shopping for Foods for Anemics

Overview
Anemia is a lack of red blood cells at work in the body. It can be caused by a variety of problems, some simple and some complicated. Something may be preventing the body from making enough red blood cells, or causing it to make defective ones. Or something in the body, such as a condition or disease, may be attacking the red blood cells. Other causes of anemia are heavy blood loss or simply a poor diet. Whatever the cause, the result is a lack of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that delivers oxygen from the lungs to every point the body. The cause of the anemia is your compass, pointing you in the direction of a solution.

What to Look For
A common cause of anemia is an inadequate amount of folic acid, which the body cannot store. You need to give it a steady supply and fortunately there's plenty of folic acid in fresh vegetables and fruits. But cooking can destroy this beneficial substance, so eating produce raw or just lightly cooked is the best plan.

Folic acid is also found in liver. That's not on everyone's top-10-foods list, so luckily there are options. Since 1998, the U.S. government has required folic acid supplementation in grain products. About that time, studies showed fairly conclusively that a lack of folic acid in pregnant women most often is the cause of neural tube birth defects. Pregnant women should take supplements of folic acid (found in prenatal vitamins). If you're pregnant, ask your health practitioner about this. For everyone else, get 400 micrograms of folic acid every day.

Also on your daily nutrient list: iron. Men should consume 10mg, women 15mg daily (pregnant or breastfeeding women should increase that to 30 to 60mg daily).
So here's your shopping list. Foods rich in iron include red meat and eggs, green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, Swiss chard, plus whole grains, fortified breads and cereals, clams, oysters, avocados, beets, dates, kidney and lima beans, lentils, peaches, pears, dried prunes, pumpkin, raisins and soybeans.

Sometimes anemia is caused by lack of B12. Most people eat plenty of the foods that contain B12, but due to disease or sometimes a vegan diet, the body can be deficient because B12 is found in meat and dairy products.

Common Pitfalls
While you need enough iron, it is possible to get too much of a good thing. More than 100mg a day can make it difficult for the body to absorb calcium and zinc. And too much iron over a period of time can contribute to diabetes and liver and heart disease.
So pay attention to the daily nutrient requirements, eat a well-rounded diet, and shop well for the healthy things your body needs.