Healthy Food Choices for Anemics

Video Transcript

DR. DAVID HILL: Today, we're going to talk about anemia and how diet might relate to it. Hemoglobin is the molecule in your red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. At the heart of every hemoglobin molecule is a molecule of iron. When you don't have enough hemoglobin in your bloodstream, you stop being able to carry oxygen. You may get some non-specific symptoms like feeling too tired, having poor exercise tolerance, having headaches, irritability. Many people with anemia don't know that they're anemic until they go to the doctor for a routine exam and it's discovered incidentally with lab work or physical exam. Iron deficiency is a common cause of anemia but hardly the only cause of anemia. Before you assume that you're low on iron, your doctor should do some tests to find out just how much iron you have and rule out other more serious causes of anemia. Anemia due to low iron is often caused by on-going blood loss. In mature women, this is most commonly because of excessive menstrual bleeding. If men are discovered to have iron deficiency anemia, they need to be evaluated for problems in the intestines such as Peptic Ulcer Disease, Celiac Disease or all sort of colitis that could cause them to lose iron. If you do have iron deficiency anemia, you're probably going to need an iron supplement. Ironically, the least expensive supplements, the ones that are not coated are also the best absorbed. But you may have to work with your doctor to find the supplement that gives you the fewer side effects. Food can be another important source of iron. Vegetarians know that foods like dried beans, nuts, sunflower seeds and leafy green vegetables are full of iron and can be a great replacement for the iron found in red meat. Of course, red meat is another good way to get a hold of iron. You just don't want to eat too much high fat meat, which can have deleterious effects on other parts of your health. In addition to red meat, you want to consume plenty of citrus vegetables because vitamin C helps you absorb iron. There's some foods that you would think are healthy but they can interfere with iron absorption. Getting too much calcium in your diet from dairy products such as milk, cheese or yogurt, may actually hinder iron absorption and should be avoided if iron is your big problem. So, to review, iron deficiency is one cause of anemia but hardly the only one. And if you think you're anemic, you should definitely see your doctor about it. If you have iron deficiency anemia, iron supplements are probably going to be needed. But you can do well by eating plenty of citrus and other fruits high in vitamin C and plenty of beans, meats or other foods that are high in iron. Be sure not to take too much calcium if you have iron deficiency because calcium can get in the way of iron absorption. And that is anemia and your diet.