The Greek phrase for “no blood” is anemia. However, that is overstated. Anemia is a condition in which a person has an excess of red blood cells without having enough of them or without the normal oxygen carrying capacity of these cells. Although there are other types of anemia, iron deficiency is the most prevalent kind. The amount of iron in your blood might quickly decrease if you are not eating enough iron or if you are losing blood due to other factors, such as menstruation. When you are oxygen-deprived, you wilt. Anemia may cause weakness and sluggishness. You constantly feel chilly, and your thinking seems hazy. Anemia is thought to be a possibility for around 20% of American women and 3% of American men who have low iron levels. Pregnant women need substantially more iron than the daily value (dv) of 18 milligrams; in fact, they require 30 milligrams per day. Because it might be challenging for pregnant women to get enough iron from their diet, obstetricians may recommend supplements. For others, obtaining the necessary quantity of iron via food is rather easy; all they need to do is regularly consume meat, fish, and poultry. These foods have a significant iron content. On the other hand, you need to be more mindful of your diet if you don’t consume much or any meat. Vegetables contain some iron as well. For instance, 3.4 mg of iron are found in one cup of pumpkin. A half cup of kidney beans and lentils has around 3 milligrams. The issue with these meals isn’t their iron’s bioavailability. ways to improve the rate of absorption How effectively our bodies absorb the nutrients we consume is known as bioavailability. There are two types of iron, and their bioavailability varies greatly. Heme iron, the kind of iron that may be easily absorbed, is present in meat, fish, and shellfish. Nonheme iron, or iron from plants, is less soluble in water. For instance, your body will absorb around 15% of the 6 milligrams of iron contained in 3 ounces of mussels. But of the 3 milligrams of iron in a half-cup of lentils, just 3 percent will be absorbed. However, with smart nutrition, iron’s bioavailability may be increased. For instance, eating iron-containing food together with vitamin C-containing food would undoubtedly increase the amount of iron in your blood. Ascorbic acid is the acidic environment in which iron is best absorbed. In a similar vein, eating meat and vegetables together facilitates the absorption of more iron. Vegetable iron is “potentiated” by the heme iron in meats, which facilitates quicker absorption. The absorption of nonheme iron from veggies and beans may be increased by 10 to 15 percent by combining it with heme iron from meats. Organizing everything yields the greatest advantages. However, a woman’s body will absorb iron considerably more quickly if she is iron deficient. Thus, she absorbs more iron the more of it she consumes. ways to increase iron intake If you suspect that you have anemia, you may need to undergo a thorough examination by your physician to rule out any dangerous conditions. It’s simple to make the necessary corrections when it indicates that your diet is deficient in iron. There are methods for combining iron with vitamin C. Orange juice is a good source of vitamin C. or indulge on baked potatoes. One baked potato with skin has 1.9 milligrams of iron and 17 milligrams of vitamin C, or 28% of the recommended daily intake. You will get more than three times as much iron by eating the potato skin on. But avoid taking calcium and iron together. in particular while using iron supplements. According to fergus Clydesdale, Ph.D., a renowned professor and the chairman of the food science department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, “they compete with the same receptor sites on your cells.” Iron and calcium in meals compete with one other, but not as much as when you take supplements. Dr. Clydesdale advises separating your iron and calcium intake by three hours. The same is true for tea and coffee. Because tannins are present in both drinks, they may interfere with the absorption of iron supplementation. Therefore, avoid taking medication with coffee. Take half a cup of cooked cream of wheat with your breakfast. It has six milligrams of iron packed within it. Less is present in quick oatmeal—roughly 3 milligrams per half cup. issue with following a vegetarian diet Anemia affects vegetarians much more often than it does meat eaters. the culprit is their deficiency in vitamin B12, which is mostly present in meat. This vitamin is necessary for healthy cell division and maturation. severe vegans may thus get little or no vitamin B12 in their meals. The illness known as pernicious anemia takes time to manifest. Vitamin B12 is used by the body sparingly. Most individuals keep around six years’ worth of supplies on hand. As a result, devout vegetarians are unlikely to experience the long-lasting weariness and tingling in the hands and feet associated with a vitamin B12 deficit. But much like iron shortage, vitamin B12 deficiency is easily treated. B12 pills or brewers yeast are likely necessary for devout vegetarians who abstain from all animals, dairy products, and eggs. Find out what’s best for you by asking your doctor.