How to eat scientifically in patients with iron deficiency anemia

Reporter Wu Xueqin and correspondent Zhuang Qianxia and Lian Xue'e

Iron deficiency anemia is microcytic hypochromic anemia
caused by lack of iron storage in the human body, insufficient hemoglobin synthesis, and impaired erythropoiesis.
Chen Yunqing, deputy chief nurse of Huian County Hospital in Fujian Province, introduced that the symptoms of iron deficiency anemia are related
to the degree of anemia and the urgency of onset.

Chen Yunqing introduced that iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia, fast-growing infants, children, menorrhagia, pregnant or lactating women, iron demand increases, easy to cause iron deficiency anemia
.
In addition, chronic blood loss is also a more common cause of iron deficiency anemia, such as gastrointestinal bleeding, esophageal variceal bleeding, hemorrhoidal bleeding and menorrhagia in women, which can cause iron deficiency anemia
.
Iron deficiency anemia due to poor iron absorption is rare
.
The onset of iron deficiency anemia develops gradually over
a longer period of time.

Treatment of iron deficiency anaemia is a long-term process
that requires comprehensive treatment.
Chen Yunqing reminded patients that the following issues should be paid attention to in home care and diet:

Patients with mild anemia should pay attention to rest to reduce oxygen consumption and avoid overwork; Patients with moderate anemia should increase bed rest time and be active to the extent that they do not worsen symptoms; Patients with severe anemia should stay on bed rest and gradually increase their
activity as their condition improves.

In daily life, bad eating habits should be corrected, picky eaters and partial eaters should be avoided, and balanced nutrition
should be maintained.
You can eat more iron-rich foods, such as animal offal, lean meat, egg yolks, fish, beans, seaweed, kelp and fungus
.
Iron-rich foods should not be taken
with milk, strong tea, or coffee.

You can eat more foods rich in vitamin C, after vitamin C is absorbed by the body, it can reduce trivalent iron to divalent iron, which is very helpful
for promoting the intestinal absorption of iron in food.
Fruits rich in vitamin C include kiwifruit, fresh dates, strawberries, mangoes, oranges, pomegranates, cherries, etc
.

You can eat more protein-rich foods to promote iron absorption and synthesize hemoglobin, and improve the symptoms
of iron deficiency anemia.
Protein-rich foods include eggs, duck eggs, cow's milk, goat's milk, lean meat, fish, shrimp, soybeans, and soy products
.

Iron supplementation
under the guidance of a doctor.
Oral iron has many adverse reactions, it is recommended to take it after meals or during meals, and the dose can be from small to large; Oral liquid iron should be taken with a straw to avoid darkening of the teeth and affect the aesthetics; About 1 hour before and after taking the drug, avoid drinking tea, coffee and do not take calcium tablets to prevent the formation of insoluble salts and affect the absorption
of the drug.

Actively treat the primary disease, and seek medical attention in time when the following conditions occur: anemia symptoms do not improve or worsen, hemoglobin shows a downward trend, and the side effects of iron treatment are obvious
.

China Food News(Version 03, December 02, 2022)

(Responsible editor: Zhou Yan).