10 Home Remedies for Anemia- Easy natural methods to pump up your RBC

Anemia is a condition that comes with a reduction in red blood cells. We have collected 10 natural anemia fighting ways to pump up your blood.

When your red blood cell count goes low, your body loses the ability to supply oxygen to different parts of your body. Red blood cells possess an important component called hemoglobin which helps to transport oxygen. Your organs and tissues become lack oxygen and don’t work to their optimum.

Normal lifespan of red blood cells can be disturbed by a lot of things that could eventually cause anemia like too much loss of blood or decrease in production of red blood cells.

Anemia is quiet common among growing children, pregnant women, people with chronic diseases and women with heavy menstruation. Iron supplement can be a great way to combat anemia but there are natural ways to get rid of anemia as well.

Some of the common signs of anemic people are headaches, fatigue, cold hands and feet, dizziness, shortness of breath, irregular heart beat and pale skin.

Here are top 10 natural ways to counter anemia.

1. Healthy Diet

A good cure for anemia requires you to fulfil all the nutrient gaps that cause it in the first place. It turns out that the best cure for anemia is to have sharp eye on your diet.

  • Foods packed with iron top the list. Have brown rice, whole grains, eggs, almonds, beans, seafood, figs and poultry in your diet.
  • Add vitamin C rich food to your anemia diet like lemon, orange, green pepper, tomato and others.
  • Include foods packed with potassium to your diet like kiwi, dry fruits, vegetables, bananas and broccoli.
  • Folic acid is also important to cure anemia. Have black-eyed peas, green leafy vegetables, mushrooms, kidney beans and lima beans in your diet.
  • Manganese rich foods include legumes, eggs, nuts and whole grains.
  • Above home remedies for anemia are great for acquiring nutrients that your body lacks. However, having well balanced diet is essential to prevent recurrence of anemia.
  • Say ‘no’ to bran, chocolates, coffee, tea, soda and black tea as they interfere with iron absorption in your body leading to poor absorption of iron making you anemic.
  • Take in more vegetables and fruits as they help to absorb nonheme iron that is not easily absorbed by the body like heme iron.
  • Include nuts such as walnuts, almonds and peanuts to your diet.
  • Add legumes such as chick peas, green peas, kidney beans and pinto beans to your diet.

2. Apple Juice

Apple Juice

If you are suffering from anemia because of iron deficiency, combination of apple and beetroot is a super iron booster with many other nutrients as well.

Apple is home to a lot of iron whereas beetroot is a residing place of loads of folic acid, potassium and fiber. It’s no wonder we have been hearing ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ since childhood. The richest in nutrient part of beetroot is its peel. This duo will boost up iron content in blood enhancing the ability to transport oxygen to different parts of the body.

  1. Take a cup of apple juice and a cup of beetroot juice.
  2. Mix in some honey.
  3. Drink this juice two times every day.

OR

  • Add beetroot and apple to your salad.

OR

  • Eat a minimum of one apple every day and go for green apples if it’s available. Make sure you don’t peel off the skin. Eat it with the skin as it contains ample nutrients.

3. Bottle Gourd Soup

As we are all aware that anemia is caused by lack of nutrition among other things. There are vegetables and fruits that pump up the level of folic acid and iron in your blood. Bottle gourd soup is one such cure.

  1. Take a bottle gourd and cut it into pieces.
  2. Take a pan and add 2 glasses of water to it.
  3. Add in 1 cup of spinach, ½ cup of beet root and bottle gourd.
  4. Now cover this and allow it to boil till you notice the vegetables have become soft.
  5. Take it off the flame once the vegetables are cooked.
  6. You can either mash the vegetable or drink the soup with vegetable pieces in it.
  7. Drink this soup every day to combat anemia.

4. Spinach

Spinach

Did you know dark green leafy vegetables are full of iron, folic acid, calcium, beta carotene, and B, C, E vitamins? It will help you get over anemia real quick. All you need is half a cup of spinach every day to fulfil your daily requirements. Make sure you boil spinach even if you do it for simply one minute. This is because spinach contains oxalic acid which can disturb your body’s ability to absorb iron. Boiling it minimizes level of oxalic acid.

  1. To make spinach soup, add a cup of spinach in little water.
  2. Add your favorite seasonings.
  3. Sprinkle some salt and let it remain on low flame for 5 to 10 minutes.

OR

  • Add spinach to your everyday green vegetable salad.

OR

  1. Take a cup of spinach leaves and extract its juice.
  2. Add two teaspoons of honey to it.
  3. Drink this juice daily for 40 days.

5. Pomegranate

Pomegranate

Pomegranate is not only a dwelling place for iron but also essential nutrients like fiber, magnesium, calcium, protein, vitamins, potassium and sugars. The most important ones for treating anemia are iron and calcium. It will greatly help you get over signs of anemia like dizziness or weakness and make you feel more energetic. That’s because it boosts up the level of hemoglobin and red blood cells.

  • Take a medium sized pomegranate and eat it the first thing in the morning.

OR

  • You can drink a glass of fresh pomegranate juice. Add a teaspoon of honey to it to enhance its nutritional qualities.

6. Wheat germ

wheat germ

Are you a vegetarian and can’t get your hands on iron from animals? Along with your diet, there is one herb that can help you pump up your iron store. It’s wheat germ! Wheat germ is highly rich in zinc and iron which is why it can be used to treat anemia and help you get rid of all those symptoms like feeling exhausted, tired, weak, short of breath and dizzy.

  1. Take half cup of orange juice
  2. Add 1 tablespoon each of blackstrap molasses, brewer’s yeast, canola oil and wheat germ.
  3. You can use a blender to mix the ingredients well.
  4. Drink this twice or thrice a day.

7. Black Sesame Seeds

Black Sesame Seeds

Sesame seeds are also perfect for treating anemia as it is extremely rich in iron particularly black sesame seeds.

  1. Take two tablespoons of black sesame seeds and soak it in water for two hours.
  2. Strain the water and make a paste out of the seeds.
  3. Add in one tablespoon of honey.
  4. Mix it well before taking it.
  5. Consume it two times a day daily.

OR

  1. Take one teaspoon of black sesame seeds and soak it in warm water for two hours.
  2. Crush the seed to make a paste.
  3. Strain to attain the emulsion.
  4. Add a cup of warm milk and some honey to it.
  5. Drink it daily.

8. Animal Liver

Are you a non-vegetarian? Don’t forget to add animal liver to your diet. The best source of heme iron is animal liver. Heme iron is easily absorbed by the body compared to non heme iron that you can get from plant based foods. Liver is full of iron that can combat anemia. It’s no wonder grannies forced you to eat liver. Liver also contains other nutrients that can treat your anemia like zinc, copper and phosphorous. Let’s rank the animals we can eat liver of!

  • Liver of chicken tops the list as it provides 9mg of iron.
  • Liver of beef provides 5mg of iron.

Make sure you eat liver of animal who have not been artificially treated with commercial feed, antibiotics and hormones.

9. Blackstrap Molasses

Blackstrap Molasses

Want to increase the level of red blood cells in your blood and get rid of anemia? Blackstrap molasses is a traditional remedy that fights anemia away. It contains loads of iron, folate (a natural folic acid) and B vitamins. It elevates the red blood cell count which will automatically help you get rid of signs and symptoms of anemia. Even diabetic patient can try this method because of its low glycemic index.

  1. Take a cup of water.
  2. Add 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and molasses.
  3. Mix well and consume it once every day.

OR

  1. Take a cup of hot water or milk.
  2. Add two tablespoons of molasses.
  3. Mix well and drink two times a day.

10. Raisins

Raisins

Did you know raisins are basically dried grapes that are home to tons of nutrients like iron, fiber, protein, sodium, potassium and calcium? Your mother or grandmother made you eat a handful of raisins for a reason. Being so full of nutrients, it keeps you active and makes you feel energetic all day long.

  1. Take 10 to 15 raisins.
  2. Soak them in half cup of water.
  3. Eat them the first thing in the morning along with one teaspoon of honey.
  4. Honey further enhances the effectiveness of raisins as it is also rich in iron.

Some Useful Suggestions!

  • Make whole grain cereals, lentils and pulses are part of your diet.
  • Cut down on chocolates as it eliminates iron from your body.
  • Avoid carbonated drinks as they have high amounts of sugar, no nutrients and disrupt iron absorption.
  • Having cold baths facilitates flow of blood in the body.
  • Expose yourself to the sun every day particularly when the sun rise and when the sun is about to set.
  • Drinking too much coffee or black tea disrupts iron absorption. Limit yourself to one cup a day or simply drink orange juice instead of coffee.
  • Add more vegetables and fruits to your diet.
  • To get rid of fatigue and tiredness, add exercise to your daily heath regime along with strength training.
  • Make a habit of eating 5 to 7 dates every day as it is highly rich in iron.
  • Have a bowl of oatmeal with dates as a breakfast. It will fill in nutritional gaps especially iron.
  • Soak 10 figs in water at night and eat it the first thing in the morning the next day. Figs contain high content of iron.
  • Avoid self-medication as too much iron can also be very dangerous. Keep in touch with your doctor and have regular checkups
  • When you cook foods containing folic acid, make sure you don’t overcook them. Simply either stir fry, microwave or steam vegetables so that you don’t remove too much folic acid.
  • Maintain cleanliness so that you can prevent any kind of infection that can make your condition worse.

Wrap up!

These are some natural ways to fight off anemia and shoot up the low red blood cell count keeping you dull, tired and weak all day. Keep a check on your diet and make sure you are taking iron rich food.

References

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=249738

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleId=242280&guestAccessKey=81597379-f1af-497f-93e0-4ff1fda3e41e

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-anemia-basics

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