How To Know And Prevent Anemia (Iron Deficiency)

Anemia (Iron Deficiency)

Anemia also referred to as iron deficiency is a health problem that occurs when your body system does not have enough red blood cells.

The red blood cells are a very important makeup of the human body as it helps to transport oxygen from the lungs to the rest parts of your body and without enough oxygen, your body system cannot work properly.

All organ in your body needs oxygen to function which the red blood cells helps to supply.

When you don’t have enough iron in your body it becomes iron deficient resulting in the inability of your body to produce hemoglobin (a protein that helps red blood cells transport oxygen).

How to know you have anemia

Early stages or mild iron deficiency is often not noticeable until it gets severe.

Some symptoms below can help you know if you are iron deficient. They include;

• Yellow skin
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness of the body
• Cold hands and feet
• Hair loss
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Chest pain
• Having cracked nails and spoon shape nails
• Swollen tongue
• Fast or irregular heartbeat
• Restless legs syndrome (always having the urge to move your legs while lying down).

Note; these symptoms can also result from other health problems so you should see your doctor for checkup or diagnosis.

What causes iron deficiency?

Possible causes of iron deficiency include;

• Low level of iron in your diets
• The inability of your body to absorb iron
• Blood loss due to hernia, uterine fibroids, peptic ulcer, and colon polyps.
• Heavy periods
• Pregnancy
• Donating blood too frequent
• Injuries
• End-stage kidney failure

Those that are more at risk of Anemia

• 6 months to 2 years old children, teens, and adult that are over 65 years of age.
• Those that indulge in too much and strenuous exercise without taking enough food rich in iron.
• Pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, girls and women with heavy periods
• Genetics and family history

Complications of Anemia

• High risk of infection due to weak immune system
• Low-birth-weight babies and preterm delivery
• Heart problems such as heart strain, irregular heartbeat, heart failure, and enlarged heart
• Delay in the developmental process in children
• Depression

How to Prevent Anemia

Go for iron-rich foods

Eating food rich in iron can help you prevent anemia. Some of the food include the following;

• Seafood
• Beans
• Eating dark green vegetables, like spinach
• Peas
• Dried fruit like apricots and raisins
• Peas
• Pork, Red meat, and poultry
• Iron-fortified Cereals
• Bread and pastas

Iron from meat can easily be absorbed by the body compared to other sources of iron.

Read Also; The Health Benefits of Lemon and Lemon Water

Eat vitamin C rich food to enhance iron absorption

Taking food rich in vitamin C such as drinking orange juice and other citrus juice can help your body to absorb more dietary iron. Eating other food that is rich in vitamin C can also help.

Vitamin C can be found in food such as;

• Tomatoes
• Melons
• Peppers
• Strawberries
• Broccoli
• Grapefruit
• Kiwi
• Green leafy vegetables
• Oranges
• Tangerines

Prevention of Anemia in Infants

To prevent anemia in children, ensure to feed them with breast milk or iron-rich formula for the first year. After 6 months you can add iron-fortified cereals and pureed meats to the regular breastfeeding.

How To Know And Prevent Anemia (Iron Deficiency)

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Raphael Okhueleigbe

Raphael Osas Okhueleigbe is a Blogger, Content creator, Agricultural Economist, Resource manager, and the founder of greener health.

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