5 foods to avoid if you have anemia

Anemia is not a very dangerous condition for most people, and it’s very common. But the symptoms can include serious fatigue, inability to concentrate, depression, and a feeling that you just can’t handle any of your normal activities. In some really mild cases (for example, many women who just get anemic around their periods), just eating beef is enough to fix it (beef if rich in iron and B12, which helps your body use iron). For more serious cases, diet alone isn’t enough – you need supplements.

But did you know there are foods that can actually interfere with your body’s iron absorption and make you more vulnerable to anemia? I just learned this the other day. If you have a history of anemia, you might want to reduce or eliminate these foods in your diet.

1. Red wine. The reservatol that seems to help fight heart disease and cancer seems to inhibit iron absorption. But white wine seems to help with iron absorption.
2. Coffee. It’s good for you! It’s bad for you! Seems there’s a new study every week on the benefits and harms of coffee, but coffee can keep you from absorbing iron into your system.
3. Black and green teas – sort of. This one’s confusing. Several studies indicate that tea interferes with iron absorption. But other studies find that populations that drink a lot of tea seem to develop some kind of immunity to that effect, and don’t have anymore anemia than other populations. So drink tea regularly or not at all, I guess. Don’t you wish science was more straightforward?
4. Soy proteins. While some people claim soy is rich in iron, it’s also rich in phytic acid, which interferes with absorption of iron and other nutrients.
5. Grains have phytic acid, too. Many breads and cereals are fortified with extra iron, so choose them over grain products that aren’t.

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Posted in Health and Beauty on May 25, 2009