Anaemia… the problem of abnormally low level of haemoglobin in the blood. A common ail that is rarely cared of!

Anaemia is largely ignored because its symptoms aren’t serious enough to draw your attention. Yet, its effects are serious… because it affects our lifeline, our blood!

Feeling tired lack of stamina, pale skin, shortness of breath on slight exertion and dizziness are common anaemic symptoms.

It becomes scarier when it brings in a haggard look, premature wrinkles, dull and tired looking eyes, poor memory and headaches; slow healing of wounds and mental depression.

Why does it happen?
It occurs due to reasons as common as lack of nutrition or an imbalanced diet! This results in lack of iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid as the body needs iron to make haemoglobin!

How to tackle it?
• Take iron in its most natural organic form in food. Have raw fruits and vegetables, which are rich in iron. In vegetables, there’s iron in spinach, green onions, squash, carrots, radishes, tomatoes and potatoes (roasted with jackets).

• Fruits include bananas, apples, dark grape, apricots, plums, and strawberries. Bananas are particularly beneficial as they also contain iron, folic acid and vitamin B- 12.

• Some more iron rich foods include whole wheat, brown rice, beans, soyabeans, sunflower seeds, molasses, eggs and honey.

• Dairy products like milk, eggs and cheese, and grains like wheat germ, peanuts and soyabean also contain B l2.

If the problem becomes serious, you can take aid of iron tablets. Take the tablets after meals to avoid an upset stomach. Vitamin B12 or folic acid is also available in tablet form, but it is advisable to take the medication as prescribed.

Particularly, if you have heavy menstrual periods, make it a point to have a higher intake of iron to prevent anaemia.