What raises hemoglobin, and what foods should I include in my diet?

Hemoglobin is a complex protein that is part of the red blood cells, participating in the transportation of carbon dioxide and oxygen. The norm of this indicator for men is 130-170 g / l, and for women - 120-150 g / l. In case of a significant deviation from the standards, a person experiences negative symptoms, which are expressed in weakness, lethargy, apathy, and so on. In this article, we will consider what raises hemoglobin and what is required for the correction of the pigment.

The reasons for the decline in indicators

First of all, this is iron deficiency, which is caused by inadequate reception of nutrients with food, a violation of absorption of the enzyme and blood loss.

Often, a lower content of hemoglobin is found in vegetarians. As is known, non-haem iron is contained in plant foods, which is poorly absorbed by the intestine (only 8-10%).

Sometimes low hemoglobin is caused by a lack of vitamin B ₁₂ , which is found in products of animal origin (fish, meat, eggs, milk, etc.).

And one of the most common causes of lowering the level of iron in the body is pregnancy.

Signs of a decrease in hemoglobin

Before we find out what raises hemoglobin, it is worthwhile to briefly describe what symptoms are manifested. Often with prolonged iron deficiency in the body , overall health and well-being begin to decrease. In the early stages, young people do not notice the difference at all, and some even continue to perform physically hard work. But gradually the skin and mucous membranes pale, and the surface of the tongue becomes smooth and hyperemic. The lack of iron is manifested in the dryness of the skin, the appearance of cracks in the corners of the mouth, brittleness, delamination of the nails, deterioration of the hair condition.

In the case of a severe iron deficiency, a perverted appetite may appear (the desire to eat chalk, clay, sand), a violation of smell (like the smell of paints, acetone, detergents).

How to increase the level of iron

Smoothly, we moved on to what is raising hemoglobin. Primarily, the underlying disease is eliminated, but if this occurs during pregnancy, the doctor determines a different type of treatment. So, with a slight decrease, a diet with a high content of vitamins and directly iron is prescribed. The diet includes all legumes, buckwheat, ceps, egg yolks, pomegranate juice, chocolate, dates, walnuts, honey, cherries. For this period it is desirable to limit the use of tea and coffee, because the phytates that are contained in them, interfere with the absorption of iron.

We examined which foods increase hemoglobin in pregnant women, but not always they can increase the iron content.

The level of hemoglobin in pregnant women is checked often enough, as its content can change dramatically in just a few days. If the diet has not helped or the indicators are too low (the risk of developing anemia or its presence), then medications are prescribed. One of the most accessible is ferrous sulfate, which is taken before meals.

Do not use any drug that raises hemoglobin, for prevention, because excess iron also adversely affects your health.