Some dietary advice for anemic patients is as follows:

1. Iron supplements - Iron rich food items like poultry, fish, red meat, and green vegetables like methi, beans and spinach. Generally non-vegetarian food contains more iron that the body can absorb easily, than the vegetarian supplements.

2. Vitamin C – Food that is rich in vitamin C like tomatoes, oranges, lemons and many other citrus varieties of fruits are good for the body and increase the level of iron intake in the body.

3. Vitamin B12 – Diet containing vitamin B12 is very essential for an anemic patient. Mainly non-vegetarian foods like pork, eggs and beef abound in B12 vitamin. Vegetarians can derive the vitamin from cheese, milk, curds and cereals.

4. Folate – Increase the intake of food items containing folate supplements like sprouts, food grains, wheat germ, cereals, fresh leafy vegetables, egg yolks and watermelons.

5. Restrict Caffeine – Limit your liquid intake of tea and coffee and red wine also foodstuffs like chocolate, chewing gum and dairy products, which reduces the level of iron absorption in the body. People with iron deficiency should especially avoid such foods, which interfere with the intestinal system.

6. Iron Source - Iron can also be derived from foods like Soybeans, Oysters, pumpkin, molasses, cooked lentils and sardines.

Women, who are pregnant, should avoid red meats and liver, as it is very high in vitamin A, which may harm the baby. To maximize the iron absorbing capacity, avoid those food items that interfere or restrict iron. An ideal diet would be iron-rich foodstuffs. Heme iron is found in non-vegetarian food and non-heme iron is found in vegetarian diet.

Iron supplements in the form tablets and tonics like Ferrous Gluconate and Ferrous Sulphate are also recommended for pregnant women and pre-menopausal ladies. If low hemoglobin is detected in the blood tests during pregnancy stage, it is advisable to increase dosage of iron. Numerous people complain of vomiting, loose motions, dark hardened stools, stomach upsets and acidity after taking supplemental iron, due to side effects. Therefore, always start with low dosage, increasing it slowly to full dosage to minimize side effects. Ferrous Gluconate is comparatively milder and causes fewer side effects. Vitamin rich foods like citrus fruits help in easy iron absorption and should be taken along with iron supplements, condition and keeps the red blood cells normal and functioning, iron is an important part of the hemoglobin for supplying oxygen to the entire body. Anemia hits around two billion people all over the globe; mostly it is due to iron deficiency. Majority of women are affected by this condition. Therefore, treating the body with iron supplements and diets is the only option. A healthy and balanced diet along with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables will prevent such a condition among the healthy people.