How to Address Anemia During Pregnancy?
It is a normal physiological phenomenon for pregnant women to experience anemia during pregnancy. This is mainly due to the fact that during pregnancy, women may experience a small amount of bleeding from the vagina, and the fetus absorbs more iron, leading to anemia in pregnant women. Pregnant women with anemia can appropriately consume foods such as jujubes, spinach, eggs, and milk, and should also take care to move around moderately to promote iron absorption. Additionally, it is recommended to take folic acid during the early stages of pregnancy.
In traditional Chinese medicine, jujubes have always been considered a superior food for enriching the blood. The jujubes mentioned here refer to dried jujubes. Fresh jujubes contain high levels of vitamin C, which can promote the absorption of iron and is beneficial for improving anemia. However, dried jujubes have lost a significant amount of vitamin C, containing less than 10% of the amount found in fresh jujubes. Although jujubes contain iron, the content is not high. Therefore, consuming dried jujubes does not achieve the purpose of enriching the blood. In fact, the concept of "enriching the blood" in traditional Chinese medicine refers to "nourishing qi and blood" rather than correcting anemia. Some people may have symptoms such as pale complexion, dizziness, palpitations, insomnia, and weak pulse, which are classified as qi and blood deficiency in traditional Chinese medicine. Eating jujubes can improve these symptoms and regulate the body. However, if hemoglobin levels are below normal in laboratory tests, indicating anemia, eating jujubes alone may not effectively improve this condition.
Spinach does not contain high levels of iron, with only about one-tenth of the iron content of duck blood. Moreover, the absorption rate of iron from spinach is very low, only around 2%, which is also only one-tenth of that from duck blood. Therefore, spinach is not an ideal source for iron supplementation. However, spinach is rich in folic acid, which is beneficial for the health of the fetus during pregnancy.
Eggs and dairy products are not good sources of iron. Eggs contain relatively low levels of iron, and the presence of egg yolk high-phosphorus protein can interfere with the absorption of iron, resulting in a low absorption rate of only 3%. Therefore, eating eggs is not effective for iron supplementation. Dairy products are also low in iron content and have a low absorption rate.
Dried black fungus indeed contains very high levels of iron, even exceeding three times the iron content of duck blood. However, when pregnant women consume black fungus, it needs to be soaked in water first, which increases the weight of the black fungus by 6 to 8 times. This effectively reduces the iron content to one-eighth to one-sixth of its original amount, eliminating most of its iron-rich advantage. Additionally, there is also the issue of low absorption rate.
Animal-based foods generally have better iron supplementation effects than plant-based foods. Foods that are effective for iron supplementation mainly include animal blood, animal liver, meat, and fish. These foods not only contain higher levels of iron but also have a much higher absorption rate. Pregnant women should consume a certain amount of meat or fish daily and eat animal blood or animal liver one or twice a week. Additionally, it is recommended to consume fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C daily to enhance iron absorption.
