While anemia may not be a disease in itself, it often indicates another serious illness. Therefore, it is important to talk to your doctor before you learn how to treat anemia naturally. You need medical help if you have sickle cell anemia, hemolytic anemia, or sideroblastic anemia. If you do not have these types of anemia, it means you just have a nutritional deficiency that you can fix through proper diet. For instance, you may develop anemia when you have a deficiency of vitamin B12, iron, or folic acid. With anemia, you would not have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to your body parts and that can lead to serious health complications.
Best Home Remedies to Try
To learn how to treat anemia naturally, you need to know about the nutritional deficiency you might have. Once you know it, you just need to supply your body with those nutrients to fix the issue. Here are some home remedies to try:
1. Drink Beetroot-Apple Juice
You get loads of iron from apples, whereas beetroot is rich in folic acid, potassium, and fiber. Simply take a cup each of apple juice and beetroot juice and add a tablespoon of honey to it. Mix well and drink it twice a day to treat anemia.
2. Try Blackstrap Molasses
Blackstrap molasses provide you with a good amount of folate as well as iron. You will also get plenty of B-vitamins. Together, these nutrients help increase red blood cell production and make it easier to manage your anemia. Mix 2 tablespoons each of apple cider vinegar and blackstrap molasses. Now, add a cup of water to it and mix well. Drink once a day for good results.
3. Try Tomatoes
Including more iron in your diet is important but you should also include other nutrients in your diet to increase the absorption of that iron. This is when you can eat tomatoes and get lycopene and vitamin-C that help increase the absorption of iron. Simply eat a couple of raw tomatoes daily or add them to your sandwiches and salads. You can also drink a glass of tomato juice to get good results.
4. Try Sesame Seeds
Due to their high iron content, sesame seeds are also quite beneficial for people interesting in learning how to treat anemia naturally. You get about 30% of your recommended daily intake of iron from one-fourth cup of sesame seeds.
5. Enjoy Bananas
Eating a banana will help increase your intake of iron and stimulate the production of hemoglobin. It also provides you with other enzymes responsible for the formation of red blood cells. Simply consume a ripe banana along with a tablespoon of honey two times a day.
6. Try Fenugreek
Again, fenugreek is a rich source of iron, which is why it has to be there in your diet to fight anemia. It triggers the production of red blood cells. Cook a cup of rice with a couple of teaspoons of fenugreek seeds added to it. You can add some salt as well. Eat it once a day for three weeks for good results.
7. Eat More Spinach
Spinach is a nutrient powerhouse and contains loads of iron, folic acid, vitamin B12, and other energy-boosting nutrients. You get about 35% of your recommended daily intake of iron along with 33% of your recommended daily intake of folic acid from a one-half cup serving of spinach. Simply make a glass of spinach juice, add 2 tablespoons of honey to it, and drink once a day.
8. Combine Turmeric and Yogurt
Some experts believe that consuming a cup of yogurt twice daily would help deal with anemia more effectively. You can get better results by adding a teaspoon of turmeric to yogurt. This is also supposed to help reduce swelling caused by inflammation in the body.
9. Include Parsley in Your Diet
In terms of how to treat anemia naturally, parsley is a good option. Parsley is very high in folic acid and iron – a 100g serving offers about 10% of your recommended daily intake of iron. It also provides you with a good amount of vitamin-C, which increases the absorption of iron. You can add parsley to your salads and sandwiches or include it in your gravies, soups, sauces, and stews.
10. Get Iron from Liver
The liver is among the best sources of heme iron, which your body can absorb better. Organ meats provide you 16-85% of your recommended daily intake of iron depending on what liver you are consuming. Eating raw chicken liver is the best way to increase your intake of iron because it provides you with about 9mg of iron. You get about 5mg of iron from beef liver. Interestingly, you also get phosphorus, copper, zinc, B12, and many other nutrients from organ meats. Be sure to eat meat that is not treated with antibiotics, hormones, or commercial feed.