The doctor explained that iron-rich foods should be included in the diet, such as beef liver, turkey, chicken, veal, fish, and shrimp. The diet can also be diversified by adding grains, legumes, and tomatoes, along with fruits like rosehips, strawberries, pomegranates, persimmons, and apples, which are important sources of this essential nutrient
The doctor pointed out that iron-deficiency anemia leads to a decrease in the blood's oxygen-carrying efficiency, which gradually affects a person's health and causes drowsiness and weakness. She emphasized that the causes are often physiological in women of reproductive age, the most common being heavy menstrual bleeding, while in other groups it may result from intestinal diseases that impair the body's natural iron absorption or previous surgeries such as partial gastrectomy.
Shafranskaya emphasized that avoiding animal protein affects iron levels in the body, as the body absorbs iron from plant-based foods three to five times less efficiently than from red meat. Therefore, when following a strict vegetarian diet, it is important to combine plant-based iron sources, such as legumes, spinach, and buckwheat, with foods rich in vitamin C to enhance absorption.
