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Dietary suggestions for treating mild anaemia during pregnancy
I receive different dietary suggestions for treating mild anaemia.
30/06/2014
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
When I’m 7 months pregnant, my prenatal check-up shows that I’m slightly anaemic. My mother-in-law asks about the test results, and I tell her.
The next morning, she sends a text message:
“I showed your test results to a gynecologist at the Chinese and Korean hospital here. She told me some dietary suggestions that should help improve your iron levels. This is what she recommends adding to your diet:
– Beef, pork, carp (braised or pan-fried, 4 times weekly)
– Hard-boiled chicken eggs (with egg yolk, 3 times daily)
– Black sesame paste (freshly ground from the market)
– Pork liver* (cut into slices, put into boiling water for a few seconds, then pan-fry with fresh ginger and spring onions)
– Blood sausage
– Different kinds of fish”
My Chinese doctor in Shenzhen lists similar foods. After learning that I don’t eat much meat, she recommends adding:
– Shiitake mushrooms
– Black fungus
– Red dates
A few weeks later, I ask my Austrian gynaecologist what she would recommend. These are her dietary suggestions:
– Parsley, lots of it (best put on everything you eat)
– Plums
– All kinds of berries, red fruits, and vegetables: beetroot, tomatoes, raspberries, strawberries, black currant, etc.
Have you ever tried treating mild anaemia with diet?
Note:
Please do not take this as dietary advice and consult your doctor if you are anaemic.