Are you easily fatigued, get dizzy or short of breath easily? Do you have difficulty sleeping, or get an unusually rapid heartbeat when exercising? You may have anemia.
Anemia affects a lot of people. Even if you eat meat and dairy, you could still be showing signs of anemia. Fortunately for you, this beet smoothie could help reverse that.
What is anemia?
Anemia is a disorder that affects those who don’t have enough red blood cells (hemoglobin) to carry oxygen throughout the body.
Anemia can be caused by too much iron loss during menses, a disorder where your body destroys red blood cells, or your body simply doesn’t make enough red blood cells.
The most common type of anemia is iron-deficiency anemia. It is caused by a shortage of iron in the body – when there isn’t enough iron, your bone marrow cannot make enough hemoglobin for red blood cells. About 1 in 10 teenage girls suffer from anemia due to their monthly blood loss and not eating the right blood-building foods.
Food As Medicine
Poor dietary choices, heavy metal poisoning, prolonged medication and menstruation can all lead to anemia. Fortunately, you can make tweaks to your diet that will introduce forms of iron that are easily absorbable to get your red blood cells back up to speed.
Beets are one of the best foods to eat if you are anemic. They are rich in iron and are effective when trying to build up your red blood cell count. Red cherries are also high in iron, as well as spinach, which is high in protein, vitamin C and iron (Popeye didn’t lie!).
The combination of beets, spinach, cherries and vitamin C from lemons and oranges in this beet smoothie make the iron better absorbable.
Ingredients:
– 1 cup cherries
– 1 beetroot, peeled and chopped into cubes
– 2 cups packed spinach
– 1/2 lemon, squeezed for the juice
– 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Method:
Stick all of the above ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth!
