Anaemia
What Is It?
Anaemia is a common blood disorder. It is a condition where there is insufficient iron in the red blood cells to assist in the transport of oxygen around the body. Blood cells are manufactured in the bone marrow and need iron for haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is responsible for transporting oxygen to all parts of the body and does so by binding itself to oxygen taken from the lungs.
Cause and Effect
Symptoms of anaemia may include listlessness, breathlessness, tiredness, lethargy and lack of energy. The person suffering may be very pale and/or feel the cold acutely. The area under the lower eyelids can be extremely pale and creamy instead of reddish-pink and full of fine red blood capillaries. www.mayoclinic.org
Severe blood loss caused by prolonged or heavy menstrual periods, where the blood loss is not being made up quickly enough to meet the body’s demands or loss of blood during childbirth, surgery or serious accident can both be factors. www.medicalnewstoday.com
Lack of red cell production caused by thalassaemia (sickle cell disease), leukemia and long term inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, chronic kidney disease and Crohn’s disease can also be causes.
High rates of red blood cell destruction (hemolysis) caused by immune reactions, infection, toxins and some medications are also linked to anaemia.
Other contributing factors may include poor diet, not consuming enough iron, folic acid or B12 rich foods.
Juice Pharmacy Recommendations
What to Avoid
Cut down on processed foods, red meats, dairy, alcohol, coffee, sugary carbonated drinks and smoking.
What to include
A healthy balanced diet consisting of fruits, vegetables and whole foods that contain good sources of iron, folic acid and vitamin B12. As well as the ingredients below, apricot, banana, pomegranate, prune and grape juice are also good additions.
Alfalfa sprouts - These and wheatgrass both make a powerful blood healing tonic.
Beetroot - Both beetroot and blackberry juices have been found to help people suffering from anaemia and relieve high blood pressure. The high content of iron in beets regenerates and reactivates the red blood cells and supplies fresh oxygen to the body. Adding carrot to this juice will also help anaemia sufferers or start with a blend of the two vegetables, gradually increasing the proportion of beets by 4-5oz each time.
Celery - The vegetable’s juice helps balance the blood’s pH, but add an apple to sweeten the drink.
Iron - Drinking freshly extracted juices to boost the iron content in your blood is easier on the liver and does not cause the constipation associated with taking iron supplements in pill form. An ideal anaemia remedy is to juice and blend a selection from the fruits and vegetables mentioned here at least three times per day. This would produce a pleasant tasting juice with many other health benefits besides raising blood iron levels. Spinach juice has adequate amounts of iron which is bio-available and can help the body to build up the haemoglobin in the blood. Any green leafy vegetable usually has good levels of iron.
Raspberries and other berries - Red and black varieties are also useful and a tasty edition which can be added to any blend.
Resveratrol - Research has found resveratrol to be helpful in the treatment of thalassaemia (sickle cell disease). You can find it naturally in blueberries, red grapes, mulberries, cranberries, raspberries, rains, raw cacao powder and peanut butter. (Nutritional influences on illness - A sourcebook of clinical research by Melvyn R. Werbach M.D)
Vitamin C - We know about the importance of iron in our diet to combat anaemia and vitamin C helps us to absorb this.
The Juice Recipes
Shot: The Beetroot Shot
1 Small Beetroot
½ Lemon
Juice and knock back in one juicy go!
Juice: Iron Man - taken from the Funky Fresh Juice Book
1 Large Handful of Kale
1 Large Handful of Spinach
2 Apples
3cm Broccoli Stem
1 Small Beetroot
½ Green Bell Pepper (seeded)
30ml Wheatgrass Shot
1 Slice of Orange
Juice everything, ensuring you pack the leafy greens in tightly so you extract the most juice. Pour over ice and enjoy. Have the wheatgrass shot straight afterwards as a chaser and bite into the orange to help with the taste and iron absorption.
Blend: Love Juice - taken from Jason Vale's 5:2 Juice Diet.
1 Small Handful of Strawberries
1 Small Handful of Raspberries
2 Passion Fruits
2 Oranges (peeled with pith on)
Ice
Juice the oranges and pour into a blender. Add the berries and the passion fruit inners including the seeds. Whiz up until smooth and pour over ice.
Disclaimer
Please note, it is impossible to give a definitive list as what supports one person can be a trigger food or allergen for another. You must stay your own juice detective at all times and listen to how your own body responds to certain foods and always consult with your healthcare provider when making changes to your diet which may affect your medication. Please be aware that we are not doctors, so it is important to consult with your GP or medical practitioner BEFORE making any changes to your diet. The suggestions above are not meant as an alternative to any current medical treatment so please DO NOT stop taking any medications you are on. They are also not an endorsement of their effectiveness, or a recommendation that they should be followed but instead, are provided for informational purposes. None of the information on the Natural Juice Therapy site is intended or implied to treat, cure or prevent any condition or disease.