Anemia is considered as Pandurog in Ayurveda. It is a disease that imbalances the agni (digestive fire) of the body and leads to the fall in the hemoglobin count or red blood cells (RBCs) in the blood. Patients suffering from Anemia feel weakness, lack of hunger, headache, breathlessness, swelling around eyes, sleeplessness, palpitations, whitish tint on skin, eyes and nails.
Anemia Causes
Mainly anemia is caused by lack of nutrition in the food and consumption of unhealthy food items. It is linked with subdosha of Pitta i.e. Pachaka pitta which is present in the stomach and supports the digestion of food. But its improper working stops the passing of various minerals into the bloodstream.
Diet Plan for Anemia
Early morning- Warm water/ soaked almonds/ walnuts/ cashew
Breakfast- Brown bread sandwich/ Veg Idli/ Veg Poha/ Veg Vermicelli/ Veg Upma/ Broken wheat porridge (khichdi)/ Besan pancake/ Semolina pancake/ Missi Roti/ Stuffed chapati with Dal or Veg/ Skimmed milk + egg white
Mid-morning- Fruit/ Fruit juices/ Dates/ Coconut water/ Herbal tea
Lunch- Chapati/ Rice with Veg/ Dal/ Steamed or baked chicken
Evening- Herbal tea/ Poha/ Vermicelli/ Homemade soup/ Rice flakes/ Roasted gram
Dinner- Chapati + Dal + Vegetable
Bed time- Milk with turmeric mixed in it
FOODS TO CONSUME | FOODS TO AVOID |
✔️ Cereals including Quinoa, Barley and Rice
✔️ Fruits such as dates, banana, strawberries, pomegranate, guava, orange, kiwi, plums, apricots, figs, pears and apples
✔️ Consume tomato, carrot, pumpkin, broccoli, spinach, fenugreek, radish, red and green peppers, beetroot, cauliflower and cabbage.
✔️ Pulses- Lentils, legumes and moong beans
✔️ Take dairy products such as butter milk, butter, yogurt, curd, goat milk and skimmed milk
✔️ Spices like cardamom, basil, black pepper, parsley, fenugreek and turmeric
✔️ Amla juice, coconut water, wheatgrass juice, green juice, homemade fruit juices, herbal tea
✔️ Flesh foods including hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, raisins, apricots and nuts
✔️ Dry fruits- hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seed, almonds, raisins, apricots and nuts
✔️ Oil like sunflower oil, mustard oil, cow ghee, olive oil and canola oil
✔️ Tofu (limited quantity), jaggery, honey | ❌ Cereals like brown rice, oats, corn, sorghum, maggie, whole wheat, whole refined flour and its products
❌ Fruits like grapes and other frozen and canned fruits
❌ Canned and packed vegetables ❌ Avoid kidney beans, frozen and dried pulses, chickpeas
❌ Avoid cream and cheese
❌ Sea salt (but can take in limit)
❌ Carbonated syrup, maple syrup, tea, coffee, canned and preserved juices, alcohol
❌ Flesh foods including pork and beef
❌ Macadamia nuts and brazil nuts
❌ Margarine oil
❌ All bakery foods, spicy foods, deep fried foods, pasta, white bread, sugar, desserts, packed and processed foods |
Other tips:
- Get enough sleep
- Consume balanced nutritious diet
- Practice yoga and meditation daily
- Don’t skip meals especially the breakfast
- Drink a plenty of water i.e. at least 8-10 glasses a day
