Did you know anemia can be caused by a lack of folate? If you eat half this recipe, you will get over 50% of your daily need for folate. This entire recipe contains 105% of your daily folate needs. Read on to learn other nutrients that can be the cause of anemia.
One of the most wonderful thing about having pesto on hand is the ease with which you can add flavor to other plant food. Find the recipe for this detoxifying arugula pesto here: https://thecarmencooks.com/staging/3924/vegan-arugula-pesto/
I use sunflower seed butter in this hummus which as a sweet nutty flavor. It is also high in magnesium, and vitamin E.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c chickpeas/garbanzo beans
pinch of sea salt
1 T olive oil
generous 1/4 c kalamata or natural green olives
5 small cloves pre-roasted garlic (or use less raw, but roasted garlic has a soft sweet taste and raw will change the flavor of the hummus)
1/3 c sunflower seed butter
1 T arugula pesto
2 T basil leaves
1/4 t fennel (scant)
Blend all the ingredients in the blender with a small amount of water (start with 1/3 c) until smooth. Add water by the tablespoon to achieve your desired consistency.
There are so many factors that affect whether a woman experiences anemia. We tend to attribute anemia to only iron but it is so much more than that. Before you blindly take a supplement, be sure your doctor test for more than iron (transferrin) and hemoglobin, because a lack of the following nutrients can decrease iron absorption or cause damage to your red blood cells in some other way. The term anemia means to be lacking in the quality of your red blood cells, it does not mean iron deficiency. And your red blood cells have many other factors that contribute to their quality (fidelity).
Iron Deficiency
Only around 20% of diagnosed cases of anemia are actually due to a deficiency in iron. We tend to assume as women if we are anemic, or even feeling weak around menstruation that we are laking in iron, but the truth is that there are additional causative factors of anemia {National Academies of Sciences, 2020 #1}.
Read on to learn what other vitamins are vital to prevent anemia…..
Some nutrients prevent anemia by directly affecting iron uptake or metabolism…while other nutrients prevent anemia because, like iron, they are needed for the correct formation of red blood cells.
Vitamin C and Iron Metabolism:
Enhanced Absorption: Vitamin C facilitates the absorption of non-heme iron (the type of iron found in plant-based foods and dietary supplements) in the small intestine. It does this by reducing ferric iron (Fe^3+) to ferrous iron (Fe^2+), which is in a more absorbable form.
Solubility: Vitamin C also helps maintain iron in a soluble and bioavailable form in the gut. This means that it prevents the formation of insoluble iron compounds that can’t be absorbed.
After absorption, iron is transported in the bloodstream by a protein called transferrin. Transferrin binds to iron and carries it to various tissues and organs in the body, where it is used for various metabolic processes, particularly the production of red blood cells and oxygen transport.
Low B12
Low B12 can lead to pernicious anemia. B12 is need to form red blood cells. B12 only comes from animal products. Eggs and full fat organic grass fed dairy are best for fertile women along with fish and seafood. Last on the list is chicken and beef. You should generally avoid pork because most of it is the most contaminated with high amounts of micro plastics in the meat which is extremely damaging to the female system, and the hormonal systems of both sexes. Now, if you had a pig you raised on a farm and only fed scraps from real food that would be fine, but most pork is fed old food still wrapped in plastic packaging so that is how the pig bodies get contaminated with endocrine disrupting chemicals (microplastics and more) that have effects on the next several generations. Pork also tends to be high in parasites which can contribute to nutrient deficiencies.
Interactions of Folate and B12
It is best to consume your folate in the form of folate from food like the garbanzo beans here….this entire recipe provides over 100% of your daily folate needs. Folic acid from a supplement is completely different than the folate in foods and consuming too high amounts from a supplement can be damaging in many ways to the body (especially in pregnancy).
In regards to anemia, your doctor can misdiagnose pernicious anemia from a B12 deficiency if you are consuming too high levels of folic acid from a supplement form (1000 mcg/day) and are deficient in B12 intake {Lowensohn, 2016 #2}. This situation is likely if you are on the vegan to vegetarian spectrum and taking a folic acid/multivitamin supplement.
This could also simply happen if you are low in B12 even with an omnivore diet and a high folic acid supplementation. In this case you should check the dosages and adjust accordingly. In this situation you can also precipitate or exacerbate neurological damage in your baby if you are pregnant. You must make sure that you have a balanced intake which is the consumption of close to the RDA of folic acid and the RDA of B12, and if you are consuming higher levels of folate/folic acid, you also need to increase your consumption of B12. Now if your B12 is balanced (high enough), you do not need to be concerned about the amount of folate you get from foods like this recipe here.
Typical vegan and vegetarian diets are high in folate due to the consumption of legumes and most of these populations are also supplementing with folic acid during pregnancy. If you fall into this category it is imperative that you examine your intake of both vitamins so that you do not damage your babies nervous system.
Too high levels of folate
It’s generally recommended to limit your folic acid supplement intake to no more than 500 mcg/day if you’re using a synthetic folate supplement. However, since different types of folate have varying levels of effectiveness in the body, it’s advisable to consult with a nutritionist if you’re uncertain.
If you’re obtaining folate from food sources, you should aim for approximately 700 mcg/day due to its lower bioavailability compared to synthetic folic acid. Notably, folate from natural food sources doesn’t pose the same risk of adverse effects as synthetic folic acid.
Intake of folic acid supplements at doses of 1000 mcg/day or higher can be harmful to your health, potentially causing toxicity and adverse effects, especially when combined with low levels of vitamin B12. This combination may lead to damage to the nervous system and contribute to anemia. However, obtaining high levels of folate from food sources, such as beans, is generally safe.
Lack of Vitamin E
A lack of vitamin E can lead to greater oxidative stress on the cell walls of blood vessels and contribute to their deformation. This effect is exacerbated when the red blood cells already have a deformative effects from lack of other nutrients, such as lack of folate or B12. Olive oil, olives, and sunflower seeds are very high sources of vitamin E.
Low Vitamin D
Studies show that a low (25-hydroxy) vitamin D status result in women who are more likely to experience anemia from an iron deficiency< {National Academies of Sciences, 2020 #1}>. The best way to get sufficient vitamin D is to get in the sunshine everyday. It is okay if that cute single dad sees your mom tummy, being healthy is far more important.
Low Riboflavin
Adequate riboflavin intake is essential for preventing anemia, particularly when a women is consuming sufficient folic acid and iron. Riboflavin deficiency can reduce iron absorption and utilization, so consuming riboflavin-rich foods alongside iron sources can have a positive effect on hemoglobin. What this means is that if you are diagnosed with anemia, you must examine your riboflavin intake before immediately pointing to iron as the culprit for anemia. This is especially noteworthy because of the negative side effects ranging from oxidative stress to constipation with iron supplementation. Riboflavin is found in garbanzo beans and in small amounts in arugula. See this other post on foods high in riboflavin and other nutrients needed to cure anemia: https://thecarmencooks.com/staging/3924/chocolate-covered-strawberry-smoothie-bowl/
Low Vitamin A
To increase the absorption of Vitamin A, try hacks like taking a teaspoon of coconut oil or olive oil the same time you consume your carrot juice. Or put seed such as pumpkin and hemp on top of your papaya. Fat is needed by the body in the stomach/intestine to absorb higher levels of vitamin A.
In developed countries, approximately 40% of women of reproductive age who do not supplement their diets are deficient in vitamin A. A lack of vitamin A can contribute to poor immune function, poor skin, and anemia. If your hemoglobin or iron levels are low and your doctor recommends anything from iron supplements to a transfusion, be sure to inquire whether they have also assessed your vitamin A levels.
On the other hand, iron itself can affect your vitamin A levels. If you are deficient in iron, you can have reduced transfer of vitamin A from the liver to the blood stream. This recipe is not high in vitamin A, but you should be consuming at least one cup of a bright orange food every day. Papaya is one of the most beneficial foods for your boy.
Remember Zinc!
Although the research is still tentative on the effects of protein and zinc intake on vitamin A, you should be aware of these factors. Remember the body is holistic. If you are lacking zinc, it is a theory that you will have reduced vitamin A uptake which can then contribute to the causation of anemia. Zinc is very high in pumpkin seeds which are an excellent snack to carry in your purse.
References for my peeps:
1.National Academies of Sciences, E. and Medicine (2020). Nutrition During Pregnancy and Lactation: Exploring New Evidence: Proceedings of a Workshop, National Academies Press.
2. Lowensohn, R. I., et al. (2016). “Current concepts of maternal nutrition.” Obstetrical & gynecological survey 71(7): 413.
