Ayurveda And Iron Deficiency Anaemia During Pregnancy
It's very common for your iron levels to drop during pregnancy, this is because your blood volume increases and is therefore diluted.
Lower levels of iron are expected but if you feel tired, lethargic, fatigued, dizzy or your heart races then speak to your midwife about iron supplementation. You can have a blood test but different people seem to tolerate different levels of iron, so your symptoms should be taken seriously even if your levels are not that low.
Iron Rich Foods
Iron is difficult to digest and anaemia is often caused by weak digestion, so eating more iron is sometimes not enough.
Many people assume that meat is the best way to increase your iron but "the incidence of iron-deficiency anaemia in vegetarians is not significantly different from that in omnivores".
The following foods all help with anaemia even though they are not all high in iron. They are strengthening and liver cleansing, aid digestion and assimilation of iron, or are gently laxative.
Soaked dried fruit, particularly dates or black sultanas;
jaggery, ghee, milk;
turmeric, saffron, cinnamon;
dandelion root tea, licorice tea;
sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, ground black sesame seeds;
asparagus, broccoli, mung dhal;
bone broth.
Foods To Avoid
Tannins inhibit your body’s absorption of iron. Tannins can be found in tea, coffee and chocolate. You don’t have to give up these foods altogether, but enjoy them at a different time of day than when you take your iron supplement.
Supplements
Medical staff generally recommend Ferrograd or Maltofer as high dose iron supplements. However some pregnant women experience abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrhoea.
If you have tried these supplements and they are working fine for you then continue taking them! Maybe you have a strong stomach.
If you are struggling to take these supplement there are plenty of others you can try.
Floradix
I love Floradix! It gets a bad rap because the actual concentration of iron is low, but I love it because it reminds me of Ayurvedic herbal wines called arishtams. Ayurveda teaches us we are not what we eat but what we digest. The efficiency of a medicine in not measured by how much iron is in it, but how much actually gets absorbed into your body.
I suspect the bioavailability of the iron in Floradix is higher than other supplements because the fermentation process increases appetite and digestion, plus the combination of herbs can aid with absorption. I also wonder if taking Floradix along side a stronger iron supplement might be a good combination. Alone it’s probably not enough if you are already iron deficient.
Ethical Nutrients Mega Iron
I was once recommended a supplement by a chiropractor which need a ‘prescription’ which was really just a marketing gimmick. The supplement worked well but when my ‘prescription’ ran out I went back to the chemist and they said that Ethical Nutrients Mega Iron have EXACTLY the same active ingredients for way cheaper and no need to get a gimmicky ‘prescription.’ This is such a great supplement because it is easy to digest and has other micronutrients that aid with the absorption of Iron like Vitamins C and D.
Lucky Iron Fish
This is such a cool product!!! An ancient Ayurvedic remedy for iron deficiency is to cook in cast iron pots, but this lucky fish makes it easier and more accessible. You just pop the iron fish into your cooking pot with a touch of acid like lemon and the iron is absorbed into your food.
It’s unlikely there is a very high amount of bioavailable iron, but every bit helps. Lucky Iron Fish adds a little iron to every meal and is a good way to maintain iron. Make sure you top up with a supplement if you are actually deficient.
I always love buy-one, give-one brands and with 3.5 billion people iron deficient around the world this is a really smart business idea.
Talk to your healthcare provider
If the usual Ferrograd or Maltofer aren’t working for you because they make you constipated or make you vomit ask your healthcare provider about other options. A good midwife or pharmacist will be able to guide you to the correct dosage depending on your level of deficiency. It’s likely you’ll need to take a much higher amounts than recommended on the packet to get the same levels of iron found in Ferrograd or Maltofer, but only do this under the advice of your healthcare provider.
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