Anemia

Anemia is usually the result of insufficient iron in the diet which the red blood cells need to do their job. Signs that you might need more iron in your diet are tiredness and shortness of breath. Friends and family may comment that you look pale and flush easily, signs of poor circulation. You may also feel more moody and irritable than usual as well. There are several reasons for iron deficiency.
Women, especially the young ones among us, who don`t realize that a monthly period leads to iron deficiency and that they need to replenish supplies before the next month rolls around again, always suffer from anemia......you come across them everyday at the workplace!
Then you have those among us that for every ache and pain they pull out the Ibuprofen bottle ,I`m here to tell you that prolonged use of anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen and Aspirin can sometimes result in bleeding in the stomach, depleting reserves of iron. Other causes of stomach bleeding can be heavy periods and pregnancy. You could have an iron deficiency simply because your diet is low in iron as can be the case with vegans or indeed heavy tea drinkers because tea prevents the absorption of iron from plant sources. Drink orange juice, the vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from the diet
As anemia is often linked to diet, changing the diet is going to be the most effective solution. Lifestyle changes you should consider is to start the day with breakfast. Snack during the morning on nuts and raisins with some orange juice. Eat a normal evening meal but add some herbs and spices if you can because thyme and curry powder are top iron-rich ingredients.
Eating raw foods is the quickest way to get back in tip top shape-just as how raw food is the quickest and healthiest way to lose weight.
Here is some useful information from the art of raw and healthy living website

A raw food diet is already rich in iron and vitamin C which help absorb iron. The following are the best sources:
* Vegetables – green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, green cabbage, spinach, kale and watercress (all rich in iron)
* Fruit contain vitamin C and help the body to absorb iron
o Oranges (rich in vit C)
o Prune juice (rich in iron)
o Guavas (rich in iron)
o Watermelon (rich in iron)
o Kiwi ( rich in vit C)
* Dried fruits
o Apricots (rich in iron)
o Prunes (rich in iron)
o Raisins (rich in iron)
* Nuts (rich in iron)
* Salad vegetables contain vitamin C and help the body to absorb iron
o Tomatoes (rich in vit C)
So the easiest way to absorb iron is to have it with some vitamin C. However here are other things to think about:
Beetroot Juice: As far as anemia is concerned, beetroot increases the uptake of oxygen by as much as 400 percent.Because it is so strong, you should not have it everyday.
Herbs: Herbalists consider nettle (Urtica dioica) as a nutritious plant that is rich in iron, as well as vitamin C, chlorophyll, and other minerals. It is an effective supplement in the treatment of iron-deficiency anemia.
Spirulina, or Blue-green Algae: has been used successfully to treat anemia. The standard dose is 1 heaping teaspoon daily. Sea vegetables are rich sources of iron
So if you have teenage girls in your family, encourage them to have a big breakfast and give them a bag of nuts and raisins to snack on at school. This is probably good advice for us all because the benefits of having a good supply of iron in the body is that more oxygen will pump round your body enabling you to exercise for longer which is a good way to prevent illness and keep your body healthy.
*NOTE* There are many different kinds of anemia caused by several different underlying causes. This information focuses on iron-deficiency anemia and is the most common type of anemia and the most common cause of anemia in the general population,especially teenage girls and young women.