FOODS FOR MAKING BLOOD AND PREVENTING ANAEMIA

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 110, 1 August 1941, Page 11

FOODS FOR MAKING BLOOD AND PREVENTING ANAEMIA

(Written for " The Listener" by DR

MURIEL

BELL

Nutritionist to the Department of Health)

eS BLooDp banks" are being freely talked about in our. hospitalsstores of blood for emergency purposes. One observes in the papers and in hospitals, appeals for volunteers to give blood for hospital or for patriotic purposes. It will be just as well for those who are willing to act as blood donors, to be acquainted with the foods which are richest in those elements that are needed for making up the blood that they have lost. And apart from this, there is enough evidence coming from the medical profession to the effect that there is a considerable proportion of people (women mostly), who have been found to be anaemic. I am told, too, that there is much anaemia among Maori women and in consequence among Maori babies. Anaemia is largely a nutritional disorder which can be prevented by eating the proper foods. The red cells which give blood its colour are continually being made in the bone marrow, to replace those which have become worn out after their short life of a few weeks. Upon a special call for more of the red cells such as will come when there has been loss of blood, the marrow becomes more active, and, provided that it is supplied with the materials, will regenerate the supply of blood cells quite rapidly. However, the bone marrow needs to be in good health before it will do this. It will need to be furnished with ali of the things that the body needs-such as good food containing building-foods like milk, cheese, eggs, meat and with foods containing minerals and vitamins. Deficiencies of each of many different elements are known to be associated with anaemia. Thus the food in general should have a good basis. To Make Up Deficiencies But there are materials that are specifically needed for blood cell formation. These are-iron for making the red colouring matter, and another sub-

stance which we call the Anti-Per-nicious-Anaemia Factor. When people give their blood frequently, as some blood donors do, they need to have both of these things supplied in their food in order to make up their blood speedily once more. Of the iron-containing foods, the first that come on the list in the ordinary daily diet, are the cereal foods, provided that they are "unrefined "--such foods as wholemeal bread and oatmeal have the honour of being our steadiest source of iron-containing foods (provided we give them the honour by including them in our diet). The yolks of eggs and green vegetables (particularly the thinleaved varieties) are rich in iron. Meat is good, and here we have to draw a distinction between muscle meat and liver and kidney-the former is good but the latter two are excellent. As stated in a previous article, liver is a storehouse for iron. Most of the iron in muscle meat is organically bound and is not as useful as the iron in liver. Potatoes, oranges, apples, and cocoa contribute their share. The ‘amounts present in foodstuffs are really very small, and it is not too easy to make up the quantities when there are conditions in the body adverse to its absorption. Two foods that appear to favour the absorption of iron from the intestine are milk and wheat germs. Of the foods containing the antipernicious anaemic factor, liver stands highest, meat comes next. That is why liver comes out on top as a food for the regeneration of blood-it contains iron in large quantities and the anti-pernicious-anaemia factor as well. But as cereals can be taken every day whereas we would get tired of having liver every day (and we could not all get it owing to limitation of supplies) whdlemeal bread and oatmeal rank first in providing us with a constant source of iron. (Next week: "Goitre Prevention,’ by Dr. H. B. Turbott)