Blood donors and iron

If you are a frequent blood donor, it is very likely you have an iron deficiency. Every time you donate a unit of blood you lose at least 220 mg of iron. Assuming that you eat a lot of iron rich foods, this takes a minimum of 8 weeks to recover from. That is why it so important for frequent blood donors to eat meat such as beef. Beef increases the amount of iron absorbed by the body by two-fold, sometimes even four-fold. Pair a balanced diet containing beef with iron supplements to help your body recover from blood loss.

Learn more about donating blood and the effect it has on your body