The Biggest Mistake People with Anemia Make

Hint: it has nothing to do with iron!

There will be no Monday Masterclass today - my travel schedule has gotten in the way.

There will instead be a two-part post - the first for free subscribers and the second for premium subscribers. This is the first - the second part is how to know if beef liver is wrong for you. Upgrade today if you want to learn more!

I frequently recommend blood donation to my patients based on their labs and have written plenty of posts about it in the past (search for "iron" or "blood" to find them).

I also see plenty of patients in my practice who have anemia.

And this means that I need to know exactly how to help people make new blood, whether they've lost it through blood donation or otherwise.

The ancient Chinese say that the blood follows the chi (energy), and the chi protects the blood. Blood is at the heart of being healthy. That's why blood work (labs that test your blood) is such a vital component of an air-tight wellness plan!

What foods do I recommend to people who need to make new blood?

You might think I would focus on iron-rich foods, but the truth is, most people have lots of iron in their bodies and most people have lots of iron in their diets.

The real problems I see in my practice have to do with micronutrients other than iron.

What nutrients might these be?

• Copper

• Vitamin A

• B-6

• B-12

• Folate

Why?

Because people are chronically under-consuming these nutrients. Because modern life creates massive demand for these nutrients. Because modern stresses from artificial light to electromagnetic radiation can destroy these nutrients.

So why should we be surprised when modern people are deficient in these nutrients?

Most doctors will tell you what supplements to take to get these nutrients. They'll sell you a product to supply these nutrients.

"Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food."

- Hippocrates

Taking supplements while eating a diet of processed, packaged, nutrient-poor food is a good way to waste money.

You have to fix your diet if you want to achieve optimal vitality.

Here are my favorite foods to recommend to people who are anemic.

• Beef liver, one ounce once weekly

• Fish (low-mercury only) three to five times weekly

• Seaweed, a few pieces weekly

• Bitter green vegetables, twice daily, one cup

• Beets, one cup daily (boiled, dried, or roasted)

• Bee pollen, one tablespoon daily

• Nuts or seeds, one ounce daily

• Oats, one cup daily

• Bananas, two large daily

• Potatoes, two medium daily

• Fresh fruits, one serving daily

Why do I love these foods for anemia?

Because they are rich in all the nutrients you need to make new blood cells. Because all of them contain nutrients that I routinely see as deficient in patients who are anemic.

But there's an important caveat here...

If a food can nourish, then it can poison. There is no one diet that I share with patients to fix their anemia. I tailor the diet to their unique situation.

• Maybe they are allergic to fish or nuts.

• Maybe they have a problem utilizing copper, in which case beef liver may make them WORSE.

• Maybe they have weak digestion and can't stand eating green veggies.

• Maybe they have problems with their blood sugar and can't stand potatoes and fruits.

This is why I have a medical practice, when many of my colleagues have quit medicine to become full-time content creators. You can apply for a consultation at StillmanMD.com.

We also have a course and mastermind program that covers many of these topics.

My next post is for premium subscribers only, and will cover when and why I won't use beef liver. If you're taking beef liver, upgrade today and find out what you're missing.

Until then, be well,

Dr. Stillman