Essential Dietary Guidelines for Hemophilia Patients
Discover essential dietary tips for managing hemophilia, including beneficial foods to include such as leafy greens, fruits, and calcium-rich items, alongside foods to avoid like fried foods and sugary treats. Proper nutrition supports clotting health and overall well-being for hemophilia patients.
Essential Dietary Guidelines for Hemophilia Patients
People living with hemophilia have lower levels of clotting factor VIII, leading to prolonged bleeding after injuries. Maintaining a healthy weight is crucial, as obesity can put additional stress on joints and muscles. While no specific diet is mandated, choosing nutritious foods supports overall health. Here are key foods to include and avoid for optimal well-being.
Recommended Foods
- Fruits and Vegetables
Incorporate plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially dark leafy greens like spinach, broccoli, kale, and bok choy, along with berries, pears, and apples. These provide essential vitamins, fiber, and minerals.
- Calcium-rich Foods
Maintaining healthy bones and teeth requires sufficient calcium intake. Hemophilia patients, especially children and adolescents, should include foods like orange juice, lean meats, poultry, almonds, and beans in their diet. Good calcium sources help prevent bleeding gum issues, common in hemophilia.
- Iron-containing Foods
Iron is vital for producing red blood cells that transport oxygen. Excessive bleeding can deplete iron reserves, so consuming fortified cereals, raisins, apricots, peas, seafood, liver, and poultry is recommended to support recovery.
- Fried and Oily Foods
Oily foods such as fried meats, chips, and junk food increase weight and are detrimental to health. Foods high in trans and saturated fats like pizza, butter, crackers, and lard should be consumed sparingly.
- Sugar-laden Items
Limit intake of sweets like cookies, candies, soft drinks, energy drinks, and chocolates, as they contain high sugar and unhealthy fats. The American Heart Association advises maximum daily sugar intake of six teaspoons for women and nine for men.
- Supplements and Herbs
Hemophilia A patients should avoid fish oil, vitamin E, and herbs such as ginger, willow bark, ginseng, garlic in large amounts, Ginkgo Biloba, and feverfew, as they can interfere with blood clotting. Consulting a healthcare professional before starting new medications is essential.
