My 16 months old child is highly anaemic. What food should I include in his diet to bring his haemoglobin and RBC count to normal?
A. Anaemia is a condition where the level of haemoglobin in the blood is below the normal range. Haemoglobin is the iron-containing molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body so, in anaemia, less oxygen can be carried and delivered to the tissues. From age one until puberty, the normal haemoglobin level is 11g/dl or above. Levels of haemoglobin may be low because the number of red blood cells is low, or because each red blood cell has an abnormally low amount of haemoglobin within it. Iron is an important dietary mineral that is involved in various bodily functions, including the transport of oxygen in the blood essential in providing energy for daily life. Iron is also vital for brain development. Babies, toddlers, preschoolers and teenagers are at high risk of iron deficiency, mainly because their increased needs for iron may not be met by their diets. Without intervention, a child whose diet does not provide them with enough iron will eventually develop iron def
