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A 27-year-old male asked:

How does one increase their hb count and hct percentage when following a mostly plant based diet? my and my wives figures are low, mostly due to the fact that we don't eat meat, chicken, dairy or eggs and very rarely eat fish.

1 doctor answer5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Hunter Handsfield
Infectious Disease 55 years experience
Anemia: Your wife's diet might be contributing to her anemia, especially if she tends to have substantial bleeding with menstruation. However, if her diet contains lots of leafy greens and other high-iron vegetables, this shouldn't be a problem. Don't assume there isn't a more serious cause -- probably not, but better safe than sorry. She needs to address this with her doctor.
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Last updated Sep 22, 2019

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