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How to build red blood counts?

Page last modified on: October 7, 2008

Question from J: How do I build up my red blood counts?: Answers —Diana Dyer, M.S., R.D.: A low red blood count can be due to several reasons. It can be iron deficiency or it could be folic acid deficiency, or more uncommonly Vitamin B12 deficiency. The first step is always to know why your red blood cell count is depressed. If it is iron-deficiency anemia, foods such as liver and other lean red meats are good sources of iron. Plant foods also have iron but you need to add accompanying food with high amounts of Vitamin C to help with the absorption of the iron.; Lillie Shockney, R.N., B.S., M.A.S.: I'll add that many people don't like liver but there are many ways to disguise it, such as chicken livers wrapped in bacon and broiled. Then what you are really tasting is the bacon and not the liver.

On Wednesday, January 16, 2008, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Managing Fatigue During and After Treatment. Diana Dyer, M.S., R.D., Tish Knobf, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., A.O.C.N., and Lillie Shockney, R.N., B.S., M.A.S. answered your questions about ways to keep up your energy, how nutrition can affect fatigue, and how exercising can help.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Diana Dyer, M.S., R.D. is a registered dietitian in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and a two-time breast cancer survivor.

Tish Knobf, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., A.O.C.N. is the American Cancer Society associate professor of Oncology Nursing at Yale University. She participates in various research programs that focus on cancer recovery and exercise, risk factors for cancer, and symptoms before and after cancer therapy.

Lillie Shockney, RN., BS., M.A.S. Lillie Shockney, R.N., B.S., M.A.S. is the administrative director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center.