How to Boost Your Red Blood Cell Count Naturally

Iron is a nutrient that is commonly associated with anemia. Your body uses iron to make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin stores oxygen in red blood cells. Without iron, red blood cells can be destroyed or unable to deliver oxygen to different parts of the body.

Children need 7 to 10 mg of iron daily, teenage girls need about 15 mg, and women of childbearing age (women aged 20 to 35) need about 18 mg of iron.

Eating a diet rich in iron can increase the production of red blood cells in your body. To get adequate iron in your diet, you should include green leafy vegetables like spinach, dry fruits, beans, legumes, broccoli and egg yolk.

(Read more - Which vitamin deficiency causes anemia?)

Vitamin B12 is important for brain function and making red blood cells. Lack of vitamin B12 in the body prevents red blood cells from forming completely. Due to this deficiency, red blood cells (RBC) become abnormal, this is called megaloblasts and megaloblastic anemia.

To get vitamin B12, you should include red meat, fish, dairy products like milk and cheese, eggs etc. in your diet.

(Read more - Home Remedies for Anaemia)

Vitamin B9 is also known as folic acid and folate. Like vitamin B12 and iron, it is not directly involved in the formation of red blood cells. But it affects the number of red blood cells by playing an important role in cell division. An adult needs to take 400 to 600 micrograms of folic acid daily. It is also present in multivitamins.

If a person does not take enough folate, then his red blood cells are not able to develop completely. Due to which the risk of anemia and low hemoglobin level increases. Folate plays an important role in the production of hemoglobin.

Folate is required to make heme, a component of hemoglobin, it is through heme that oxygen from the blood reaches all the organs. To take adequate amounts of folic acid, you can include folate rich sources like rice, spinach, peanuts, kidney beans and avocado etc. in your diet.

(Read more - Anemia diet: what to eat)

Vitamin C does not directly affect the red blood cells, but it helps in absorbing iron in the body. Iron is helpful in increasing red blood cells in the body.

To get an adequate amount of Vitamin C in the diet, you should include vitamin C rich sources like kiwi, strawberry, orange and citrus fruits.

Copper is considered an essential mineral for the body to use the iron present in the bloodstream. If there is not enough copper in the body, then the blood cells have difficulty in absorbing the iron necessary for survival. To get adequate copper, include cashews, sunflower seeds and pulses in your diet.

Vitamin A helps in the number of red blood cells just like copper. Vitamin A is also known as Retinol. It helps in the absorption of iron to keep the cells healthy. You can fulfill the requirement of vitamin A by including foods rich in vitamin A such as sweet potatoes, carrots, green leafy vegetables, and mangoes etc. in your diet.

(Read more - Hemoglobin (Hb) Test: Procedure, Purpose)

The count of red blood cells can also be increased by adopting some types of habits in your daily routine and by removing bad habits. The changes to be made in the routine to increase red blood cells are explained in detail below.

Do regular exercise:
Exercise is beneficial for everyone, but exercise is considered very important in the formation of healthy redcells. Exercise done at a faster pace increases the heart rate, due to which the body and brain need more oxygen. Due to this, the heart starts beating faster and the lungs start taking deep breaths quickly. 

The body is stimulated to make red blood cells to meet the need for oxygen. Regular exercise along with a healthy diet helps in the formation of red blood cells in the bone marrow. You can include running, jogging, cycling, swimming and aerobics in your exercise. 

Do not smoke and drink alcohol:
If you want to increase your red blood cells, then you will have to give up the habit of smoking and drinking alcohol. Smoking cigarettes affects the blood flow of your body and due to this oxygen is not able to reach all the organs properly. Along with this, there is a lack of oxygen in the bone marrow. 

Apart from this, drinking alcohol thickens the blood and this also causes a lack of oxygen in the blood. Drinking alcohol in large quantities causes less red blood cells to be produced and they are not able to develop completely. 

Blood transfusion:
If your red blood cell count is low despite taking diet and supplements, then in such a situation the doctor can also choose the option of blood transfusion. 

(Read more - How to increase hemoglobin: diet and foods)