This is what you should eat and drink before and after donating blood

Giving blood is an act of generosity to others, because we can help saving lives with minimal effort. After the extraction of 450 ml of blood, they usually offer food to consume, many of them of poor quality such as soft drinks, buns, cookies or other products that we would never recommend in the framework of a healthy diet , so today we tell you what you should Eat and drink before and after donating blood .

The food prior to the donation

Although we usually think that fasting is a requirement, the reality is that only when a blood sample is taken for later analysis should we go on an empty stomach, but for the donation the Red Cross recommends not to go on an empty stomach .

Likewise, copious and high-fat meals are not the most recommended , as they can also produce discomfort, alter the composition of the blood , since what we eat during the previous five or six hours is usually reflected in our blood in the form of lipids, glucose and other parameters, and if the diet of bad quality and excessive originates many days before the donation we can even alter liver enzymes and important coagulation factors .

Therefore, for an adequate extraction, and not to alter too much the composition of the blood, it is better to avoid excess fats and sugars as well as large volume meals .

As we said, going on an empty stomach can also cause discomfort or accentuate the chances of suffering hypotension after donation, therefore, better to make a small and quality intake at least an hour or two before approaching to donate, may be a porridge , a smoothie, a fruit and some nuts or something similar

And most importantly, drink plenty of fluid to reduce the risk of our blood pressure falling sharply after blood is drawn.

What we should eat after donating blood

Although as we said the traditional thing is that they offer us refreshments, chips, buns and other foods of poor nutritional quality, the best thing to recover before is to achieve a good hydration which is what really helps not to suffer hypotension.

To do this, in addition to avoiding alcohol and coffee with a diuretic effect, it is best to drink plenty of water or eat foods that contain it, such as fruits and vegetables in general, milk, yogurt or other fresh foods.

The preparations or iron – rich foods can also help prevent a drop in the levels of this mineral in the blood, so after a donation in our diet can not miss foods like red meat, clams or mussels, whole grains, legumes and other .

They can also help to produce red blood cells and recover before foods rich in folic acid and vitamin B12 , but again, the most important thing is to drink water or abundant fluids after the donation is not necessary or recommended if we want to reduce the sugar in the diet sodas or other sugary drinks.

If you want to be a blood donor , this is what you should consume before and after the donation itself to take care of both the blood you give away and your health.