Anaemia & Iron

More than half of Indian women of reproductive age are anaemic. It has been that way for decades, through several national programmes.

Part of the reason is that we treat it as a supplement problem. But iron tablets get skipped, they upset stomachs, and they do not fix the daily diet underneath. The daily diet is where the deficit is being created, and where a lot of it can be closed.

What actually moves the needle

• Plant iron needs help. Non haem iron from grains and legumes is absorbed far less efficiently than iron from meat. Absorption, not the iron content printed on a label, is the number that matters.
• Vitamin C is the single biggest lever. Lemon, tomato, amla or citrus eaten with the meal can multiply non haem iron absorption several times over.
• Phytates block it, and soaking and fermenting break them down. This is why fermented and soaked preparations outperform the same grain eaten plain.
• Tea and coffee at meals work against you. Tannins sharply reduce iron uptake. Shift them an hour either side.
• It works. In a six month randomised trial in Indian schoolchildren, iron rich pearl millet significantly improved ferritin and body iron, and improved attention and memory alongside.

Recommended for you

Six flours from our range, chosen for this concern and ranked by how much difference they make.

Bajra Atta

The best evidenced iron grain on this page. Randomised trials in Indian children, not just a nutrition table.

From Rs. 113.33

Ragi Atta

Iron plus the highest calcium of any cereal. Fermented as dosa or malt, both absorb considerably better.

From Rs. 56.19

Pure Besan

Iron, folate and protein together, and folate deficiency is the other half of the anaemia story in India.

From Rs. 76.19

High Protein Moong Flour

Legume iron and protein, easy on the stomach, which matters if iron tablets have been rough on you.

From Rs. 189.52

Multigrain Atta

Eight grains, so you are drawing minerals from eight sources instead of betting on one.

From Rs. 113.33

High Protein Quinoa Flour

Iron plus complete protein. Useful in the mix, especially for vegetarians.

From Rs. 189.52

How to actually do this, this week

• Lemon on everything. The cheapest, highest return change on this page. Squeeze it at the table, not during cooking.
• Move chai away from meals by an hour. This one is genuinely worth the inconvenience.
• Soak and ferment. Overnight batters are not just tradition. They are a phytate reduction technique that happens to taste better.
• Cast iron helps. Cooking acidic food in a loha kadhai measurably adds iron to the meal.
• Get tested. Haemoglobin plus ferritin. Diet supports treatment, it is not a substitute for finding out why.

Where this comes from

• Finkelstein JL, et al. A randomized trial of iron biofortified pearl millet in school children in India. Journal of Nutrition, 2015. Read the paper
• Scott SP, Finkelstein JL, et al. Cognitive performance in Indian school going adolescents is positively affected by consumption of iron biofortified pearl millet. Journal of Nutrition, 2018. Read the paper
• Devi PB, et al. Finger millet: nutritional properties, processing and plausible health benefits. Read the review

Nutrition information, not medical advice. Anaemia has many causes, some serious and unrelated to diet. If you are anaemic, see a doctor. Food supports treatment, it does not replace investigation.