Sickle Cell Anemia Diet Therapy

Sickle cell anemia is a lifelong, inherited blood disorder that primarily affects individuals of African, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Hispanic descent. When an individual has sickle cell anemia, his red blood cells are shaped like crescents instead of the usual red blood cell shape, which is similar to that of a bagel without the hole.
Currently, there is no widespread cure for sickle cell anemia; treatment usually revolves around preventing symptoms and problems resulting from the disease. A healthy diet is a part of this.

The Food Pyramid

Though it is important for everyone to eat a healthy, balanced diet, it is especially significant for those with sickle cell anemia. A sound diet can help those with sickle cell anemia maintain their health and can assist in preventing symptoms resulting from the disease. MyPyramid.gov is a website maintained by the United States Department of Agriculture, and has detailed materials to assist individuals in making good nutritional choices.

A good diet has whole-grain carbohydrates as a basis, followed by fruits and plenty of vegetables, lean sources of protein (such as beans, legumes, fish and chicken), dairy products (such as low-fat milk, cheese and yogurt) and limited healthy oils (such as olive).

Caloric Intake

Those with sickle cell anemia, particularly children, may need more calories than others their age to assist the body in fighting off infection and replace damaged blood cells.

Snacking throughout the day can help in meeting these caloric needs. Such snacks can include fruit, peanut butter or hummus with vegetables or whole-grain crackers, nuts, small amounts of cheese and smoothies or prepared drinks, such as Ensure.

A doctor or nutritionist can help determine an individual's caloric need.

Adequate Fluids

It is important that everyone get adequate fluids, but when an individual with sickle cell anemia becomes dehydrated, the likelihood of a pain crises increases. (A pain crisis is when the body experiences some type of stress, the sickle blood cells clump together and the individual experiences severe pain in that region of the body.) Those with sickle cell anemia need to drink at least eight cups of water daily.

Antioxidants

Because of the shape and inflexible, sticky quality of sickled cells, blocked veins are a concern, and may result in infection, pain crises or organ damage. It has been found that such risk is decreased when those with sickle cell anemia consume plenty of antioxidants. If an individual eats a balanced diet, consuming plenty of antioxidants is not hard; foods such as citrus, berries, dark green vegetables, peppers, tomatoes, pineapple, cantaloupe, mangoes, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans and legumes, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, brown rice, dairy products, molasses and seafood are all good choices.

Folic Acid

Folic acid assists the body in creating more red blood cells (the sickle cells are less viable than normal red blood cells), and can be found in grains, leafy green vegetables and fruits.