Do you have questions about nutrition? Send them to us at comer@lavanguardia.es, our nutritionist Aitor Sánchez will answer all your questions?
Can I drink coffee after eating if I have anemia? Thank you. (Georgina González, reader)
Hello Georgina,
Drinking coffee or tea after meals is not recommended in cases of anemia because the phytates found in these products interfere with the absorption of this mineral.
It must be borne in mind that the main meals are where we normally find a good intake of iron and that it is also accompanied by optimal conditions for its absorption, especially if that meal is accompanied by fruits and vegetables since having vitamin C it will be absorbed correctly.
If we add a tea or coffee after the meal, this absorption will be much less and therefore it is advisable to delay taking it for at least an hour and a half.
However, it would not be the most important part of the nutritional approach to anemia either. It makes much more sense not to make these infusions coincide with the iron supplement that is taken in the morning (usually the supplementation is indicated to be taken on an empty stomach and with foods rich in vitamin C such as fruit).
Therefore it would be an inadvisable guideline, but it is not a drama if it is taken eventually. Yes, you can allow yourself some occasionally during meals, but it would not be a guideline to maintain.
Breakfast for years 5 pieces of seasonal fruit plus oats on top, a cereal yogurt on top of the rest of the ingredients, a glass of water and in winter a tea. A friend has told me that I lack fiber, but I feel very well, I arrive calmly until lunchtime and I go to the bathroom very well. My question, do we continue with my routine without problem? (Rocco Steinhäuser, reader)
Hello Rocco,
I do not understand how someone in your environment can classify your breakfast as lacking in fiber, when precisely it contains more fiber than the vast majority of breakfasts in the general population.
Oat flakes already have a good fiber intake, and the fresh fruit that you eat in abundance would also reinforce it. It is incomprehensible that the ideas you give for breakfast can be qualified as such. So calm down.
It is possible that it is because there are people who have only identified the fiber intake for breakfast with very specific foods such as the bran of a cereal, or perhaps taking a specific preparation such as chia pudding. But even if you don’t eat this type of food, oatmeal and fruit are already more than enough for breakfast.
Try to also eat vegetables in the main meals, legumes several times a week, and nuts between meals and thus you will have a more than healthy intake of fiber throughout your day.
