Last year at the Blood Donation Camp organised by Ponty Chadha Foundation, one well built man donated blood and refused to eat the juice and biscuits offered after the blood donation and rushed to join work. As soon as he reached his office, he felt nauseous and then called us up to know what happened to him. Our doctors from Indo-German Hospital suggested him to take fruit juice and he felt good after that.

While the World Blood Donor’s Day is just round the corner, we want you to be prepared to donate blood, so that you are also able to contribute to the good deed.

So, here are some do’s and dont’s suggested by our team of doctors

Dos

• Before donating blood, take foods high in iron, such as grains, red meat, eggs, and leafy vegetables like spinach and orange. This helps in replenishing the iron that may be drained out from your body.
• Fear and apprehension often engulf you before donating blood. It is often a good idea to converse with the person administering the extraction of your blood. You may chew something or pinch yourself, while the process is on. You may recite a song or listen to your favorite music.
• It is suggested to have sugary snacks or fruits so that the level of your blood sugar is brought back to normal.
• The next meal should be high in protein and also take lot of water along with fruits and vegetables that helps in forming new blood.
• Take rest for the remainder of the day, as you do to get over a bad cold.

Don’ts

• Don’t take caffeinated beverages before donating blood, else excess water might be expelled from your body leading to dehydration.
• Don’t take fatty foods prior to donating blood which otherwise may give a distorted picture of your blood that is conducted immediately after the blood extraction. Consequently, your blood may be found unsuitable for transfusion to other person.
• Don’t donate blood on an empty stomach. At the same time, don’t eat too much to have an upset stomach.
• Don’t donate blood, if you weigh less than 110 pounds or are below the age of 17 years.

With enough tips on blood donation in this article, we would suggest you to go forward and donate blood to any of the nearest blood donation camps. We will look forward for your comments, if you like the article. Hope you have a Happy Blood Donation Day!