I have not yet ever donated blood (I had signed up before but then got pregnant and I have been pregnant or nursing for a lot of the last 9+ years) Ken has donated before but it was before we lived here so it had been quite a while. We finally got around to signing up when we had a booth next to the Blood Bank's at the fair. Now that we are signed up (and hopefully next time I will be able to donate!) I am out to encourage the rest of you (if you don't all ready) to donate blood as well! In our town if you become a member of the blood bank they ask you to donate 2-4 times a year, the blood goes to people at our local hospital. Also with the blood bank if anybody in our family needed blood (parents included) they could get blood for free. Another option for giving blood is responding to a blood drive. Your blood might then go to where it is needed most.
Blood is such a vital thing, without it we can't live but God has made it so that healthy bodies can make more of it, so we can safely give some away to someone who desperately needs it. From your blood, a life might be saved. Thinking about blood certainly makes me think about the One, Jesus Christ who was willing to shed His blood for us that we might live. He was willing to give His life for our salvation - not just for a good life now but for all eternity. His gift is amazing!
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Now I am going to start working on raising my hemoglobin. I prefer the idea of eating good foods rather than taking supplements so here are some that I read will help raise it:
Liver and other meats (I eat meat but it has been a long time since I ate liver, I'm not sure about this one)
Seafood (I had shrimp this week but that is rare.)
Dried fruits like apricots, prunes and raisins (I do eat these fairly regularly but I guess I'll try to up my intake.)
Nuts ( I eat but I'll try to do more)
Beans, especially lima beans (ditto to above)
Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and broccoli (and ditto again)
Blackstrap molasses (Hmm.. I need to figure out ways to use this. )
Whole grains (I eat a lot of these, going up might make me fat! :-)
Iron-fortified breads and cereals (check the label) (I eat a little but most of the stuff I eat is from scratch.)
Seafood (I had shrimp this week but that is rare.)
Dried fruits like apricots, prunes and raisins (I do eat these fairly regularly but I guess I'll try to up my intake.)
Nuts ( I eat but I'll try to do more)
Beans, especially lima beans (ditto to above)
Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and broccoli (and ditto again)
Blackstrap molasses (Hmm.. I need to figure out ways to use this. )
Whole grains (I eat a lot of these, going up might make me fat! :-)
Iron-fortified breads and cereals (check the label) (I eat a little but most of the stuff I eat is from scratch.)
Egg yolks ( I eat)
Dandelion (haven't eaten since last year)
Alfalfa (I ate in sprouts, I wonder if that counts?)
Do you have any more ideas for raising your hemoglobin?
