Best 6 Foods to Eat After Donating Blood (Plus 3 to Avoid)

Every 2 seconds, someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion. Every single one of those blood transfusions comes from donors. 

The 7 million people in the U.S. who donate blood every year save countless lives. And many of these people donate several times each year. If you’re one of these life-saving donors, it’s important to maintain your health after you make a donation. Whether it’s your first or 50th time donating blood, here’s what you should eat after blood donation to help you recover.

What to eat and drink after donating blood

It’s a good idea to eat iron-rich foods before donating blood. But it’s also important to adjust your diet after donating blood to help your body recover. Foods rich in iron and vitamin C can help you do that. 

When you donate blood, you give approximately 500 mL of whole blood. This is about 10% of the total amount of blood in your body. Your body will make more blood over the next 4 to 8 weeks to replace the blood you donated. But your body needs iron to make those new red blood cells. 

Iron is an essential mineral that you can only get by eating iron-rich foods or taking iron supplements. You’ll want to increase your iron intake for at least a month after donating blood. 

But iron-rich foods aren’t the only ones you should add to your diet. Vitamin C helps your body absorb more iron from food, so adding foods rich in vitamin C to your diet can also help you recover. 

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Here are some great sources for iron and vitamin C that you can add to your diet after donating blood.

1. Lean meat and seafood

Meats and poultry are naturally high in iron. Opt for lean meats, such as:

• Lean ground beef

• Pork loin 

• Skinless chicken breasts

• Turkey breast

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Not only are these foods rich in iron, they’re also lower in fat, which helps support heart health. 

Fish and shellfish are another great source of iron and may also contain omega-3 fatty acids, which can support your overall health. Some options include:

• Salmon

• Tuna

• Sardines

• Shrimp

• Oysters

• Mussels

2. Leafy greens

Leafy green vegetables are another good source of iron. They’re a great option if you follow a plant-based diet. Vegetables that are high in iron include:

• Spinach

• Broccoli

• Beet greens

• Dandelion greens

• Collard greens

• Kale 

• Chard  

3. Fruit

Some fruits, like citrus fruits, are naturally high in vitamin C. You can try adding a glass of juice to your iron-rich meals. This can help your body absorb as much iron as possible from each food. Juices that are high in vitamin C include:

• Orange juice

• Grapefruit juice

• Tomato juice

• Pineapple juice

Opt for fresh juices instead of concentrate. Fresh juices tend to have less added sugar. Low-salt tomato juice and tomato-based vegetable juices are also a healthier option. 

Some dried fruits also contain iron. You can try raisins, dates, or figs as a snack to add extra iron into your diet.

4. Beans, peas, and lentils

Beans, peas, and lentils are all part of the legume family. They’re rich in important nutrients like fiber, folate, zinc, and potassium. But they also contain iron. So they’re a great option to add to your diet as you recover from blood donation. Examples of these iron-rich legumes include:

• Beans (black, white, red, mung, navy)

• Fava beans (broad beans)

• Lentils

• Green peas

• Chickpeas (garbanzo bean)

• Soybeans

• Lima beans

• Pinto beans

• Black-eyed peas (cowpea)

5. Fortified whole grain cereals

Whole grains are also rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Cereals made from whole grains are good sources of these nutrients and usually have added iron. 

You can look for hot and cold cereals that are labeled as “fortified with iron” or simply “fortified.” Adding these to your breakfast can help boost your iron intake for the day. 

6. Water

Water doesn’t contain iron. But it plays an important role in your recovery, especially immediately after donating blood. Donating 500 mL of blood lowers the amount of total fluid in your body.

So it’s important to increase your water intake after donating blood. You should try and drink 32 oz of extra water in the 24 hours following your blood donation. This will replace the fluid you lost during donation. Although water is usually the best option, you can also try electrolyte drinks to help you replace that lost fluid. 

Foods to avoid after donating blood

There are foods you should gravitate towards after donating blood. But there are a couple you should avoid as well. 

1. Alcohol 

It’s important to hydrate after donating blood. But you shouldn’t turn to alcohol-containing drinks to replace lost fluid. Alcohol can make you more dehydrated because it makes you pee more.

And you may experience decreased alcohol tolerance after donating blood. Lower tolerance can increase your risk of injury and impair your judgment. It’s best to avoid alcoholic beverages for at least 2 days after you donate blood. This will give your body time to recover from fluid losses. 

2. Caffeinated drinks 

You may want to avoid caffeinated drinks like tea, coffee, and sodas for 24 hours after donating blood. Caffeine doesn’t normally make you pee more often, but it can have a mild diuretic effect, which can worsen dehydration. This is especially true if you don’t normally drink caffeine-containing beverages.

3. Dairy products

Dairy products, like milk and cheese, are good sources of protein and other nutrients. But they’re also high in calcium. Calcium can stop your gut from absorbing iron from food. You don’t have to (and shouldn’t) cut dairy products from your diet after donating blood. But just make sure you don’t eat high-calcium foods at the same time as iron-rich foods. 

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Written by:

Jennifer Sample, MD

After a fellowship, Dr. Sample worked as the medical director at the University of Kansas Hospital Poison Center (The University Of Kansas Health System Poison Control Center), which served the state of Kansas for poison exposures. In 2007, she returned to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, as a consultant in clinical pharmacology and medical toxicology.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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