With thalassemia, it would be a complex condition, and of the many factors, diet has a definite say. Most of the overloading of iron does go on to emerge from blood transfusion whereas the absorption of iron from the diet could also be a major reason as well. This does work out to be on the higher side when the haemoglobin count in the blood is low. As far as the iron is present there are a couple of types. One is obtained from red meat whereas the other happens to be the widespread iron from other sources. Do opt for the best hospital for thalassemia treatment in India as we tend to be having some of the reputed surgeons in this domain.
Iron of meat
This is the iron that is found in meat products such as chicken, beef or pork and even red meat. At the same time, you would find them in the source of seafood as well. The liver does present to be an important source of meat iron and it does make sense to substitute them with soy protein. At the same time, it does make sense to cut down meat from your diet entirely as they are an important source of proteins and this is in particular reference to chicken. The white part of the chicken would be an apt choice than the red one as it works out to be an important source of iron.
If you compare an average, once a meal is over with red meat you will find close to 35 % of iron is taken in by our body. It has to be understood that the quantity may vary if the milk does go on to contain milk products or not. The calcium that is part of the meat does increase the absorption of iron. When you are having a meat meal try to drink a glass of milk or do not use milk as part of the cooking process at all. An ideal example that comes to the mind in a fraction of second would be when you use yoghurt to cook curries. In case if you are really worried about the milk intake then skimmed milk might be a good source.
Meat from non-iron sources
This is a source of food that you would come across in a variety of foods apart from meat. The sources of fresh vegetables along with fruits top the list. In some countries, certain foods are a rich source of iron like chocolate or bread. But this does not have to be the case in all the countries.
As far as the absorption of iron is concerned it is much lesser than the one from the meat sources. Having said so it could vary considerably and here comes the composition of the meal. Some of the foods which decrease the absorption are cereals and dairy products. At the same time keep watch on the products that increase the sources.