Never donate on an empty stomach. Eat a proper meal 2,3 hours before. In the days before (builds haemoglobin):
- Iron-rich: red meat, liver, chicken, fish; vegetarians: spinach and leafy greens, lentils, chickpeas, jaggery, dates, beans
- Pair iron with vitamin C (lemon, amla, orange, guava), it multiplies absorption
- Avoid tea/coffee with meals on donation day, tannins block iron uptake Right before:
- Extra water (500 ml in the 2 hours prior)
- Something salty-ish is fine; skip oily/heavy food A low Hb finger-prick reading is the most common deferral in Assam, usually fixable with 2,3 weeks of iron-rich eating. Ask the centre to re-check next time.