Giving blood

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arispawild
arispawild Posts: 155
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm giving blood today, tips on what to eat before and after?

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  • rbryntes
    rbryntes Posts: 710 Member
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    drink a LOT of water before, and the bloodletting will happen more quickly. Seriously.
  • rthompson81
    rthompson81 Posts: 305 Member
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    Eat the cookies and drink the juice they give you afterward. They're worth the calories. And wait longer than you think to leave... I've made that mistake before and almost passed out.
  • CallieDerenthal
    CallieDerenthal Posts: 170 Member
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    loading up on water will also help increase your blood volume which will keep you from feeling dizzy/sick afterward (your BP won't drop so much once they're done because you had a larger volume to begin with)... trust me, i had to learn that lesson the hard way.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Drink water and eat lots of protein all day. After you donate you don't need to drink juice and eat cookies if you don't want to. Taking blood doesn't really lower your blood sugar, they just want you to stick around long enough to make sure you don't pass out. If you want to take a healthier snack you can bring some fruit and nuts and you can bring water if you don't want the juice.

    Take the day off from exercise so that you can rest and don't worry too much about your calories for today. Your body needs a little extra to start rebuilding your blood supply and you need the rest.
  • fuhrmeister
    fuhrmeister Posts: 1,796 Member
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    I agree drink your water. have some juice after and eat healthy the rest of the day. I typically eat a hight protein breakfest before I donate. Uasually a breakfest burrito with 1 egg and veggies in it.

    if the donations snacks put your over your caloreis go for a slow walk in the evening. if you do go over don't be hard on yourself donating blood is a heroic and selfless act. you can get back on track tomorrow.

    just notice in your signature you are a vegan so no eggs. I would try soy cottage cheese and fruits and veggies or almonds instead of the breakfest burrito.
  • mdperry
    mdperry Posts: 28
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    Definitely eat something before you go. I always make sure I have a good breakfast before I donate. The others are right...drink lots of water and you should be fine.
  • rileamoyer
    rileamoyer Posts: 2,411 Member
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    lots of water ahead of time, juice and cookies after! REST after, no jogging, exercising etc, unless you like hitting the floor unconcious LoL
  • cameralinds
    cameralinds Posts: 239
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    I donated blood this week! Before hand, I drank a lot of water, protein shake in the morning... I didn't have the best "before" foods because I didn't have any. After though, get plenty of vegetables and fruits and protein. Going over that day isn't the end of the world. Your body NEEDS the nourishments! Also, napping or going to bed early is perfectly acceptable.

    Eta: You may not want to exercise heavily the next day. And avoid alcohol consumption for at least 24-48 hours. You're at higher risk to get alcohol poisoning with the lower level of blood or something like that.
  • prrizza425
    prrizza425 Posts: 43 Member
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    I give blood every 56 days and have read that is the equivalent of about 650 calories. So you can eat/drink that much more the day you give blood. Good job donating!!
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    I give blood every 56 days and have read that is the equivalent of about 650 calories. So you can eat/drink that much more the day you give blood. Good job donating!!

    I've seen something like this before and I don't understand how taking blood is supposed to burn calories. It just doesn't make any sense to me. You lay back on a chair and blood is pumped out of your body. How does that equal burning calories?
  • blue4myeyes
    blue4myeyes Posts: 93 Member
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    I give blood every 56 days and have read that is the equivalent of about 650 calories. So you can eat/drink that much more the day you give blood. Good job donating!!

    I've seen something like this before and I don't understand how taking blood is supposed to burn calories. It just doesn't make any sense to me. You lay back on a chair and blood is pumped out of your body. How does that equal burning calories?

    I think it actually is the estimate of the number of calories your body burns to replenish the blood supply. So it is likely not all at one time, although the majority of it would be in the first two days. I also gave blood this week and wanted to know about the calories and that is at least what I found from my research. :)
  • WiiFitFan
    WiiFitFan Posts: 156 Member
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    Thank you to all that donate blood! I have had to have transfusions in the past. You never know who will suddenly need blood and there are many different reasons why someone would (i.e. car accidents, bleeding ulcers, diseases, etc.). Thanks for your time and generous donation! Drink lots of water and have a good snack afterwards. :flowerforyou:
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    I give blood every 56 days and have read that is the equivalent of about 650 calories. So you can eat/drink that much more the day you give blood. Good job donating!!

    I've seen something like this before and I don't understand how taking blood is supposed to burn calories. It just doesn't make any sense to me. You lay back on a chair and blood is pumped out of your body. How does that equal burning calories?

    I think it actually is the estimate of the number of calories your body burns to replenish the blood supply. So it is likely not all at one time, although the majority of it would be in the first two days. I also gave blood this week and wanted to know about the calories and that is at least what I found from my research. :)

    I doubt the body needs that many calories right after giving blood. It takes more than a few days to rebuild an entire pint of blood. If it were that fast people would be able to donate more frequently than every 8 weeks. I've given blood plenty of times and I've never been extra hungry afterwards, especially not 650 calories worth of hungry. Making blood is a slow process, there's no need to give your body that many extra calories to "help" the process along.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    I gave blood yesterday and it was the first time I've ever easily given a full pint! And I did it in 5 minutes flat! I attribute it to my new habit of drinking 8-10 glasses of water each day. While I'm on a lower carb plan right now, I still ate a cookie because I figured I'd earned it. I've had such bad experiences with giving blood in the past that the cookie was my pat on the back for getting up my courage to even do it. :laugh:

    I actually had a good rest of the day but didn't go running this morning since I know I really need to take it easy for the first day or so. Oh and one real plus? I lost .8 of a pound since yesterday morning. I know I'll eventually put that pound back on as the blood is replaced but it sure looked good on the scale this morning.
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
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    Found this as an FYI. Just confirms what most everyone has told you already:


    1. Prepare in advance. Giving blood means a drop in your energy level. Provide your body with the fuel it needs to fight this drop. When you plan to give blood, eat regular meals and drink plenty of fluids beforehand unless your doctor gives you other instructions. (Some types of testing require fasting beforehand, for example.)

    2. Take advantage of available snacks and drinks after donating blood. Often, there will be cookies and juice available at Red Cross blood donation centers. The purpose is twofold; as a courtesy and to assist you in restoring the fluids and nutrients that you've lost through blood donation. Without this replenishment, you may feel light-headed and dizzy. Fainting after blood donation can also be a problem. It's important to eat and drink after donating blood; particularly before attempting to drive.

    3. Bring a small snack; especially if you're undergoing blood testing where snacks may not be readily available. A high energy granola bar and a sports drink can be good choices to help return your body to healthy blood sugar levels.

    4. Drink plenty of fluids right after donation, and also throughout the remainder of the day. Dehydration caused in part from blood donation can cause headaches and cramping that makes you feel unwell.

    5. Make certain you overcome any feelings of dizziness or light-headedness before leaving the donation area. If necessary, find a comfortable seat and stay a short while until you feel like yourself again.
  • blue4myeyes
    blue4myeyes Posts: 93 Member
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    I give blood every 56 days and have read that is the equivalent of about 650 calories. So you can eat/drink that much more the day you give blood. Good job donating!!

    I've seen something like this before and I don't understand how taking blood is supposed to burn calories. It just doesn't make any sense to me. You lay back on a chair and blood is pumped out of your body. How does that equal burning calories?

    I think it actually is the estimate of the number of calories your body burns to replenish the blood supply. So it is likely not all at one time, although the majority of it would be in the first two days. I also gave blood this week and wanted to know about the calories and that is at least what I found from my research. :)

    I doubt the body needs that many calories right after giving blood. It takes more than a few days to rebuild an entire pint of blood. If it were that fast people would be able to donate more frequently than every 8 weeks. I've given blood plenty of times and I've never been extra hungry afterwards, especially not 650 calories worth of hungry. Making blood is a slow process, there's no need to give your body that many extra calories to "help" the process along.

    Sorry -- I didn't say that the body "needs" that many calories after giving blood. And I don't believe it does either. What I said was that the body works to replenish the blood lost, which takes energy, which means calories, right? Also, the volume of blood is almost entirely restored in 2 days. The red blood cells need longer to get back to a normal count. That is why I said "the majority" would be in the first two days. This is on the Mayo Clinic's website...it isn't like someone just randomly came up with the calories burning theory. I think that the Mayo Clinic is reputable enough to trust lol.

    Anyway, giving blood affects people differently. Like you, I'm not "extra hungry" afterwards, but sometimes I do notice being extra tired. I certainly wasn't suggesting people eat an extra 650 calories...but it obviously affects your body when you give blood and you should listen to your body when determining how to deal with the side effects.

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