7 Foods to increase white blood cells for people with leukopenia

White blood cells are an important component in the human immune system. When the numbers are too low, you are more susceptible to infection. There are various ways to increase leukocytes, one of which is by eating certain foods. What are the foods that can increase white blood cells? Check out the full review below.

What are the foods to increase white blood cells?

Neutropenia and leukopenia are terms used to refer to conditions when the number of white blood cells (leukocytes) is too low in the blood.

Low white blood cells are usually the most susceptible experienced by people who are undergoing cancer treatment (chemotherapy) and have a weak immune system due to certain diseases.

You will need to change your lifestyle if you have a shortage of white blood cells. One of them is eating foods that increase white blood cells.

Here are white blood cell booster foods that you can consider.

1. Meat is cooked

Meat is a powerful white blood cell enhancer. To ensure its benefits for increasing white blood cells, make sure all meat or fish must be thoroughly cooked. If necessary, use a food thermometer to ensure that the meat is being cooked to the right temperature.

2. Know

If the tofu is cold, cut it into cubes and boil it for five minutes in water before the tofu is cooked with other ingredients. This kind of cooking process is not necessary if the tofu uses an antiseptic packaging such as the Mori-Nu silken tofu.

3. Processed nuts

Choose peanuts with a vacuum seal, or peanut butter. Canned roasted peanuts, peeled and roasted peanuts are also white blood cell booster foods.

4. Eggs

Cook the eggs until they are cooked, until the whites are solid and not runny. You are also recommended for pasteurized eggs.

5. Dairy

Eat milk and dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and other pasteurized dairy products. You can also eat various types of cheese, such as cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan as foods to increase white blood cells.

6. Source of carbohydrates

Bread, bagels, muffinsCereals, crackers, noodles, pasta, potatoes and rice are foods that are safe for consumption while packaged in clean packages and cooked until cooked.

7. Vegetables and fruit

Raw vegetables, fruits, and fresh herbs are also among the foods you can eat to increase the number of leukocytes in the blood. Make sure you wash it under running water until it is clean.

Foods to avoid when white blood cells are low

Here are some foods that are not recommended for those of you who want to increase leukocytes:

• Unpasteurized dairy products. All unpasteurized dairy products, including yogurt, cheese, ice cream, and so on.
• Avoid cereals, seeds or other foods that are sold in the form raw food.
• Raw or lightly cooked foods such as fish, shellfish, bacon, sushi and sashimi.
• Eat raw nuts. Eat raw eggs or eggs that are not cooked until they are firm (the whites are still soft or not hardened).
• Possible food contains raw eggs as caesar salad dressing, raw cookie dough, sauces hollandaise, and homemade mayonnaise.
• Avoid eating raw vegetables, such as sprouts, radishes, broccoli or raw bean sprouts.
• Avoid sun-dried tea. The tea should be cooked in boiling water using the standard tea bag that should be used.
• Avoid consuming drinks containing caffeine like coffee and soft drinks.
• Raw honey or honeycomb. Choose grade A honey which will be ready for sale or honey can be heated first.
• Drink tap water the cleanliness is not clear.

Even so, quoted from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, in fact there are no special foods that have been proven to increase the production of white blood cells. If you are deficient in white blood cells, the most important thing you need to pay attention to is to live a clean and healthy lifestyle, such as washing your hands and good food safety.

The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center outlines the basic principles of this diet:

• Be concerned about proper food safety and avoiding foods that are more likely to expose you to germs or bacteria.
• People who have had a bone marrow transplant need to avoid food purchased from restaurants or other places for 100 days.

When your white blood cells are low, you may be more susceptible to infection. That is why, ensuring the basic principles of eating the above can help you reduce the risk of exposure to infections that can worsen your overall condition.

What are the treatment options for increasing white blood cells (leukocytes)?

In addition to changing your lifestyle by eating foods that increase white blood cells, you can also treat leukocyte deficiency with medical means.

The following are treatment options your doctor may suggest to treat a deficiency of white blood cells:

1. Medicines

There are several drugs that can be used to treat a deficiency of white blood cells. The following medicines can also lower the risk of infection in your body, such as:

Colony stimulating factor

Colony stimulating factors are special drugs called growth factors. These drugs increase leukocytes by stimulating or helping the bone marrow to make white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.

This type of growth factor stimulates the bone marrow to make different types of blood cells. Here's the explanation.

• Granulocyte colony stimulating factors (G-CSF), such as filgrastim and pegfilgrastim, can stimulate the bone marrow to make granulocytes.
• Granulocyte-macrophage stimulating factors, such as sargramostime, can stimulate the bone marrow to make granulocytes and macrophages.

Antibiotics

When the leukocyte count is low, you may develop a fever as your body's response to fighting infection. In this condition, the doctor's way to increase leukocytes is by giving antibiotics to fight infection.

The doctor will recommend drugs according to the germs that cause the infection. These medications include antiviral, antibacterial, or antifungal medications that are given by mouth (oral) or intravenously (infusion).

2. Hospital care

Some people may have to be hospitalized if their neutrophil count (a type of white blood cell) is too low. The length of stay depends on your condition.

Quoted from the journal published in the US National Library of Medicine, most patients can safely be discharged from the hospital when their neutrophil count is greater than 500 / mcL of blood.

3. Delay chemotherapy

If your white blood cell count is too low, your doctor may suggest that you delay chemotherapy. Doctors can also reduce the dose of chemotherapy drugs to reduce side effects associated with decreased white blood cells.

Meanwhile, you can still eat foods that increase white blood cells to reduce uncomfortable symptoms.

4. Bone marrow transplant

In some cases, a bone marrow transplant is a doctor recommended way to increase leukocytes. A bone marrow transplant is a procedure that involves replacing damaged bone marrow with healthy bone marrow.

The transplant may use the patient's own marrow that has been removed and treated or use marrow from a donor. Usually, healthy bone marrow donors come from siblings of the patient.