Donating plasma is a selfless way to help members of your community. Plasma is used for various medical treatments, scientific research, and the development of new medicines. However, if you go through the process without proper preparation, you might experience some adverse reactions.
It doesn’t have to be that way. With proper preparation before a donation, you can walk out of the facility feeling just as well as when you walked in. Even better, you’ll feel confident about donating again and possibly helping more people in future.
With these goals in mind, we’ll talk about what to do before donating plasma – specifically, what to eat before donating plasma and how to replenish your body’s reserves after.
Preparing for Your Plasma Donation
Plasma is the clear, yellowish fluid where red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are suspended. It consists of 90 percent water and 10 percent proteins. When donating whole blood, you’re giving about 450-500 ml or a pint – equivalent to 10 percent of the blood that circulates an adult human’s body.
Plasma extractions are usually more at around 700 ml. As such, hydration is crucial before and after donating. Eating plenty of food rich in protein is also advisable to avoid depleting your body’s stores. In addition, vitamin C-rich food is also a must to improve your body’s absorption of non-heme iron, which is found in leafy green vegetables and other plant-based food.
What to Eat Before Donating Plasma
- Drink six to eight glasses of water the day before donating.
- Drink lots of fluids on the day you donate.
- Eat hydrating food
- Vegetables (cucumbers, zucchini, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, celery), radishes
- Fruits (watermelon, apples, peaches, kiwis)
- Yogurt
- Eat lots of food rich in protein and iron.
- Meats (pork, chicken, beef, turkey)
- Dairy (cheese, milk, yogurt)
- Seafood (fish, shrimp)
- Eggs
- Vegetables (lentils, beans, peas, edamame, broccoli, spinach, artichoke)
- Fruits (guava, jackfruit, banana, apricots, blackberries)
- Grains (oats, wheat, rice)
- Pasta
- Cereal
- Tofu
- Chickpeas
- Sweet corn
- Nuts (almonds, cashew, peanuts)
- Eat lots of food rich in vitamin C
- Green leafy vegetables
- Cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages)
- Citrus fruits
- Tomatoes
- White potatoes
Helpful tip: it’s not advisable to try and drink too much or eat the right food only the day before or on the day of donating plasma. The body needs time to absorb all its nutritional benefits. Moreover, drinking too much water before your appointment might make you want to head to the bathroom during the procedure, which lasts an hour or more.
What Not to Eat Before Donating Plasma
Besides knowing what to eat before donating plasma, it also helps to know what to avoid to ensure that the plasma you donate isn’t contaminated.
For instance, you should know that some drinks aren’t as hydrating as some food listed above. There are also foods rich in protein that aren’t good to eat before donating plasma because they are fatty or contain other elements that might reduce the quality of the extracted blood or plasma.
Here are examples of food that you should try to avoid:
- Caffeinated drinks
- Sugar-rich drinks (sodas, chocolate drinks, fizzy drinks)
- Alcoholic drinks
- Fatty food (pizza, deep-fried food)
- Food with high sodium content (french fries and other fast food, chips)
- Sweets (candy, chocolates)
- Processed food with lots of preservatives
Tips After Donating Plasma
After the plasma extraction, you can go home immediately and replenish what you’ve donated.
Protein recovery is particularly essential because the body cannot immediately replace lost protein. An early study published in the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AAB)’s peer-reviewed journal, TRANSFUSION, revealed that people who donate plasma have lower protein values than those who donate whole blood. As such, it’s crucial to help your body avoid protein and nutrient deficiencies.
Here’s what you need to do after donating plasma:
- Drink lots of water.
- Have at least a light snack within the next two hours.
- Continue to eat foods rich in protein, iron, and vitamin C in the following days.
- Avoid smoking (for at least one hour after the extraction).
- Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages (for at least four hours after extraction).
- Avoid physically strenuous activities for the remainder of the day.
When’s the Next Time You Can Donate Plasma?
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows individuals to donate plasma every two days or twice a week at most.
Donate Plasma and Help Save Lives
Anyone planning to donate soon after their first plasma donation needs to know more than what to do before donating plasma. They should also do their best to stay in good health.
A high-protein and high-iron diet are best for regular donors, even better if they only eat “clean” food sources. Clean food is unprocessed or has had very little processing. They don’t contain preservatives or artificial ingredients. Instead, they are fresh and as close to their natural state as possible.
Alcohol and coffee should be avoided, too, because they are diuretics and can lead to dehydration. Moreover, donation centers will not accept donors who arrive intoxicated or have consumed alcohol for at least 24 hours before their scheduled appointment.
If you’re interested in donating and making a difference, get in touch with ABO Plasma. We are part of an independent group of plasma collection companies with expertise in regulatory licensing and more. In addition, we work with biotherapeutic pharmaceutical clients needing medical-grade source blood plasma to produce injectable patient therapies.
Every donation can save more than one life. Sign up to become a donor at ABO Plasma today.