After making your appointment to donate blood, there are a few things you can do to prepare. Here are the DOs and DON’Ts of preparing to donate blood:
DO:
- Always be sure to drink plenty of water before donating blood!
- Eat an iron-rich meal. Eating enough iron is essential to ensuring that your hemoglobin level is right for donating. You can check out some tips on getting enough iron here.
- Bring your donor ID. If you have a donor ID, be sure to bring it with you to your appointment, as well as valid photo identification.
DON’T:
- Drink alcohol. You cannot donate with any alcohol in your system, so skip Happy Hour this time.
- Eat fatty foods. Fatty foods can inhibit the tests we do on your blood after donating.
- Take aspirin (if you’re donating platelets). Aspirin reduces the potency and performance of your platelets, so avoid taking aspirin for 48 hours before your platelet donation.