The pregnant patient at 23 weeks' gestation has a hemoglobin of 9.5. Which diet choice indicates ...

Correct Answer: 2
Rationale 1: This diet is high in calcium. The patient has iron-deficiency anemia and requires a high-iron diet.
Rationale 2: This patient is anemic and needs iron. This meal contains iron in the beef, folic acid in the spinach, and vitamin C in the tomato soup and orange juice. Vitamin C helps absorption of the iron; folic acid is needed for production of red cells.
Rationale 3: This meal has a moderate amount of protein, but no vitamin C. The meal containing beef is better.
Rationale 4: This meal is high in fiber, low in fat, and moderately high in protein, but low in iron. This patient is anemic and needs iron.