Shriya Saran's health secrets: Why she swears by beetroot raita

As much as she is a popular actress with many hit movies to her credit, many follow Shriya Saran on social media to get inspired by her fitness. The actress, who celebrates her birthday today, has a little daughter named Radha with whom she enjoys activities like runs, treks and even horse-riding. In one of her interviews, Shriya said that she takes Radha even to the gym, though she is not allowed in there, as her instructor is very supportive. While discussing her diet, Shriya said in an interview a while ago that beetroot raita is always part of her lunch, as she has an iron deficiency.

Shriya's diet and workout
Shriya says in various interviews that a typical day in her life begins with a walk with her daughter and includes a variety of activities, such as kathak, yoga, other forms of dance, and even running, alongside shoots. She is also into a lot of meditation and chanting for mental health. 

Shriya, who swears by moong dal-paneer pesarettu for her breakfast, also loves to have eggs. She rarely takes protein powder, although she says she wants to incorporate it into her diet. She has fruits around 11 am, and for lunch, she often has dal, sabji, salads and beetroot raita. She finishes her dinner around 7 pm and likes to have soups, salads, and home-cooked veggies for the meal. In an interview, she confessed that though rajma is often not recommended for dinner, she likes to have it at that time of the day.

Shriya's love for beetroot raita 
Apparently, the actress began regularly consuming beetroot raita to address her iron deficiency. In an interview, she said that a blood test revealed she is iron-deficient. Such tests are essential, especially for people trying to lose weight, to see whether they are on the right track and are short of any vitamins, opines Shriya. A glass of beet juice contains 1.4 mg of iron, alongside protein, fat, fibre, carbs and more. According to Medical News Today, the vegetable can be added to the diet of those who want to have a good source of iron in their meal. At the same time, many health platforms also note that while beetroot contains a decent amount of iron, other foods, such as dates, jaggery, spinach, methi, fenugreek leaves, and pomegranate, are better sources of iron. 

How to identify iron deficiency?
According to the American Society of Haematology, a Complete Blood Count (CBC) can be taken to diagnose iron deficiency. There are also additional tests that can reveal your body's total iron-binding capacity, levels of serum iron, iron saturation and more. Depending on the test results, doctors may prescribe additional tests if necessary. Until the deficiency is corrected, the doctor may also prescribe medicinal iron sources and recommend a diet that includes iron-rich foods such as shellfish, sardines, grains, cereals, legumes, and more to help you. 
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