1) Start drinking water (3-4 16 ounce bottles a day) NOW

Drinking an extra glass or 2 of water the day you donate won’t hydrate your body. Coffee and tea are diuretics so you need 2 servings of water for every serving of coffee or tea. This ensures you can donate your pint as quickly as possible

2) Start eating iron rich foods NOW so your iron is high enough to donate.

This is especially true if you’re a woman or teenage girl giving for the first time. Eat foods like:

• Red meat, chicken and turkey
• Strawberries (especially if you eat them with iron rich cereals like
• Cheerios or Life cereal)
• Watermelon (who knew?)
• Potatoes (potato chips) Beans
• Tomatoes 
• Spinach
• Rice 
• Shrimp
• Peas 
• Broccoli

The key is to start drinking and eating these foods now so your body has time to absorb all the nutrients.