What to Do and Not Do Before Donating Plasma

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What to Do and Not Do Before Donating Plasma

Plasma is one of the essential components of whole blood used for a range of human-based therapies. Your whole blood comprises red and white blood cells, plasma, and platelets. Red and white blood cells and platelets make up about 45% of your whole blood, and plasma makes up with remaining 55%.

Plasma takes up the majority of the volume of your whole blood, so even though we only take your plasma and return your blood cells and platelets back to your body via a process called apheresis, there are some things you should and shouldn’t do to make sure you (and your donation recipients) get the most out of your donation.

Olgam Life goes through its recommended do’s and dont’s when preparing to donate plasma.

What food should you eat before donating plasma?

Plasma is made up of

92% water.
7% proteins, including gamma globulin, albumin, and anti-hemophilic factor.
1% vitamins, minerals, fats, salts, and sugars.

Your body can only produce these essential components through what you consume. So which foods are best to help your body make plasma? Here are some ideas.

Nutrient	Examples
Protein	Eggs Lean meats, including beef, lamb, and pork. Poultry, including chicken and turkey. Seafood and fish. Dairy, including cottage cheese, yogurt, and milk. Grains and pulses, including lentils and quinoa. Nuts and seeds, including pumpkin seeds and peanuts.
Iron	Liver and red meats, including beef and veal. Nuts and dried fruit such as apricots and peanuts. Beans, including edamame, kidney beans, and chickpeas. Wheat, oats, and fortified cereals.
Vitamin C	Cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts. Citrus fruits, including oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, and lemon. Berries, including blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries. White potatoes.

Protein

Plasma is made up of 7% vital proteins, so it’s important to ensure your diet has enough protein to make these and meet the protein needs of the rest of your body. We advise that donors aim for their recommended daily protein intake at least. If you can maintain a balanced diet with enough protein, you’ll be able to donate and recover quickly. Still, focusing on a protein-rich meal the night and day before you donate is important.

The US Department of Agriculture has a recommended protein intake calculator you can use to determine exactly how much protein you need in your diet.

Iron

Before we take your whole blood to extract your plasma, we measure your hematocrit levels. Hematocrit level is the number of red blood cells in your whole blood. It’s important to have enough of these because we’ll be removing a portion of them during the apheresis process, and your body will need to support itself with a lower number of red blood cells for a short time until we add them back to your bloodstream.

Vitamin C

While heme iron comes from animal sources, non-heme iron is found in plant sources. Vitamin C can help increase the absorption of non-heme iron, which is especially important for people who follow a plant-based diet.
We recommend eating a full, healthy meal the afternoon or evening before and a similarly hearty meal on the day of your donation, ideally at least two hours before you arrive.

What foods should you avoid?

Certain foods will make your donation process more difficult, or you could even be turned away. Here’s what to avoid or eat less of leading up to, and on the day of, your donation.

Food Group	Examples
High fat and sodium	Chips, pizza, burgers, milkshakes, ice cream, candy, chocolate.
High fiber foods	Dried fruits, beans, legumes, whole grains,

High Fat and High Sodium Foods

When we test your blood to make sure it’s safe to collect, we need to be able to take accurate measurements. The heightened presence of lipids in the blood cells can result in a cloudy appearance in your plasma, which makes testing it difficult and potentially inaccurate.

In addition, these foods negatively impact your overall health and could lead to more complications, such as high blood pressure, making donation difficult. It’s best to keep them to a minimum.

High-Fiber Foods

Though high-fiber foods aren’t bad for your health, they can reduce the rate at which your body absorbs iron. While you shouldn’t avoid high-fiber foods as part of a balanced diet, you could try to limit your intake of them a few hours around your main meals when you plan to eat iron-rich foods.

What should you drink before donating plasma?

Since plasma is over 90% water, it’s vital you’re well-hydrated in preparation for your appointment. You may be able to donate more plasma and even speed up the process. This also means your body can recover more quickly from the side effects of donating plasma.

So how much water is enough? Generally, it is recommended to drink water per day. But this number can be affected by factors like exercise, weather conditions, and your own unique bodily needs. Take your recommended daily intake of nine to 13 cups of water every day, especially on the day before your appointment. Plus, The American Red Cross recommends drinking two more cups of water directly before donating.

Use this hydration calculator to determine how much water you need every day.

What drinks should you avoid?

Some drinks have diuretic effects (cause the body to pass more urine) or can cause a raised pulse. Here’s a list of drinks to avoid.

Fatty drinks like milk and hot chocolate.
Caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea.
Alcoholic drinks like wine, beer, and spirits.

Are there other ways to prepare for a plasma donation?

If you smoke or use tobacco, you should avoid ingesting any nicotine for two hours before your appointment.
If you’ve had Covid-19 you may need to wait at least 28 days following a negative test before you can donate.
Ensure you have a whole night’s sleep the night before your donation day, so you are well rested.
Wear comfy clothes and ensure your sleeves can be pushed up to your shoulders, or you don’t have sleeves at all.

Do you want to change someone’s life with a plasma donation? There are plasma donation centers across the whole United States. We operate seven donation centers across New York and Florida with friendly staff ready to make you feel comfortable and welcome. We also pay you immediately for your donations so you can easily supplement your income while helping those in need.

Check our FAQs to see if we can answer your other questions, or give us a call.