If you’re suffering with baldness or thinning hair, it can be exasperating; if you’re unsure why this is happening to you, the best thing to do is consult a physician. Although most hair loss isn’t caused by something serious, it is best to know for sure and the only way to do this is to see a doctor. Before you try hair transplants or surgery, finding out why your hair loss is occurring can result in less invasive and much simpler ways to increase the beauty and thickness of your hair. It all starts with knowing what is causing the hair loss in the first place.
Foods Good for Hair Growth
There are numerous reasons why people lose their hair, including heredity, stress, age, hormones, certain medications, and nutritional deficiencies. Much as with other conditions, the foods you eat can directly affect the amount of hair loss you experience and because there are foods that can make hair fuller and thicker, it is a smart idea to add some of them into your diet.
Many experts even believe that hair loss can be reversed by eating these foods, which means that it is well worth it to give them a try. Most of these foods contain vitamins and minerals that seem to be lacking in the diets of people who suffer with thinning hair or balding, which means that putting these things back into your diet can reverse those negative effects and give you back the healthy, thick hair you once had. Below are some of the foods to add to or delete from your diet if you wish to improve the overall look of your hair.
Vegetables and Fruits
● Spinach: Iron, calcium, Omega-3 acids, potassium, and magnesium keep hair shiny and lustrous.
● Guava: This is an excellent source of Vitamin C, which stops hair from breaking and becoming brittle.
● Bok Choy: Ferritin controls the amount of iron in your blood so it isn’t too high or too low and bok choy is an iron-rich, ferritin-rich food that works wonders with hair loss.
● Sweet Potatoes: These ave high amounts of beta carotene, which prevents hair from becoming dull and dry and stimulates scalp glands.
● Tangerines: Their Vitamin C makes it easier to absorb iron and their Vitamin B12 can reduce hair loss and promote hair growth, not to mention slow down the greying process.
Protein Foods and Meats
● Salmon: It is good for processing insulin and insulin resistance is often associated with hair loss; it is also filled with Omega-3 acids
● Liver: Because of its abundance of iron, this is a great food if your wish is to have healthier hair.
● Lean Poultry: All lean meats contain high amounts of protein, a key ingredient in hair; in addition to chicken, you can also try grass-fed beef, lean pork loin, and fish.
● Halibut: This contains lots of magnesium, which is good at making hair thicker and fuller.
Grains and Other Foods
● Oatmeal: This is good because oats are filled with iron, zinc, fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs); oatmeal stimulates hair growth and makes hair both healthy and thick.
● Lentils: These contain biotin, protein, and folic acid, which restores red blood cells that can deliver oxygen and therefore produce healthier hair.
● Barley: It is high in Vitamin E, which can repair damage to the scalp and cause hair to grow faster and thicker.
Dairy Products
● Greek Yogurt: It contains protein and Vitamin B5, which helps blood flow in your scalp and therefore increases hair growth.
● Eggs: These are a known source of biotin, a B vitamin that strengthens hair and nails and prevents hair loss.
Miscellaneous Foods
● Cinnamon: This brings nutrients and oxygen to the hair follicles and improves overall circulation.
● Oysters: Their most important ingredient is zinc, which lists hair growth as one of its biggest advantages.
● Seeds and Nuts: In addition to the oils, which strengthen the elasticity of your hair, they also contain saw palmetto and beta sitosterol, which specifically reduce male pattern baldness.
● Shiitake Mushrooms: These are rich in copper, which helps keep your natural hair color without the use of hair dyes.
What Not to Eat
In addition to foods that help increase the odds of having healthy, beautiful locks, there are certain foods that can make getting a great head of hair a lot more difficult. These include:
● Fast Foods: This should be obvious, but fast food contains a lot of grease and oil, which can plug up hair follicles and make it more difficult to grow thick and shiny hair.
● White Starches: If you avoid items such as white sugar, flour, cakes, pastries, and white bread, your hair is likely to thicken because white starches cause the hair to become much thinner.
● Swordfish: Hair loss can be attributed to high levels of mercury in the blood and swordfish has unusually high quantities of mercury in it.
● Diet Soft Drinks: Hair loss is sped up by high levels of aspartame and since diet sodas normally contain this ingredient, it is best to avoid them.
● Alcohol: Zinc is necessary for proper hair growth and alcohol slows up the level of zinc in your body; it can also dehydrate your hair and make it more brittle and thin.
● Sugar: This is the culprit for many ailments and conditions but when it comes to hair loss, too much sugar hinders the amount of protein in your body, which, of course, directly affects the look and health of your hair.
As you can see, the foods you eat make a big difference in the overall health of your hair. As with many other conditions, a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins can greatly enhance the look of your locks. Avoiding foods that are unhealthy is also important because as the saying goes, you are what you eat. For overall health and hair that is thick, strong, and shiny, knowing what to eat and what not to eat is crucial and it can make a big difference in how you feel about your hair from now on, not to mention your overall outlook on life.