Let's Choose Nutritious Foods for Healthy Hair This Festive Season

Credit: Medindia

Highlights:

• Eating a healthy diet can help your hair stay long and strong
• Unhealthy, dry, brittle, dull and frizzy hair could be a warning sign to change your dietary habit
• High levels of protein, iron, Vitamin C, omega-3 fatty acids, Zinc, and Vitamin B5 in the diet can promote hair growth and prevent hair loss

Want healthy hair? Then, eat a nutritious and well-balanced diet to get a stunning hair this festive season. Hurry up, fill your plate with healthy foods that will make your hair grow faster.

Hair care is the priority of most of us, we spend so much on getting the right hair products, spa visits, and hair care treatments to maintain our mane. But many times, we do not get the desired results no matter how many treatments we get done, we might blame it on the salon but the real reason is you can't have healthy hair until you take the right nourishment.

Diet Tips for Healthy Hair

Although you can't change some factors like age and genetics, one factor you likely have more control over is your diet. Including Vitamins, minerals, iron, proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, and Zinc in our diet can have great results. So let us look at the foods which we should include in our diets to make our locks lustrous and healthy.

Protein for Healthy Hair

Eating adequate protein is important for hair growth because hair follicles are mostly made of protein, so it becomes imperative that we increase the intake of protein to make hair strong. If you are not consuming the right amount of protein then you might experience hair fall, and dry, and brittle hair.

Sources of Protein - eggs, chicken, fish, turkey, and dairy products.

Iron to Prevent Hair Loss

Getting too little iron can lead to hair loss, it is the most important mineral for hair. When iron levels (serum ferritin) fall below a certain point, you may experience anemia. This disrupts the nutrient supply to the follicle, affecting the hair growth cycle and may result in shedding. So, it is really important that you include iron or iron supplements in your diet.

Sources of Iron - lentils, spinach, red meat, chicken, fish, broccoli, and salad greens.

Grow Your Hair Faster with Greek Yogurt

It's packed with protein, the building block of your locks. Greek yogurt also has an ingredient that helps with blood flow to your scalp and hair growth. It's called Vitamin B5 (known as pantothenic acid) and may even help against hair thinning and loss. You may recognize pantothenic acid as an ingredient on your hair and skincare product labels.

Salmon for Shiny Hair

Fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel are packed with healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Your body cannot make these healthy fats, so you have to get them from food or supplements. They help protect you from disease, but your body also needs them to grow hair and keep it shiny and full.

Vitamin C to Strengthen Hair

Vitamin C aids the absorption of iron so foods high in Vitamin C are good to eat in conjunction with iron-rich foods. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant so is used readily by the body. Vitamin C helps in the production of collagen which strengthens the capillaries that supply the hair shafts.

Sources of Vitamin C - blackcurrants, blueberries, broccoli, guava, kiwi fruits, oranges, papaya, strawberries, and sweet potatoes.

Avocados to Avoid Hair Loss

Avocados are delicious, nutritious, and a great source of healthy fats. They are also an excellent source of Vitamin E, which may support hair growth. One medium avocado (about 200 grams) provides 28 percent of your daily Vitamin E needs.

Like Vitamin C, Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps prevent oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals. Vitamin E also protects areas of the skin, like the scalp, from oxidative stress and damage. Damaged skin on the scalp can result in poor hair quality and fewer hair follicles

Soybeans and Beans for Hair Growth

Beans including soybeans are great plant-based sources of protein, which is essential to hair growth. Beans are a good source of Zinc, which aids the hair growth and repair cycle, whereas soybeans have spermidine which also promotes hair growth.
Source: IANS