Best foods for Healthy Hair | Eat Smarter USA
Best foods for Healthy Hair
Healthy hair is not something a lot of think about when planning our meals, but the foods we eat can actually have a large impact on the health of our hair. Our hair needs a large variety of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to stay strong, grow long, and stay shiny and lustrous.
Iron is important for the growth of hair and helps to keep it healthy by delivering oxygen to it. Iron can be found in a variety of foods, including spinach, red meat, quinoa, and beans.
B-vitamins help to keep hair shiny and strong, making them essential for a healthy mane. Specifically niacin, biotin, and cobalamin B-vitamins are great for healthy hair. These B-vitamins can be found in eggs, nuts, fish, and dairy.
Our hair relies on vitamin D, if you are deficient in vitamin D you could begin to experience hair-loss. Vitamin D also helps your hair follicles move through their development cycle. Vitamin D can be found in fish oils, eggs, animal liver, and of course sunlight.
To get lustrous and shiny hair, adding fatty acids to your diet could help. They also help to stimulate the growth of hair. Fatty acids can be found in fish such as tuna and salmon, along with some nuts and seeds and green vegetables.
Another nutrient that helps to promote hair growth is zinc. People who are zinc deficient may experience hair loss, but adding foods such as spinach, chickpeas, and nuts can help provide the zinc hair needs to grow properly.
Most people know that protein is essential for repairing and building strong muscles, but it is also very important for healthy hair. Protein does the same thing for hair that it does for muscles, helping to strengthen and grow hair long and strong. Protein can be found in meat, tofu, beans, and some vegetables.
Vitamins C and A are also important for hair growth, C promotes growth while vitamin A keeps the scalp healthy and moisturized. Vitamin C can be found in oranges, pineapple, and berries. Vitamin A is found in carrots, dark green vegetables, and sweet potatoes.
Calcium is essential for the strength of teeth and bones, but if you are deficient in calcium you may experience hair loss. Calcium is needed for the growth and strengthening of hair. Good food sources of calcium include dairy products, sesame seeds, and leafy greens.
While there are certain supplements that can provide these nutrients to you, there is some research showing that the quality of nutrients in some supplements is not in its best form and therefore not effectively absorbed into the body. It is best to get the majority of your nutrients from real food sources.
There are many vitamins, minerals and nutrients that are important for the growth and maintenance of healthy hair. By adding some of the foods listed above to your diet you will not only keep your body healthy but also your hair.