What to Eat for Healthy Hair?

Everyone wants to know what to eat for healthy hair as the quality of the food that we ingest on a daily basis has a direct influence on the quality of our life and the way our body performs. This is no exception to hair, even though it is considered to be “dead cells.” Eating organic food that contains the right nutrients can help your hair recover from damage and helps improve hair health by bringing back its old shine and volume.

The following 7 foods are some of the best for the health of your hair, and it is recommended that you consume them in the right quantities.

Hair is made of protein, so the importance of this macronutrient is already stated. To have strong and healthy hair, you must eat healthy amounts of protein. Lack of protein in your diet can make your hair dry and brittle. Low protein diets can lead to hair loss, and it is recommended to figure out the intake of protein your body requires to maintain optimal health. Protein can be found in organic products such as eggs, milk, chicken, turkey, fish, meat and other vegetarian sources such as nuts and legumes.

Vitamin C is what helps our body absorb iron-rich foods quickly, making them a perfect dietary supplement to eat along with iron-rich foods. This vitamin also serves as an antioxidant, removing the dangerous oxidants from the foods we consume. The best sources of Vitamin C include kiwi, oranges, black currants, strawberries, sweet potatoes, guava, broccoli, and blueberries. Vitamin C also helps our body make collagen, which can improve the capillaries that supply nutrients to the hair follicles and shafts and help you get a healthy hair.

Iron is one of the most important minerals regarding hair health, and people with low iron levels usually suffer from hair loss. When iron levels in the body are too low, nutrient supply to the hair follicles is interrupted, impairing the growth cycle of hair and damaging it to the point that it starts shedding. Foods of animal origin usually have iron that’s readily available to the body, and our body starts using it as soon as the food begins to digest in our digestive tract. Vegetarian sources of iron include lentils, broccoli, kale and almost every edible leafy green vegetable. Dried fruit and some nuts are also high in iron.

Biotin is both a coenzyme and a B vitamin. Its main role in the human body is supporting the health of our skin, nerves, digestive tracts, metabolism, and cells. The lack of biotin in our body can lead to poor hair and nail health; as hair will start to become dry and brittle, and you might even encounter shedding, while nails will also start to dry and become very brittle, often causing injuries. Biotin can be taken as a supplement for healthy hair, but it’s also naturally found in foods like yeast, soy flour, egg yolk, liver, whole grains, pork, almonds, cheese, tuna, Swiss chard, etc.

Prolonged exposure to the sun can heavily damage our skin, and that is no exception to hair. Hair can become very dry and brittle from sun damage, and Vitamin E serves as a protector for these parts of our body. Because it’s an antioxidant, Vitamin E can reduce inflammation and damage done to the hair follicles, helping the body recover. The best foods that contain Vitamin E are nuts, as they provide a huge number of different nutrients along with Vitamin E, making them the perfect food for great hair health.

Omega-3 fatty acids are the only kind of fat that you want to consume, as our bodies cannot produce it naturally. These fatty acids are very important as they carry out different functions throughout the body, but in our hair, Omega-3 helps the cells that line our scalp. Without Omega-3, our scalp would become itchy and flaky causing poor hair health, but the fatty acids keep it moisturized and healthy. These essential fatty acids can be found in certain oily fish and some plant sources. Foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids include herring, sardines, salmon, trout, mackerel, avocado, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.

Vitamin A helps our bodies create sebum, which is an oily substance created in our hair’s sebaceous glands, providing a natural conditioner for a healthy scalp. This vitamin also has other important roles in our body as it helps us maintain a healthy skin, healthy vision and good neurological function. Being an antioxidant, it’s responsible for building strong bones, facilitating cell differentiation and also supporting the immune system. Vitamin A is found in two primary forms, active Vitamin A and beta carotene. Food of animal origins contain active Vitamin A, which is immediately used by our bodies; while vegetables and fruits contain beta carotene, which is converted to retinol by our body. Foods with the highest vitamin A percentage are animal-origin foods and orange/yellow colored vegetables or fruit, such as carrots, oranges, pumpkins and sweet potatoes.

If you feel like the health of your hair is getting worse, then don’t worry. Most of the cases are due to malnutrition, and following these simple tips will help you fix your dietary intake which will lead to better hair health. Remember that the quality of food we put into our body directly reflects on our health and the way we look. Knowing what to eat for healthy hair can prolong the life and look of your hair.