EATING ADVICE FOR HEALTHY HAIR

Are you watching the quality of your diet?  Your eating habits can have a decisive effect on your hair’s shininess, silkiness, elasticity and quality, especially if there is a shortage of some vitamin or mineral in your daily diet.

The recommendation for a balanced, varied and sufficient diet not only benefits your health and nutrition but will also help you keep your hair at its healthiest.  So, what should we eat to make sure we have enough vitamins and minerals for our hair?  There are several decisive vitamins for healthy hair, such as folic acid, vitamins E, C and B-complex, and several minerals such as selenium, zinc and iron.  Below are some food sources for these vitamins and minerals that will help us maintain healthy hair.

Folic Acid: This vitamin can be found in foods such as beets, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, dried fruit, wheat germ and liver.  It works to protect hair against the sun and helps restore natural color.  A deficiency can lead to depigmentation (grey hair) and hair loss.

Selenium: This mineral is known for its antioxidant action with respect to hair elasticity and health.  As an antioxidant it fights free radicals, which are unstable substances affecting capillary fiber elasticity, and a deficiency leads to brittle hair. It can be found in foods such as seafood, fish, garlic, liver, tomato, wheat germ and bran, etc.  Deficiencies are also associated with the appearance of dandruff.

Iron: This mineral, in addition to being essential for preventing anemia, plays an important role in hair silkiness and shininess.  A deficiency of iron can cause a loss o shine, hair loss and weak hair, as well as white spots on fingernails.  Iron can be found in foods such as red meat, liver, dark green leafy vegetables, eggs, legumes, oats and barley, among others.

Vitamin E: This is found in whole grain cereals, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, eggs and vegetable oil.  In addition to being a powerful antioxidant it helps keep hair shiny and fights free radicals affecting hair softness.

Zinc: This mineral is part of keratin, the main component of hair and nails, and helps build both of these.  In different studies hair loss, lack of shininess and brittle hair is related to a deficiency of zinc in the body.  This mineral can be found in foods such as eggs, seeds, dried fruit, oysters, etc.

Vitamin C: This is found in citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges and vegetables such as bell peppers, cilantro, green leafy vegetables, potatoes and broccoli, as well as liver and milk, among other things.  It helps improve the absorption of iron, an essential mineral for maintaining healthy hair, and is also related to hair consistency.

Magnesium: This mineral can be found in foods such as almonds, nuts, hazelnuts, avocado, dried figs, raisins, plums, green leafy vegetables, bran, wheat germ, etc.  Inadequate consumption of this mineral could lead to fragile hair and hair loss.  It has been found effective for premature baldness.

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