12 Foods That Promote Healthy Hair
Having healthy hair does not only make you look good, but it is also healthy for your body. Unfortunately, with all the heated hair styling tools, chemical-filled hair dyes, and even the unpredictable weather, it is quite difficult for us to try to keep our hair healthy and shiny. However, there are ways for us to keep our hair looking beautiful, such as using proper hair washing method, knowing how to maintain our hair when we are sleeping, and even hair masks made of natural remedies. But of course, just like dieting, what you eat plays a huge role in the quality of your hair. To know what you should be eating to keep your hair healthy, then continue reading this article.
1. Salmon.
Salmon are not only great for your health, but they are also incredible for your hair as well. As they are known to contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids in them, not only do they provide the healthy fats our body needs, they also keep our hair from falling as the healthy fats contain anti-inflammatory ingredients in them. Aside from that, salmon also helps your body produce insulin efficiently, which reduce balding in male and hair loss in females.
2. Eggs.
Eggs are excellent health food. They do not just provide us protein - in fact, one egg provides us enough protein one meal - eggs also contain biotin, which is a kind of vitamin B that helps us strengthen the roots of our hair, and it also helps in other parts of our body, such as strengthening our fingernails so they are not brittle. However, something to keep in mind when eating an egg is not to throw out the yolk, as the yolks contain a high amount of biotin as well.
3. Lean Protein (Chicken, Pork, Beef, etc.)
Protein does not only give us energy, maintain our muscles, they also help to strengthen your hair. It is important to eat a suitable amount of protein every day, as the constant absorption of protein that happens in our body helps to keep up with the strengthening of our hair. If we stopped consuming protein, our hair would go through “rest mode” and not only will our hair growth slowdown, the roots would also get weaker and thus lead to more hair fall.
4. Yogurt.
Yogurt is a great choice for is you want to maintain healthy hair, especially Greek yogurt. On their own, yogurt is pretty high in protein, which does similar work as lean proteins or any other proteins on this list. Aside from being rich in protein, yogurt also contains vitamin B5, also known as pantothenic acid, which improves our blood circulation, thus speeding up the blood flow to your scalp, which would aid in both strengthening our hair roots and accelerating our hair growth.
5. Lentils.
Lentils are often seen in Indian cuisine (curry) and Western cuisine (Lentil soup), but it is worth knowing that they are excellent health food. Similar to beans, they are rich in protein, which allows our hairs to absorb them and be strengthened. But lentils also have more nutrients than that. Lentils also contain iron, zinc, biotin, and plenty of folic acids, which is essential to improve our red blood cells. This will lead to better blood circulation, which will help us maintain healthy skin and scalp.
6. Spinach.
Spinach is not only delicious regardless of soups, stir-fry, or even salad, they are the ultimate health food that everyone should know of. This is because spinach provides a huge variety of nutrients for our bodies, such as omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and iron, which are all essential nutrients to keep your body strong. If your body is lacking iron, many parts of your body will become weaker. Iron-rich foods, such as spinach, are great to consume to make sure we are getting enough iron every day that helps your hair to get stronger.
7. Sweet Potato.
Sweet potato is yet another superfood that provides us so many nutrients, and at the same time is super delicious as well. The ingredient in sweet potatoes that helps to maintain the shine and moisture in your hair is an antioxidant called “beta-carotene.” When we consume food that contains the antioxidant, our body turns it into vitamin A, which stimulates your body to produce sebum to hold our hair firmly on the roots.
8. Walnuts.
Walnut is known to be great for our heart, but aside from that, they also contain biotin, that is also found in eggs. With an appropriate serving size of walnuts, the roots of our hair will be stronger to prevent hair loss and improve hair growth. Aside from that, walnuts are also a good source of vitamin C, which helps prevent brittleness in not just our hair, but also other parts of our body such as our fingernails. Another nutrient found in walnuts is elastin, which is a type of oil that hold our hair tight on the roots and keep it from breaking.
9. Carrots.
Carrots are similar to sweet potatoes as they are both under the category of “orange-coloured fruits and vegetables.” They also contain the antioxidant, “beta-carotene,” which provides sebum that holds the hair at the roots firmly. Carrots also contain vitamin A, which is great to maintain shiny and smooth looking hair. Aside from our hair, carrots are also excellent for our eyes!
10. Oyster.
Oysters might not seem like the typical health food that is good for your body, but they contain a high amount of zinc, which is what our cells rely on when our body is producing strong hair. A nutrient lack of zinc would cause you to not only have an increase in hair loss as compared to a person with a healthy diet, they also cause your scalp to get flaky and dry. Of course, it is impossible to eat oysters every day, thus you can also get iron from other sources, such as eggs, beef, or even iron-fortified cereals.
11. Avocado.
Avocado is a well-known health food that most people should know of. They are known to contain healthy fats (specifically omega-9 fatty acids), alongside some other nutrients such as vitamins A, D, and E. As avocados contain a high amount of fat, when consumed they will provide us with oil, which will be turned into sebum on our hair roots to hold the hair strongly. Aside from the healthy fats, vitamin E also aids in our blood circulation, which will strengthen our hair follicles.
12. Oatmeal.
Oatmeal is perhaps one of the most common breakfast food in the world. But of course, it is important to consume the right kind of oats. The best kind to choose from is rolled oats instead of refined oats (such as instant oats). They are rich in many nutrients, such as biotin, zinc, iron, fiber, magnesium, potassium, and also some fatty acids, such as omega-3 fatty acids (also found in salmon) and polyunsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids help in keeping your hair strong and thick.
These are just some of the healthy foods that are great for us to keep our hair looking shiny and healthy. Of course, consuming these foods with a healthy diet would be even more beneficial for both our body and our hair. Aside from dieting, we should also provide proper care to our hair if we want it to look at its best.
*Disclaimer: The writer is not an expert, a nutritionist, or a dietician of any kind. The information given is all dependent on the research she had done and is considered to be appropriate to be up on this list. If you have any allergies to these foods or had any unpleasant history with the food mentioned, then please omit them completely. The writer would not be responsible for any medical issues that would happen due to the extracted information shown.
Comments