Your diet is important to the health of your hair, and the effects of your nutrition on its growth and appearance shouldn’t be underestimated. Although you can not change factors like age and genetics, diet is one thing you have control over. In actuality, consuming a diet lacking the nutrients can lead to hair loss. On the other hand, eating a balanced diet can help reverse gray hair and promote hair growth, especially if you’re experiencing hair loss due to inadequate nutrition.
So let’s start with those shampoos and everything else you try to put on your hair. They could be branded conditioners, fast hair-growing sprays or the usual you’re using to prevent your hair from falling out. It’s a pretty good idea really, but you might have overlooked one crucial factor: the way you eat.
Almost every medical problem in human history can be remedied with a proper diet. Of course, different conditions require different diets that’s why if you want to keep your hair healthy, shiny and reverse gray hair, here are the food for healthy hair roots you need to include in your diet and why.
The building blocks of your hair is protein; its keratin actually and not feeding yourself enough protein is taxing your hair strands to grow slowly and tend to be weaker. If you want your hair follicles to remain healthy, keep a daily dose of protein in your plate. What to eat: poultry, lean meat, fish, and nuts.
Iron is one mineral that gives your blood the rusty taste and smells, right? And studies conducted at the Cleveland Clinic showed that iron deficiency could cause baldness. Women are found to be more deficient of iron than men, and that is quite alarming. Good thing though because you can remedy that with iron-rich foods. What to eat: turkey, whole grains, lean red meat, dried fruit, and beans.
Biotin is one of the B-vitamins essential to promoting scalp health and proper hair growth. What happens when you’re deficient in it? Your hair becomes brittle. Munch on nuts like peanuts or almonds or eat a variety of these foods, and you’ll save your hair from the frizz, brittle, dry condition that it might have. What to eat: nuts, wheat bran, low-fat cheese, salmon, and avocados.
So it’s a wonder why some women use beer to rinse their hair, but according to The Flexitarian Diet author, Dawn Jackson Blatner, silica (found in beer) makes your hair durable, thicker and stronger. Of course, you may drink the beer but be warned to keep it in moderation. Too much of it does the reverse and makes you lose your hair. There are foods that you can incorporate in your diet to prepare for the silica-thing. What to eat: oats, bananas, raisins, and beer.
Vegetables are fun, healthy, organic, and are always on top of any reverse gray hair diet list. Packed with antioxidants and vitamins like A and C, they’re perfect for helping your head produce the all-natural sebum an ideal hair conditioner for your scalp and hair. No need to buy those fancy conditioner. Just eat the right foods (spinach, Swiss chard, and broccoli are just some), and you’ll have that healthy-looking hair in no time. What to eat: dark green and leafy vegetables.
They say that losing your hair is hormonal and that could be true because as you grow old, your body releases less and fewer hormones, and that affects your hair production resulting in hair loss. Avoid that by eating foods rich in zinc and enhance your hormone production to avoid the slow growth of your hair, hair loss, and dandruff (especially if you have a dry scalp). What to eat: crab, oysters, clams, wheat germ, liver, and lean beef.
Beta-carotene (that makes most of the following foods orange-yellow) is essential because they are converted to vitamin A. You know that Vitamin A is one of the superstar vitamins that make your hair and skin glow right? And the good thing is because it prevents dull hair and dry scalp, you have better chances of a beautiful, healthy hair strong enough to avoid breakage and falling off from your head. What to eat: carrots, kale, asparagus, butternut squash, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes.
See how your breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks can keep your hair and your body healthy.
Reverse Gray Hair Diet Recipe
BREAKFAST
Option one
- Total breakfast cereal with skim milk and blueberries
- orange juice
Option two
- Special K cereal with low-fat soymilk and strawberries
- grapefruit juice
Option three
- All-Bran cereal with skim milk and mixed berries
- orange juice
LUNCH
Option one
- turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread with dark green lettuce and tomato
- tossed salad with green and red peppers and tomatoes
- tangerine
- soymilk
Option two
- split pea soup
- dark rye bread
- broccoli and carrots with low-fat dip
- nectarine
- skim milk
Option three
- garden vegetable pizza
- tossed salad with broccoli, green and red peppers and tuna
- kiwi
- skim milk
DINNER
Option one
- classic roast beef
- mashed sweet potatoes
- steamed green beans
- mixed berries drizzled with honey or maple syrup
- low-fat soymilk
Option two
- orange beef broccoli
- brown rice
- mixed orange and grapefruit sections
- low-fat soymilk
Option three
- glazed pork tenderloins
- brussels sprouts
- tossed salad with citrus dressing
- baked potato with low-fat sour cream
- strawberry shortcake
- low-fat soymilk
SNACKS
These delicious snacks will boost your energy levels at the same time that they nourish your hair. Be sure to choose at least one snack with nuts and one with soy every day.
- 1/4 cup mixed nuts
- 1/2 cup mixed nuts, seeds, and dried fruit
- apple berry smoothie
- tofu cubes in best teriyaki sauce and marinade
- yogurt topped with wheat germ, nuts, and berries
- roasted soy nuts
- Shredded Wheat and low-fat soymilk topped with ground flaxseed and fresh fruit
Healthy Dos and Don’ts
Do:
- Eat lots of fruits and vegetables for their antioxidants — the more variety of color, the better
- Take a daily multivitamin supplement
- Choose less processed foods whenever possible for the highest amount of vitamins
- Drink plenty of water to keep yourself well hydrated
Don’t:
- Drink alcohol
- Smoke
- Eat highly processed foods (most snack foods, cookies, cakes, candies)
So you see, having a long line of genetics to argue off with your falling hair is no match to a proper hair-healthy diet. Just eat the right food for healthy hair roots to keep your hair strands healthy and strong, and soon enough, you’ll see the fruits of your efforts. Just be patient and consistent though.