You’ve all heard the saying that “eating crusts will make your hair curly”. But while that might have been Mum’s ploy to get you to chow down some fibre, it turns out the food you eat actually does impact the health and appearance of your hair.
Here’s five nutrients you need in your diet for slow-motion-hair-flip worthy tresses… (and one you should definitely avoid).
1. Protein.
Did you know that you hair is 91 per cent protein? If you’re not getting enough protein (0.75 g/kg for adult women, 0.84 g/kg for adult men) it may lead to hair loss. So make sure you’re eating enough meat, eggs and/or legumes! It’s also why lots of women use protein-rich egg or yoghurt masks on their hair, to strengthen from the outside in.
2. Iron.
Iron deficiency can lead to hair loss and a whole host of other symptoms, including fatigue, pale skin and low immunity. Men need 8mg of iron each day and women need 18 mg, so take it as an excuse to indulge in a big porterhouse steak every so often. Leafy greens, quinoa and chocolate (yaaas) are great vegetarian sources of iron, too. You should also see a doctor if you think you might be low in iron.
3. Vitamin C.
No matter how much iron you eat, it won’t matter much if it isn’t absorbed into your body. Vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron, so make sure eating capsicums, dark leafy greens, tomatoes and bright berries along with your iron intake. And the great thing? As long as you eat your 2 & 5 serves of fruit and veg, you’ll easily reach your vitamin C recommendations.
4. Biotin.
If you suffer from hair loss and scalp dermatitis, you might have a deficiency in biotin (a water-soluble B-vitamin). While there’s no formal daily requirement for biotin yet, you can easily get it from peanuts, almonds, sweet potato and whole, cooked eggs.
5. Omega-3.
Omega-3 is an anti-inflammatory essential fatty acid, which helps to calm down itchy and inflamed scalp conditions. There’s also no set daily requirement, but the best sources of omega-3 include chia seeds, walnuts, sardines and salmon. So, yes, lox is good for your locks.
And what NOT to eat if you want great hair.
Omega-3 may calm inflammation, but sugar actually increases it. Chronic inflammation has been linked with a host of health issues, including progressive degeneration of cells.
Fructose also increases the production of free radicals, which zip around the body damaging your cells and DNA. Which unsurprisingly, also contributes to ageing processes (hello, grey hairs).
One health blogger even claims that she managed to almost completely reverse her grey hair by quitting sugar. Hmm, we’ll need to see more science-based evidence on this… but it sounds like a good enough reason to quit sugar for us!
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