Your eating habits have more of an impact than you think on the health and condition of your hair. Your hair needs the right nutrients, at exactly the right levels, to thrive. Without these essential nutrients, you could be putting yourself at increased risk of hair loss and thinning.
Make 2023 the year of great hair by following our golden rules for eating for better hair health (and less hair loss) below…
Iron deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies on the planet and one of the most under-reported causes of hair loss. Iron plays a vital role in hair preservation and growth as BeautyGlimpse details:
“When iron is consumed, a certain amount is stored as ferritin in non-essential tissues such as hair bulbs. This supply of ferritin in the hair bulb is used in the formation of the hair protein, ensuring hair growth. When you do not take in enough iron in your daily diet, the iron supply in the body becomes deficient, a health condition known as Anemia. At this point, your body starts using the available ferritin supply…”
By tapping into your body’s iron store, iron supplies are redirected away from the hair to promote health and ensure function in other parts of the body. This leaves your hair without the nutrients it needs to grow and actively disrupts the hair lifecycle.
Increasing your iron intake via the consumption of iron-rich foods is the key to keeping those iron stores fully stocked, and putting hair and wider body health first.
Excess sugar may taste pretty sweet and provide the quick-release energy boost you need to get you through the most draining parts of the day, but that little lift doesn’t last very long. The negative impact of sugar on the body has a longer-lasting effect, and may even directly influence hair and scalp health.
Excess sugar has been linked to increased hair shedding, loss and follicle damage. It is also thought to cause inflammation that reduces the quality and quantity of hair. So, instead of reaching for that chocolate bar for your mid-morning snack, chow down on a piece of fruit for slow-release energy without the hair health-depleting impact.
Whilst excess sugar is a big no-no, extra protein is a must for hair health. As the building blocks of life, proteins contain the amino acids that help to grow and maintain muscles, organs and skin. They are also integral to the structure of the hair, and play an active role in the formation of keratin.
By boosting your protein reserves courtesy of more avocados, fatty fish, yoghurt and nuts, you can give your body and, more specifically, your hair, the protein it needs to live its best life.
Crash dieting is perhaps one of the most damaging things you can do for the health and well-being of your hair and wider body. Whilst promises of rapid weight loss sound great on paper, the impact of crash dieting can cause acute hair loss as well as starve your follicles of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients it needs to stay in tip-top condition.
Instead of following the latest fads, keep your diet healthy and balanced to harness the benefits both inside and out.
