Prevent hair loss with your diet

If hair loss is causing you to lose sleep at night, a few dietary changes could help preserve your hair and its shine.

Men are just as sensitive about the subject of hair as women are.  It is a delicate subject that raises a lot of insecurities, and sometimes we use extreme treatments and measures to prevent hair loss.

However, we never pay attention to how we are nourishing not only our body, but also our hair, until a problem arises.

Before losing sleep over hair loss and making appointments with your dermatologist, take a closer look at what you’re eating.

It’s quite probable that even slight modifications to what you eat will help your hair growth, which could have a drastic impact on you.  While genes and lifestyle always play a large part in this, what you eat could help stop hair loss.

Carrots

Not only are they good for sight, carrots are rich in vitamin A and are an excellent food for the scalp.  A healthy scalp ensures beautiful and well-conditioned hair that stays strong and hydrated.  A generally balanced diet with lean meats, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, oily fish like salmon, and low-fat dairy, are great boosters for healthy hair.

Prunes

If you hair is dry, thin, balding, stiff, or discolored, a lack of iron could be at fault.  Prunes are known for being a good source of iron and are a great help for improving hair quality.

Peas

In spite of the fact that green peas are not rich in antioxidants or any specific vitamin or mineral, they do contain a high concentration of other essential nutrients like zinc, iron and B group vitamins.  These are essential for healthy hair.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is not only rich in fiber, which helps keep the heart healthy and digestion smooth, but it also contains high concentrations of other essential nutrients like zinc, iron, and omega-6.  These are essential for healthy hair.

Walnuts

Walnuts are one of the best nuts for hair.  Walnuts contain omega-6 fatty acids, but they are also full of zinc, iron, B group vitamins (B1, B6, and B9) and tons of proteins.  Walnuts do contain a small amount of selenium however, a mineral known to cause hair loss in individuals with selenium deficiency or those that have too much selenium in their system.  Therefore, if you want to prevent hair loss, do not go overboard on walnuts.

Eggs

For a head full of healthy hair, eggs are probably one of the best options.  Loaded with essential nutrients, like proteins, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, and omega-6.  This ingredient could be a lot of help against hair loss.  It is also a good source of biotin (vitamin B7), which helps a lot with the fight against hair loss.

Low-fat dairy products

Dairy products like skim milk and yogurt are a great source of calcium, an important mineral for hair growth.  It also contains whey and casein, two sources of high quality protein.  Add one cup of yogurt or cheese to your list of appetizers, and to help prevent hair loss if you want better results, include a few tablespoons of linseed or walnuts to fulfill your necessary dosage of omega-3 fatty acids and zinc.

Common mistakes

Here are a few of the common mistakes that could severely damage hair:

Excessive stress and medication are some agents that slow hair growth and promote hair loss.

Reduce your use of hair sprays, hair gels, and hair creams that contain aggressive chemical ingredients.  These could dry out your scalp and cause dandruff.

Avoid constantly changing shampoos and conditioners.  It is recommendable to stick to one good soft cleansing shampoo for six months before changing.

Excessive sun exposure, contamination, rain water and dust without proper protection makes hair dry, brittle and weak.

Revised by: Dra. Loredana Lunadei on 12/31/2017

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