A Change in Your Diet Could Lead to an End to Your Hair Loss
When you start experiencing hair loss, you always search for where to put the blame. It is almost like you received a Sherlock Holmes starter kit and are trying to find the main suspect to solve the mystery. Of course, you are going to look at genetics (if the majority of men in your family are bald then you are probably going to be saying goodbye to your hair follicles, too), but perhaps you should instead be considering that the culprit may be your poor diet.
Is There a Link Between Poor Diet and Baldness?
Nearly 40 percent of all adults in the United States are clinically obese. This does not even take into account the amount of the population that is simply overweight. In any case, if you still look good when putting on your swimsuit, you are one of the minority.
People mistakenly believe the junk food they are consuming is only making them fat. However, if you are losing your hair, then your poor diet might be as much to blame as your genetics.
Have you noticed that more young people seem to be going bald at an early age? This isn’t just your imagination. A recent study conducted in China found that people in their twenties are losing their hair much quicker than any generation before them. Could it all really come down to diet?
Is Your Vegan Lifestyle Contributing to Your Hair Loss?
People that are committing to a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle are doing it in an effort to eat healthier and save animal lives. However, they probably aren’t realizing that it could be a factor in their hair thinning on top.
Protein plays an important role in growing thick and luxurious hair. If you are basically eliminating most of the protein from your diet (other than plant protein), your hair could start falling out. Along with that, your nails may become brittle and your muscles may waste away. If you are experiencing balding and still want to eat a plant-based diet, you should probably consider adding daily protein shakes, eggs, and nuts to your eating habits.
The Foods That You Certainly Should Be Avoiding
Some foods that you believe to be healthy could be accelerating your hair loss. For instance, you could be a huge seafood lover that eats fish a few times a week. Fish is usually a perfect food as it contains very little fat and calories but an immense amount of protein. But there are certain kinds of fish (mackerel, types of tuna, shark, and swordfish) that are rather high in mercury and could lead to your hair falling out. Mercury is definitely something you would want to avoid at high levels as it can bring a whole slew of health issues.
It is difficult in today’s age to avoid sugary foods. Sugar-packed foods and drinks are literally around every corner. One soft drink a day gives you too much sugar already and people are instead consuming four or five times that amount. Not only will it make you obese but sugar reduces your body's absorption of protein drastically. And we already covered what happens when you are not getting the amount of protein you need in your body.
Are you an alcoholic because you lost your hair or did you lose your hair because you are an alcoholic? These chicken and egg questions are always fun to ask. But keep in mind that alcohol dehydrates all of you, including your hair. When you dehydrate something, it shrivels up and becomes skinnier. You don’t want your hair to do this. In addition, alcohol reduces the amount of zinc in your system. Zinc is a needed mineral to help your hair grow and grow fast.
Foods That May Either Start New Hair Growth or Stop Your Current Hair Loss
Your diet does not have to be all doom and gloom. You can take your current diet, make some small changes, and your hair could start regrowing in months. You should consider adding these things to your weekly grocery list:
- If you love to eat fish and just can’t stop eating your seafood, choose salmon as your go-to dinner. Salmon contains enough omega-3s to not only keep you healthy and fit but also assist in growing hair and keeping it as shiny as possible.
- All of those Greek statues always depict a person with a full head of slightly curly hair (and seem to have an issue with clothes for some reason as well). Perhaps the Greeks really enjoyed their Greek yogurt back in the day. Greek yogurt has plenty of B5 and other B vitamins that play an important role in growing and maintaining beautiful hair.
- If you are not getting your needed iron every day, your hair could be suffering because of it. One food that is packed with nutrients (including iron) and has a poor reputation of not being too tasty is liver. If you can acquire the taste for this organ, your hair will reap the benefits. It may take you a meal or three but you just might end up loving liver after a bit.
- Peanut butter is almost the perfect food. Sure, you can find jars on the shelves that have too much fat and too many calories but if you search a little more, you can come across the better brands that will be healthier for you. With that said, protein and vitamin E within peanut butter can strengthen your hair over time.
