How Good Nutrition Keeps Your Hair Healthy

There are a number of reasons people lose their hair or suffer poor hair health. One of these is a shortage of sulphur in the diet. This nutrient is found in meat and dairy products.

The hair is over 90% protein. A shortage in the diet could cause thinning or hair loss. A lot people are cutting back on their protein intake and eating more carbohydrates. Some choose to go on low protein diets. Complete protein foods like eggs can benefit hair health.

Protein foods, even if enough is eaten may not be properly absorbed and utilized by the body because of deficiencies of digestive enzymes and stomach acid. This will also affect other nutrients important for hair health such as vitamins and minerals. There is no simple answer to this. A complete appraisal of the diet will be needed. Nutritional supplements containing digestive enzymes may be required.

Water is important to help feed the hair. Beverages like alcohol and coffee dehydrate the body. Adequate hydration required drinking half a dozen glasses of water a day.

Adequate amounts of vitamin A from the diet is needed in order to have shiny, healthy hair. This can be obtained from milk and milk products, liver and eggs. Those that don’t eat these foods can get vitamin A in the form of beta carotene from fruits and vegetables. This is converted into vitamin A so long as enough thyroid hormone is being produced.

The B vitamins especially B5, B12, folic acid biotin and inositol are also required for healthy hair.

Stress depletes the body of vitamins and minerals and has a negative effect on the hair as well as the body as a whole. Too much sugar should also be avoided. The average American consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day. This is bad news for the hair as it drains nutrients from the body.

Finally, good circulation is important. Both exercise and scalp massage can help here.

If your diet and lifestyle is affecting the health of your hair, a good nutritionist or naturopath can help.

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