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Hair and Nutrition

Hair that is of even thickness from the root to the end, grows on a healthy scalp and is shiny, lustrous and healthy. Only healthy hair is considered to be beautiful.

There are some basic requirements to have healthy hair:

1. A nutritious, balanced diet with appropriate amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals, fats, and carbohydrates.
2. High intake of salads and fruits for essential fibres.
3. Drinking plenty of water to flush toxic agents out of the body.
4. Regular exercise to elevate blood circulation that maintains proper supply of nutrients and oxygen to the hair follicles.

Vital Nutritional Aids

Protein

Deficiency of protein causes loss of hair color.

Vitamin A

An ample amount of Vitamin A is present in fish, liver, green vegetables, spinach, green chilly, radish, mango, apple, pineapple, pumpkin, carrot and whole milk.

Enough Vitamin A gives us healthy and lustrous hair; whereas deficiency of it makes hair dull and dry. Too much or excessive Vitamin A is harmful as it causes severe hair loss resulting in small bald patches; therefore, maintaining a proper nutritional balance of diet is important.

Vitamins B and Vitamin C

Cereals, pulses, yeast, milk and citrus fruits like orange, lemon, raspberry and guava are rich sources of these vitamins.

They make hair soft, manageable and thick.

Copper

Foods rich in copper are raisins, nuts and liver. For adequate intake of copper, food can be cooked in copper utensils.

Deficiency of this mineral causes greying (de-pigmentation) of hair.

Iron

Good suppliers of iron are banana, watermelon, guava, kidney beans, spinach, grains, beans, cabbage, turnip, and radish. For sufficient intake of iron, vegetables can be cooked in iron utensils. Deficiency of this mineral makes hair split and break easily. It elevates hair fall too.

Zinc

Oysters, grains, and wheat products are good sources of zinc.

Deficiency of this mineral can cause roughening of hair and continuous hair loss. Pregnant ladies require additional zinc. However, if you eat a balanced diet with plenty of fresh ingredients, you need not take any supplementary vitamins to promote healthy hair.

Crash Diet

A crash diet deprives the body of all nutrients necessary for healthy hair. It slows down the growth rate and also invites severe hair fall. Other hair problems may also occur, ranging from dull and scruffy-looking hair to limp and lusterless hair.

Any food regime that severely alters the nutritional balance and deprives the body of protein will affect hair.

To encourage healthy hair growth, avoid the following:

• Beverages like tea, coffee and alcohol, as they hold back the nutrients and deprive the body of water.
• Smoking and chewing tobacco.

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