What you eat really does affect how your hair looks and grows. It is challenging to promote hair growth without a healthy diet. If the scalp is not receiving the nutrients it needs, new hair will be slower to grow and the quality might not be as good as you’d like. There are a lot of topical products you can use to keep your hair looking and feeling great, but you also need to provide a healthy foundation for your hair from the inside.
We associate thick, luxurious locks with health, beauty, and youth. And while you shouldn’t judge your worth on the quality of your hair, having beautiful hair doesn’t hurt when you want a boost of self-confidence.
Not to mention the practical benefits of a thick head of hair! Hair helps keep your head protected from the sun and may even help to regulate the temperature of the brain in both hot and cold conditions. There is even some speculation that toxic substances like arsenic can be excreted through hair growth, helping to rid the body of these harmful substances!
In this post, we'll discuss the best foods to eat for healthy hair, as well as some tips for incorporating them into your diet. Learn how you can get the essential nutrition for healthy hair and enjoy great hair days every day.
Nutrients that promote good hair health
Hair (and nails and skin) is made up of proteins, essential fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. Therefore, a diet rich in multitudes of different macro and micronutrients is vital for hair growth and health.
Protein
Hair is mostly made of a specific protein called keratin. In fact, about 95% of your hair is made of this protein!
Keratin is created in the body by combining protein with specific amino acids and other nutrients. Keratin makes up many different structures all throughout the body, not just in the hair skin, and nails!
It’s vital that your body has enough resources to produce all the different keratins required to keep everything functioning well.
Iron
In order for hair to grow, one of the major requirements is an ample supply of iron.
Iron is required for hemoglobin production, which is used for red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body. Without iron, there isn’t enough hemoglobin, and therefore, the red blood cells can’t function properly and the body doesn’t have enough oxygen being dispersed.
The hair follicles, starving for oxygen, will wither which leads to hair loss.
A healthy diet can ensure that you intake enough iron, and not too much! Overconsumption of iron can have harmful effects on the body.
Biotin
Biotin (aka Vitamin B7 or Vitamin H) is a water-soluble substance, which means the body cannot store it for long. Therefore, it’s important to make sure you intake biotin regularly.
Interestingly, the body cannot produce its own biotin. Instead, it’s created by the good bacteria that make up the flora of a healthy gut!
Zinc
Zinc works in tandem with biotin and protein to build enough high-quality keratin for healthy hair.
Vitamin B12
Another member of the water-soluble B vitamin family, your body also cannot produce B12 and it must be ingested.
There are two types of B12 that you’ll find in foods: cyanocobalamin and methylcobalamin. Cyanocobalamin is broken down in the body into methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin.
Don’t get too hung up on the details. If you eat fortified foods, animal products, and/or B12 supplements, you’ll have all the B12 you need, which isn’t very much.
Just be careful not to take too much cyanocobalamin if you take supplements. It contains extremely small amounts of cyanide which, at the proper dose, is harmless. But too much may cause toxicity.
Vitamin A
This vitamin helps cells grow and ensures that there is a healthy amount of sebum on the scalp, which aids in hair health and growth. Too much vitamin A can actually lead to hair loss, so don't overdo your intake!
Vitamin C
Since vitamin C is an antioxidant, it helps the whole body avoid and repair damage from simply existing.
Vitamin C also reduces the development of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) which contributes to male pattern baldness, but can also affect women.
Lastly, vitamin C is a key component in collagen, another substance the body creates for hair and skin health.
Vitamin E
Another antioxidant, vitamin E helps preserve the health of hair follicles and maintain a healthy scalp.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Healthy fats are essential for the whole body to function. For hair, they help reduce inflammation in the follicle as well as help a variety of nutrients travel to and get absorbed by the scalp and follicles.
Water
Surprise! Just like anything else in the body, your scalp and hair follicles require you to be properly hydrated.
An online dietitian can tell you more about how much of each nutrient you need for your unique body.
5 Vital Foods for Hair Health
Now, how can you make sure you’re getting an adequate intake of all the nutrients listed above?
The good news is that all the vitamins, minerals, macros, and micros you need for a healthy body are easily found in everyday foods. The key is to eat natural foods the majority of the time and to eat a variety of different things.
Of course, you can treat yourself to comfort foods like Maggie and Kurkuri on occasion, but they shouldn’t make up the majority of your diet!
Here are the top 5 best foods to keep your hair healthy, strong, and silky smooth!
1. Soybeans
Surprisingly, soya is, overall, the best food for hair growth!
It contains all 9 essential amino acids, making it a “complete” protein, which means that it has everything your body needs to make high-quality keratin.
It also contains a high amount of zinc and biotin, as well as smaller amounts of vitamins C, E, A, and omega-3 fatty acids!
Soya also contains iron, but some studies show that iron from soya isn’t absorbed as readily as iron from other sources.
There are even some preliminary studies to show that a compound found in soya called spermidine, a powerful antioxidant, may be beneficial for anti-aging in human cells including the ones responsible for hair health.
Any soya products will contain varying levels of these nutrients, so whether you’re a tofu aficionado or a soya curd lover, you can get all the benefits from this amazing little bean.
2. Berries
In general, berries are great sources of vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, copper, and manganese. Trace minerals like copper and manganese are essential for a variety of bodily functions.
Berries also tend to be anti-inflammatory and high in antioxidants, which can help keep the hair follicles from getting damaged.
Berries are loaded with prebiotics, which help keep the gut bacteria happy and healthy. And, you’ll recall, gut bacteria do play a role in the health of the hair!
The vitamins in berries contribute to a healthy scalp as well as keratin and collagen production.
3. Avocados
Avocados have a large amount of healthy omega-3 fatty acids vital for healthy hair strands.
In addition, they are a great source of a handful of vitamins and minerals like vitamins C, E, K, and B6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium.
They also provide lutein and beta carotene that the body converts into an anti-inflammatory and vitamin A (retinol), respectively.
4. Spinach
This leafy green is full of the much-needed iron required for hair health! It also contains folate and vitamins A and C.
These vitamins help stimulate the scalp for increased hair production and growth, as well as protect existing hair from falling out.
5. Pumpkin Seeds
These little seeds pack a bigger punch than you’d expect!
Pumpkin seeds have 19g of protein per 100g of seeds, which is quite a bit!
They’re also chock-full of other beneficial nutrients like iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, copper, zinc, selenium, and manganese, amino acids such as arginine, tryptophan, lysine, and glumatic acid, and vitamins, C, B, and A.
Copper can stimulate melanin production in hair follicles, meaning it can help you stave off grey hairs. If you have naturally dark hair, it can help your color look more luminous.
Lastly, pumpkin seeds contain phytosterols, which can block hormones and enzymes that slow hair growth and can even damage hair follicles.
With the help of a nutritionist, you can learn more about which foods are beneficial for your needs.
Indian Foods to Prevent Hair Loss
What are some specifically Indian foods that help with your hair health?
India has a bounty of natural health products, so why not embrace the local fare when it comes to beauty?
Here are the best foods found primarily in India that you can use to increase hair production and decrease hair fall.
1. Drumsticks (aka Moringa)
The immature seed pods of the Moringa oleifera tree (“Drumstick tree”) are a great source of protein, vitamins A and C as well as a handful of different B vitamins including folate.
Minerals contained in the drumstick flesh include calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc.
While some of the vitamins and minerals may cooked out of the food when prepared, it still offers great nutritional benefits.
The protein, iron, zinc, and vitamins all contribute to healthy hair.
2. Lady’s Finger (aka Bhindi or Okra)
While not native to India, lady’s finger has been a staple food in the region for centuries.
This green vegetable is full of vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, as well as folate, calcium, potassium, zinc, and magnesium. Additionally, it contains antioxidants.
3. Coconuts
Coconut water and coconut flesh (or coconut milk/cream) both contain nutrients to help hair growth.
Since hydration is required for a healthy scalp, the electrolytes found in coconut water are a perfect way to make the most out of a liquid. The water itself is obviously hydrating, but the trace minerals potassium, sodium, and magnesium replenish the minerals that are lost in an average day by sweating (and even more so if you exercise).
The meat of the coconut (malai) contains medium-chain fatty acids like lauric acid. These acids aren’t exactly the same as omega-3s, which are long-chained, but they are still beneficial for the body and therefore the hair.
The oils in coconuts also help you absorb B vitamins and vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as beta-carotene.
4. Triphala
Triphala is a mixture of amla, Bibhitaki, and Haritaki. Each of these plants has its own nutritional benefits and they all work together to give the best boost to the body possible.
Amla contains a lot of vitamin C and can help block DHT, the compound that compromises hair follicle health.
Bibhitaki and Haritaki also contain vitamin C and trace minerals.
5. Methi (Fenugreek)
Methi seeds contain iron and protein, and in some studies have been shown to reduce hair fall and increase softness and shine in the hair of people who eat methi seeds daily for at least 3 months.
Whether you have thick, shiny hair or thin, dull hair relies on a lot of factors including genetics and environment. But one of the biggest factors, nutrition, is within your control!
You can get the help of an online nutritionist to teach you the best ways to take care of your body through food.
Eat well so that your hair falls out less often, grows faster and stronger, takes on a lustrous shine, and develops a pleasant softness!
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