Your hair, and in fact, all parts of your body can only be made up of the things that you eat.
So it makes sense that the quality of the hair on your head depends on the amount of nutrients present in your body, which you get originally from your diet.
Hair is mostly made up from protein and we get this from foods such as meat, fish, dairy, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds, so to even be able to make hair your diet needs good quality and quantity of protein at every meal, plus various other nutrients to nourish it.
Also to deliver these nutrients to the hair root good circulation is needed and you can improve this with activity to get the circulation pumping.
So working out what your body needs to nourish your hair can help improve a hair problem you may be having.
Here are 5 hair problems and some nutritional advice to bring your hair back to tip top condition;
1. Dry and brittle
Dry and brittle hair, can be a sign of essential fatty acid deficiency. To nourish your hair add to your daily diet flax seed oil, nuts, seeds and oily fish such as salmon and sardines.
2. Greasy
Greasy hair can be a sign of B vitamin deficiency. Vitamin B2 is the most important vitamin to help greasy hair and food sources are fish, milk, eggs and leafy green vegetables.
3. Hair loss
Hair loss can have several underlying causes such as stress, hormonal imbalance or an underactive thyroid, but can also be due to a general deficiency of the nutrients required for your hair.
So start with supplying plentiful amounts of the building blocks for hair. Increase your intake of protein each day from fish, meat, eggs, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and dairy products. Also iron is very important for healthy hair and this can be found in red meats, spinach and apricots. Improving circulation to your scalp with massage can also help hair loss. If these suggestions do not help, it might be wise to see a doctor to find out the cause.
4. Dandruff
Dandruff can occur when diet is too high in saturated fats, which causes thick oil secretions from the scalp which gets clogged in the skin. So clean up your diet by removing junk food and saturated fats, replacing them with olive oil and take one to two teaspoons a day of flaxseed oil.
5. Slow growing or loss of colour
If your hair is slow growing or seems to be losing it's natural colour it could be due to zinc deficiency. To ensure your hair has a rich supply of zinc, avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates such as cakes and biscuits and stop smoking; as these all deplete zinc in the body. Add sources of zinc to your diet each day with nuts, seeds, seafood and whole grains.
It may take up to 2 months to see a difference so start now and reveal your fabulous crowning glory.
For more posts from Michele visit Body in Balance TV.