Your Hair Is What You Eat - 5 Food Groups That Are Vital To Your Hair Health

The 80/20 Rule
Green Vegetables
Nuts
Legumes
Protein
Fruits
Further Reading

The 80/20 Rule

Have you heard about the 80%/20% rule for diet and exercise? According to health experts when adopting a new exercise routine and trying to reach goals in weight and overall health, 80% of your effort should be focused on your diet and the other 20% should be focused on the quality and quantity of your exercise regimen. This is no different for hair health.

80% of your overall hair regimen should be focused on the overall health of your body, that is watching what you eat and your activity level and the other 20% should be the products used on your hair. The truth is what enters your body comes through your pores and is reflected in your skin and hair.

Healthy hair is built on lean protein, iron* and plenty of living food such as organic vegetables and fruits all kissed by the sun. Here are some examples of quality food that you can feed your body that will help with keeping your hair healthy and shiny.

1. Green Vegetables

Vegetables, in general, are an excellent source of nutrients that feed your cells and making everything inside of you glow. Dark green vegetables contain vitamins such as A and C that fight against disease and produces natural oils* that directly affect your hair.

Your skin becomes more elastic your hair will become shinier and stronger, greens are just an overall great addition to any diet plan. Tip: Make a green smoothie packed with all green living things such as kale cucumber, green apples (for taste) a splash of ginger* and a splash of lemon. You hair health will improve dramatically!

2. Nuts

Famous for their zinc content nuts are wonderful while in moderation because some are high in fats. The zinc contained in nuts helps cells to grow and is needed for the production of keratin which is very helpful in maintaining hair health and healthy nails.

Zinc must be taken in balance as an overdose of zinc can most likely lead to hair loss which is counter-productive. But taken in it’s most appropriate amounts (under 50mgs per day) will only add to overall hair and body health.

3. Legumes

Legumes, especially beans are a great source of biotin* which many of us like to take as a supplement. Yes, you can also get your supplements from the food you eat! Beans are also famous for the iron and zinc they contain which guards the hair against damage from split ends and any damage that may be caused by the use of heat on your hair.

The problem is that in the US, we see beans as an ‘occasional’ food and not the daily food that it is in other cultures around the world. With the research showing that rates of disease go down with the volume of legumes consumed, it makes sense to make them a regular part of your diet. To create the healthiest meals, always think “beans and greens”, everything else is an added extra. Your hair health will improve from the added nutrients in your diet.

4. Protein

Protein is the building block of the hair strand and eating protein will only strengthen your hair daily as you consume the right amount and type of protein. Contrary to popular opinion, protein does not have to come from animal flesh, beans as mentioned above, tofu and dark green leafy vegetables are all excellent plant sources of protein.

With the World Health Organization recently releasing information that shows that red meat consumption is a human carcinogen (cancer-causing) it is perhaps prudent to pick plant sources of protein more often.

5. Fruits

These are beneficial in your body in so many ways due to their nutritional content. But did you know that you can add instant nutrition to your hair by adding more fruits into your diet? Apart from high vitamin C* content in many fruits which is a vitamin that helps your hair grow healthy and shiny, soluble fibers found in certain fruits like apples in the presence of phenolic compounds and biotin* found in the peel strengthens your hair too.

Avocados, botanically a fruit, contain copious amounts of Vitamin C*, E, B which work together to promote a healthier scalp and as we know, better scalp health leads to better hair growth.