Diet

Just as the residue from drugs and medication and all the other negative things that we put in our bodies show up in our hair, the positive results of nutritional care are evidenced there also. There are no magic pills we can take or miracle foods we can eat to have healthy hair, but we can feed our hair and scalp by eating the foods that promote physical health and well being.

We must achieve a balance among the essential nutrients, protein, fat and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and minerals, to achieve a healthy, balanced body.

We need to eat a variety of foods in each of these groups for maximum health. Only one-fifth of our daily protein intake should come from meats, including fish and poultry.

Food rich in the B vitamins (green vegetables, whole grains, liver, peas and beans, fish, cheese and eggs), vitamin A (spinach, broccoli, tomatoes parsnips and melons) and vitamin C (citrus fruits, tomatoes and strawberries) are vital to the health and well being of your hair and scalp, as are calcium rich foods such as canned fish, cheese, yoghurt and oysters.

Other minerals that contribute to full rich hair are zinc (in mussels, nuts, brewer's yeast, wheat germ and whole grains) iodine (in seafood, sea salt and onions) and sulphur (in eggs , fish, garlic, onions and cabbage).

Avoid foods that are high in oils and fats - red meats, fried foods, most nuts and nut products - and limit your intake of shellfish and iodised salt because they contain too much iodine. Iodine does help hair growth, but too much can cause acne.

Chocolate and cocoa product, cheese, sugar, coffee and tea, as well as alcohol, should be eliminated or at least restricted, because they can trigger systematic problems that upset the delicate balance between your hair and its environment, the scalp.

The chemical content of the hair is so drastically altered by pollutants that the real nutritional effects of the diet can be lost unless we can reach and maintain that wonderful, delicate balance.

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