Conditions That Impact Your Healthy Hair Diet
Other conditions that negatively affect hair – but are all reversible, include:
• Hormonal shifts – women tend to notice hair changes during pregnancy, postpartum and nursing.
• Stress. Stress is one of the most common causes of reversible hair loss.
• Medications. Several medications can cause temporary hair loss.
• Certain medical conditions. Thyroid conditions (hypo or hyper) can have a particularly negative effect on hair health.
• Low ferritin Levels. Otherwise known as a low iron reserve, this condition is seen often in women suffering from fibroid issues
After ruling out medical and stress-related conditions, here’s my recipe for a Healthy Hair Diet!
Iron-rich protein
Protein is necessary for all cell growth, including hair cells. Hair gets its structure from hardened proteins called keratin. Without enough protein for keratin, hair grows more slowly, and the individual strands that do grow will be weaker.
Furthermore, the iron found in animal protein (called “heme iron”) is most easily absorbed by the body (more so than the iron in plant foods (non-heme iron). Iron helps red blood cells carry oxygen to all cells in the body, including the hair follicles.
For most people, foods can provide all the iron necessary for good health and strong hair.
However, before menopause, women may want to consider taking a standard multivitamin that contains the daily value for iron.
Never take straight iron pills without a doctor’s supervision – taking excessive amounts when your body is not deficient can be detrimental to your health.
Good sources of iron-rich protein include oysters, lean beef, turkey, duck, lamb, chicken, pork, shrimp and eggs (not FRIED! Try to bake or broil these foods. For eggs, go with boiled eggs instead).
Good sources of vegetarian iron rich protein include tofu, soybeans, lentils, beans and black-eyed peas.