It may come as no surprise to those of us who eat raw foods, but it's worth repeating–to have beautiful hair, it's more important what you put in your body than what you put on your hair. We learn early on that we must keep our hair clean by shampooing regularly and we keep it from becoming brittle and dry by applying conditioner when we shampoo. Hair grows from ¼ to ½ inch every month, and the quality of that new hair is dependent on the nutrients we eat. A healthy diet will lead to stronger and healthier cells throughout your entire body, and this includes the skin, the fingernails, and oh yes, the hair. Heredity, of course, plays a big role in what kind of hair we were born with. If it's thin and fine, there's not a lot you can do to turn it into a mane made up of rope-thick tresses; even so, diet can make a difference according to nutrition and hair experts. I'm not talking here about those dietary supplements that are supposed to thicken your hair or make it grow faster. It simply won't happen. In fact, if you get an excess of some of those supplements, for example, vitamin A, you might experience hair loss. Go to the source: eat a diet generous in the nutrients that lead to good health of your whole body, and you will see a difference in your hair.
Antioxidants
Essential Omega-3 fatty acids are vital to scalp health. If you are not getting enough, you may have a dry scalp, dry hair, and hair that looks dull. Consider sprouts, especially broccoli sprouts. Cooking destroys the important enzymes that protect from free radicals and other toxic substances, so looking to raw foods, particularly sprouts, to increase antioxidants is one very good way to improve the condition of your scalp and hair. A particularly good anti-oxidant is flaxseed. One or two tablespoons of ground flaxseed daily can make a difference in the health of your hair.
Dark Green Vegetables
OK, so Popeye ate spinach all the time and didn't have any hair; but after all, he's only a comic book character. Real people need dark green vegetables–spinach is a good one–for vitamins A and C, which are required if the body is produce sebum, the oily substance in your hair follicles. This is a natural hair conditioner that doesn't cost you anything extra, except, of course, that you need to keep your supply of the vitamins up to par. In addition, dark green vegetables provide essential iron and calcium.
Beans
Would you believe that beans are good for your hair? It's true. Legumes should be high on the list of foods essential for good hair care. To begin with, they provide protein, which promotes hair grown; in addition, they also provide iron, zinc, and biotin. Biotin deficiencies don't occur very often, but when they do, dry, brittle hair is one of the symptoms. You can soak and sprout some beans but remember that some of them such as kidney bean cannot be eaten raw or sprouted.
Nuts
It's important to include a variety of nuts in your raw-foods diet for many reasons, not the least of which is the role they play in keeping your hair healthy. Brazil nuts provide selenium, a vital mineral for the health of your scalp. Walnuts provide alpha-linolenic acid, another source for omega-3. Walnuts also provide a lot of zinc as do cashews, pecans, and almonds. If you are short on zinc in your bloodstream, you may find that you are losing your hair, so be sure to include nuts in your healthy diet.
Carrots
This may surprise you because we think of them as contributing to eye health. However, they are an excellent source of vitamin A, which promotes a healthy scalp. If the scalp is not healthy, the hair will reflect it. Try to find more ways to include carrots in your raw-foods diet. They’re a great portable snack, they’re good grated on top of a salad, and they’re wonderful just crunched whole.
Think variety when you think of eating to keep your hair healthy. Don't just focus on one of these wonderful foods, but try to include all of them in a day's eating plan. Also, crash diets are really bad for the hair. A well-rounded diet is the way to go. Also, when you shampoo and condition, be sure you’re using natural, organic products.
By TTS Cofounder Omid Jaffari
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