If you're one of the many vacationers this summer who dread split ends and dried-out hair after a day at the beach or pool, or find that the sun isn't kind to healthy tresses, or discover that the partial weave doesnt look as good as in the magazines, there's a better alternative to hair extensions, minoxidil, and high-priced salons. You may be having a bad hair day because of what you put in your mouth. Studies by hair loss prevention researchers at MMT Research Inc. found that bad hair days abound when we don't get enough vitamins or protein. Bad nutrition causes hair loss (androgenic alopecia). In the April 2003 issue of Better Nutrition, zinc, for example, inhibits high levels of DHT, a form of testosterone that is linked to hair loss. Other inhibitors are amino acids such as L-arginine, essential fatty acids such as omega-3 (found in fish), lecithin, B vitamins, lutein, sulfur, iron, and minerals that help your magnificent mane. You can find these hair helpers in: Beans
Whole grains
Eggs
Salmon
Raw nuts
Flax and pumpkin seeds
Berries
Dark greens Salmon and greens also provide calcium for your teeth, so you're helping your hair and teeth. Berries are high in cancer-preventing antioxidants, and dark greens also contain lutein, which halts blindness and cataracts. So when you eat all of the above, you'll have a great hair day and look like you just had a day at a luxury spa. In 2004, Dr. Nicholas Perricones bestselling book, THE PERRICONE PROMISE, outlined a diet for hair that differs from the 2003 recommendations. Perricones hair diet may seem as much of a fairy tale as Rapunzel. (Remember, though, Rapunzels mom wisely decided to eat greens during pregnancy!) Dr. Perricones top ten hair superfoods are no secret to health enthusiasts: Acai berries that contain powerful antioxidants
Allium foodsonions, garlic, leeks, and shallots with powerful bioflavonoids
Barley rich in niacin, which helps hair growth
Wheatgrass, spirulina, and algae that cleanse the hair of toxins and provide essential fatty acids to build hair protein
Buckwheat (eat your pancakes), which Perricone says is richer in vitamins, flavonoids, and minerals than other grains (except barley)
Beans and lentils, for the same reasons as the 2003 study
Hot peppers, which contain capsaicin that stops the pain so you dont tear your hair out!
Nuts and seeds, which contain essential proteins, phytochemicals and fatty acids to build healthy tresses sand reduce signs of aging
Sproutstheyre great for a youthful body, including the body in your hair
Yogurt and kefir, which are said to promote longevity and health in people who live in the Caucasus Mountains in Russiaremember Julie Christies gorgeous hair in Doctor Zhivago? While you can eat your way to healthy hair, many hair formula supplements crowd the market. In general, a multivitamin containing biotin, especially multivitamins for women, will strengthen your hair, skin and nails. Be sure to compare vitamin supplements, and make sure you dont get an excess of vitamin D, which can lead to cancer as well as too much calcium that your body cant process. Dont count on supplements to save your hair. Also, dont expect to look like youve just stepped out of a hair commercial after changing your diet. Youll start to see healthier hair three months after you improve your regimen. You can jazz up your beauty routine with juicing, dehydrating, and sprouting. Better nutrition will help color-treated hair maintain its bounce, too. And drinking water is always a great idea. Youre worth it! |
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