Beautiful hair simply adds on to your personality.
Our hair grows around 0.5 inches per month and about 6 inches per year. However, the growth of our hair depends on a lot of factors such as diet, hair care, age and also genetics. You can’t alter factors like age and genetics but tweaking diet can help a lot in improving condition of your hair.
ESSENTIAL MICRONUTRIENTS FOR HAIR GROWTH :-
Correcting a deficiency in any of these nutrients may help to treat hair loss and promote the rate of hair growth. Each micro-nutrient has a role to play in our body.
1. VITAMIN A :
All cells need vitamin A for growth and hair is the fastest growing tissue in the human body.
Vitamin A helps to make an oily substance called sebum which moisturizes the scalp and helps to keep hair healthy. It could also speed up the rate of hair growth and encourage the growth of thicker hair.Vitamin A deficiency can result in damage to hair follicles and hair loss. Inadequate amounts can slow down your body's process of building new cells.
Rich sources of Vitamin A :-
Eggs, fatty fish, Milk & milk products.
Yellow, red and green (leafy) vegetables such as spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes and bell peppers.
Yellow fruits such as mango, papaya and apricots.
2. VITAMIN B COMPLEX :
B Vitamins are good for hair growth. There are eight type of B vitamins which works comprehensively & independently in every cell to perform many different vital roles. One of them in particular, called Biotin is widely promoted as an alternative treatment for hair loss. It helps to
improve keratin levels in our body, which promotes hair growth.B-complex plays a key role in producing red blood cells, which carries oxygen to the scalp, that helps hair follicles generate new hair.
Rich sources of Vitamin B :-
Milk & milk products, eggs.
chicken & red meat, liver.
Fish, such as mackerel, seer fish(surmai) & salmon.
Dark green vegetables, fruit vegetables, whole grains & cereals.
Beans like kidney beans, black beans & chickpeas.
Nuts and seeds.
3. VITAMIN C :
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect against free radicals caused by the oxidation. In addition, our body needs vitamin C to create a protein known as collagen which is an important part of hair structure. Vitamin C also helps our body in iron absorption, a mineral necessary for hair growth.Strawberries, peppers, guavas and citrus fruits are all good sources of vitamin C.
4. VITAMIN D :
There is some evidence that having a vitamin D deficiency can cause hair loss. Vitamin D stimulates hair follicles so, when the body does not have enough, the hair may be affected.The main source is sunlight exposure.
Egg yolk, oily fish, liver & mushrooms can provide smaller proportions of total vitamin D.
5. VITAMIN E :
A potent fat-soluble antioxidant, that helps to protect our cells from oxidation, which is linked to hair loss and gray strands.
Rich sources of Vitamin E :-
Sunflower, safflower, and soybean oil.
Pumpkin & Sunflower seeds, Almonds, Peanuts.
Pumpkin, Tomato, Broccoli, Spinach.
Mango, Avocado, Kiwi. Salman & Shrimp.
6. IRON :
Iron is an essential element for blood production.It helps to boost circulation and carries oxygen to our hair roots, which helps the hair grow faster and longer. An iron deficiency can lead to hair loss.
Rich sources of Iron :-
Whole grains specially Ragi.
Beans & Lentils (Chickpeas, Red kidney beans, Bengal grams, Moth beans, Soybean).
Green leafy vegetables (such as Spinach, Amaranth, Colocasia leaves).
Fruit Vegetables (Cauliflower greens, Tomato, Capsicum).
Fruits such as Pomegranate, Apple, Melons, Berries, Banana, Kiwi, Oranges.
Dry fruits like Dates, Raisins, Apricot, Figs.
Nuts such as Peanuts, almonds, walnuts, cashews.
Seeds like Pumpkin, watermelon, fenugreek, niger, sesame & garden cress seeds.
Non-vegetarian food like lean meat, chicken breast, liver, eggs, crab muscle.
7. ZINC :
Zinc plays an important role in hair tissue growth and repair, as it helps in carrying vitamin A to your whole body. It also helps keep the oil glands around the follicles working properly.Zinc helps to keep hormone levels regulated, which is one of the reason why it is so effective in preventing and treating hair loss.
Rich sources of Zinc :-
Meat, shellfish like oysters, crab & shrimp, eggs.
Legumes like chickpeas, lentils and beans.
Pumpkin and sesame seeds.
Nuts such as pine nuts, peanuts, cashews and almonds.
Milk and cheese.
Whole grains like wheat and oats.
8. CALCIUM :
Calcium is an important mineral for hair growth and the overall health of your hair, as one of the main reasons for hair loss is calcium deficiency.When there is a sufficient amount of calcium, you will gain thicker hair. Also, your hair would grow faster.It is required for proper absorption of vitamin C as well.Rich sources of Calcium :-
Whole grains specially Ragi (Millet).
Beans & Lentils like Bengal & Black gram, Mothbeans, Rajmah, Soybeans.
Milk & milk products.
Green leafy vegetables such as Amaranth, colocasia leaves, curry leaves, fenugreek leaves.
Fruit vegetables like Cauliflower greens, Broccoli, Cabbage, Okra.
Nuts like Walnuts, Almonds, Cashew, pistachio, figs.
Seeds mainly Sesame, Poppy seeds, Garden cress, Niger, chia & linseed seeds.
Non-vegetarian food like Hen, lean meat, crab muscle, egg & Fish like Mackerel, Salmon, Surmai, prawns, Bam.
A healthy eating and a good care of your hair is the most important to keep your hair healthy and growing.
Please stay tuned and keep watching this space for healthy foods, essential fruits and hair care tips.
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