Baldness is caused by genetics and hormone levels, so changing your diet will not completely halt the balding process. However, there are certain foods that you can eat which many believe will help to slow the balding process greatly. Because certain foods contain vitamins and minerals that affect our hormones, it is easy to find foods that can lead to stronger and better hair growth.
Like most health issues, hair loss can be reduced by becoming more healthy: avoiding foods that lack nutritional value and prevent our bodies from working properly; and in some cases, adding a daily dietary supplement.
Vitamins
Vitamins B, E, and D are the vitamins that will go to work the hardest to prevent hair loss. All three work differently in the body, but together they can add up to a strong preventative hair loss team.
Vitamin D is a difficult vitamin to get enough of. It comes primarily from the sun (so some quick--not more than ten minutes--unprotected sun time can be a positive), but it is also found in dairy products, fish, liver, and some cereals.
It has been discovered that men suffering from hair loss are deficient in vitamin B, particularly B6. You can get a good amount of this vitamin from eating carrots, peas, beans, bran, and nuts. Vitamin E helps circulation and blood flow in the body and keeps your circulation up. It can help stimulate the scalp and increase hair growth. Good sources of vitamin E include almonds, peanuts, spinach, and broccoli.
Vitamin C, though not directly linked to hair growth, is an important vitamin as it aids in the absorption of minerals and other vitamins. Citrus fruits, strawberries, and blueberries are good vitamin C sources. It is possible to get all of these vitamins in supplement form. Make sure you speak with your health care provider before embarking on supplement use, as you want to ensure that you are not taking too much of any one vitamin. It is important to have a balance in the vitamins that you consume.
Minerals
Silica, iodine, zinc, and iron are minerals which can aid hair growth. Silica is not a mineral which is common in western culture, but it is the most important as it aids the absorption of other minerals that are important in hair loss prevention. The best and easiest way to get silica into your everyday diet is to eat oats, millet, barley, and algae.
Iodine is another mineral which is easy to come by in natural, healthy foods. Kelp, (cow's) milk, boiled eggs, and strawberries have high levels of the healthy kind of iodine. Iodine is also found in table salt, but this is not the iodine that will aid against hair loss. In fact, too much salt can lead to greater hair loss.
Zinc is a wonderful mineral for overall health, but it works for hair loss by helping natural oils to occur on the scalp, and like silica, it aids the absorption of other minerals. Zinc can be found in beef liver, lima beans, chickpeas, ginger root, and raw cashews.
Iron is a necessity for every kind of diet, and it goes a long way in helping prevent further hair loss. Seafood, such as oysters and tuna, have lots of iron, as does lean red meat and poultry. For vegetarians, the best iron sources are dark green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli), soy beans, almonds, raisins and apricots.
What to Avoid
High blood sugar levels have been found in most men who suffer from hair loss. Our modern diets consist of too much sugar, white flour, and preservatives and many doctors believe it is having an effect on our bodies in many ways, hair loss being a visible downside.
The best way to prevent your blood sugar level from rising too high is to avoid white sugars and flours, pastas, and fruit juices. All of these cause your blood sugar levels to spike too quickly. If you crave sweets, eat strawberries, raisins, apricots, prunes, or pecans; all of these contain the vitamins and minerals that may save your hair.
Supplements
The healthiest way to prevent hair loss and baldness is to eat a diet rich in vitamins and minerals. Though supplements are available and can be helpful in many cases, it is best to try to get all your necessary vitamins and minerals through your diet directly.
The problem many face when taking supplements is that they tend to overdo one or two of the vitamins and/or minerals and this can lead to more and faster hair loss. The best bet is to eat as healthy a diet as possible, and if you feel supplements would be a good choice for you, consult your doctor.
As you can see, many of the foods listed above contain two or more of the vitamins and minerals necessary to prevent baldness and all are healthy choices that will help your body in other ways. Start to cut out the sugars and get those vitamins and minerals moving through your system and you should start to see healthier, stronger hair.
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