There are numerous reasons why you can have hair loss or tend to lose hair. Nevertheless, the major thing that ensures that you have a healthy hair is your nutrition. The two likely causes of hair loss are genetic factors and eating if unhealthy food. Eating the foods that cause hair loss, can make your hair to fall drastically.
A healthy diet can prove to be beneficial to your hair but, when you consume too much of something, then it isn’t ideal if you are looking to prevent hair loss.
Most people usually conclude that hair loss is genetically inherited and there is little or nothing you can do to solve it.
The truth is what we eat, and hair health goes hand in hand, and there are certain foods you should avoid to prevent hair loss, as well as certain types of food that you have to eat for a good a good hair. If you are worried about the hair loss and are looking for ways to avoid hair loss, then avoiding these foods that cause hair loss might help reduce your hair loss issue.
7 Foods that Cause Hair Loss
1. Refined Carbohydrates
Refined carbohydrates which are present in many meals such as cakes, biscuits, ice cream, bread and white flour are very high in sugar. Too much of sugary foods may lead to indirect hair loss. It has been shown that carbohydrates reduce the body’s ability to handle stress and stress is one of the main contributing factors to hair loss. So if your stress levels go up, this will consequently lead to an increase in hair loss.
Furthermore, when the body utilises refined carbohydrates, it produces large quantities of insulin, which also hurts your hair. Food that contains refined carbohydrates should be avoided if you feel your hair is falling off, faster than usual.
On the other hand, consuming complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potato early, beans and bananas can be beneficial to your hair; they are high in fibre, improves digestion, and aids steady blood flow to the entire body and scalp which immensely enhances your hair follicles.
2. Sugary Cereals
These foods have high glycemic indices and contain artificial colouring agents which are known to cause blood sugar spikes which explained earlier can lead to hair thinning.
A typical western breakfast is usually milk, sugary cereal and a whole lot of sugar, no wonder why men in the west lose hair at a very young age.
Cereals offer a high glycogen dose, but the problem is when they remove the natural fibre from it, in return this causes it to digest and absorb slowly into our bodies. The removal of this natural fibre causes an insane sugar spike in the bloodstream to which the body responds by releasing ridiculous amounts of insulin which again is a contributing factor to hair thinning.
3. Oily and Fatty Foods
Fatty foods tend to clog up arteries and could be a death trap for your skin and scalp. Consuming fatty foods on the regular can lead to miniaturisation of hair follicles, restricted blood flow and clogged sweat pores. Clogging of these vital sweat pores can lead to entrapment of DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) and other harmful hormones that can trigger hair loss.
Now, most people would suggest that using a good shampoo can reopen these clogged follicles.
However, most people tend to avoid shampoos because they also contain chemicals that may destroy hair follicles. Therefore, if you want to avoid the hassle of finding a good shampoo switching your diet to a less fatty one is the way to go about it.
Do oily foods cause hair loss?
Oily foods are typically high-fat, fried foods that have huge amounts of hydrogenated oils and this may lead to hair loss. Diets that contain excessive amounts of unhealthy oils and fat leads to increased testosterone levels, which in turn causes male pattern baldness.
4. Sugar-free drinks
When people tend to opt for a sugar-free diet, they often jump on the conclusion that Sugar-free drinks, ice creams and other edible items are the way to go about it. However, sugar-free foods contain aspartame, an artificial sweetener. According to the FDA, aspartame can cause hair loss and thinning ofmm of the hair along with some diseases such as arthritis, bloating, depression, impotence and sexual problem, so it’s better to stay away from foods that have an artificial sweetener completely.
There is little research that suggests that sugar-free diets causes hair loss. Medical experts have shown that sugar-free diets promotes inflammation. Which makes the hair follicles to fall off.
5. Dairy Products
Dairy can destroy hair follicles because of its highly acidic nature and its ability to cause allergic reactions. The primary reason why acidic foods can cause hair loss is that they can trigger allergic reactions leading to a cascade of immune responses in which our body tends to destroy cells, tissues such as hair follicles in a process called inflammation. The result will be constricted blood flow which leads to hair loss and hair thinning.
Dairy products itself aren’t harmful, but the pasteurisation process that it goes through is. The pasteurisation process destroys an enzyme that allows us to digest dairy in the first place. Without it, our bodies have a hard time digesting products such as milk. All pasteurised dairy products that we consume is digested by the bacteria and secreted as waste products in the body which again can be a contributing factor to hair loss.
Furthermore, dairy also blocks pores resulting in pasty skin. This can cause follicle miniaturisation and thinning hair.
6. Large amounts of Selenium
Some research has shown that selenium is actually good for hair growth, however, foods that contain a high amount of selenium can cause hair fall. Although the body does require traces of selenium because it will be considered as an antioxidant but if taken in large amounts can lead to hair loss.
Selenium is a mineral found in the periodic table that’s known to help the body’s immune system and also works to prevent damage to cells and tissues. Furthermore, it is also known to help fight cancer, cardiovascular diseases and thyroid diseases. Being that as it may, an overdose of Selenium can trigger hair loss.
The NHS recommends men get 0.075mg a day, while women have 0.06mg a day.
Sources of food that contain a high amount of selenium include Brazil nuts, tuna, oysters, and whole wheat bread.
7. Alcohol
A significant amount of alcohol will reduce the levels of zinc in your body, and zinc is a vital mineral for healthy hair and growth. Drinking alcohol also dehydrates your hair, making it more brittle and likely to fall.
9 Foods that prevent hair loss
Since you’ve read about the foods that cause hair loss, which you have to avoid, there are certain minerals and vitamins you can take to control your hair fall. As mentioned before, nutrition is a critical player in managing your hair loss; here are a couple of vitamins, minerals and foods that you have to eat for a good set of hair.
1. Vitamin C
Vitamin C doesn’t only help us fight flu, but it also plays a significant role in synthesising collagen. Lemons and oranges have an abundant amount of Vitamin C that can resist your hair from falling off, plus, you can also take supplements in a controlled fashion.
Research conducted in 2012 compared two groups of women, one which took a placebo and another consumed Vitamin C. The women who had Vitamin C in their diet experienced less hair fall as compared to the other group.
2. Protein
Almost all the time hair loss will occur due to a lack of protein. Not only consuming a healthy amount of protein will build lean muscles, help in weight loss but it can also stop hair thinning.
A recent study conducted in 2017 proves that lack of nutrients can have a direct effect on hair loss.
3. Vitamin B
The B family of Vitamins can prove to be a useful ally in beating hair fall. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is a well-known vitamin that prevents hair from growing grey, and it is present in abundance in shellfish and poultry.
4. Carrots and Sweet Potatoes
Carrots are primarily known by many to be good for the eyes because of the sufficient concentration of Vitamin A present, plus, they can give you long and beautiful hair as well. Sweet potatoes contain beta carotene which acts a converter; it converts Vitamin A for our body to be utilised. A deficiency of either Vitamin A or Beta-Carotene can leave you with a dry or itchy scalp.
5. Oats
Incorporating a big bowl of oats in your breakfast can be the cure to your hair fall. Oats have everything you need, fibre, zinc, iron, omega-6 fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) all of which stimulate hair growth.
6. Walnuts
You can add walnuts to your diet to prevent hair loss. Walnuts contain biotin, vitamins from the B family (B1, B6 and B9), vitamin E, protein and magnesium all of which are required for a good set of hair and scalp.
7. Lentils
Lentils are full of protein, iron, zinc, and biotin. Furthermore, they are full of folic acid which the body needs for red blood cell formation. An ample amount of red blood cells is necessary for a healthy skin and a healthy scalp, which explains why people are going for Carboxytherapy (A treatment to increase red blood cells in a localised area) to get rid of wrinkles, stretch marks and to prevent hair loss.
8. Strawberry
Strawberries have a considerable amount of silica, which is a vital mineral for hair strength and growth. Also consider taking rice, oats, onion, cabbage, cucumber and cauliflower to keep your silica levels up.
9. Spinach
Spinach is a great source of iron, a mineral which the body needs for the normal functioning of red blood cells and Vitamin A and C which are antioxidants. Among other factors, researchers think that iron deficiency is the most common reason for hair fall which is why adding spinach to your diet can prove to be useful. Moreover, spinach is not only iron-rich, but it also contains sebum which acts as a natural conditioner.
ALSO READ:
- What are the Types, Causes and Symptoms of Hair Loss?
- Top 10 Healthy Ways To Grow Your Eyelashes
- 7 Excellent Tips To Protect Your Hair This Summer
- The Causes of Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling Disorder)
