Hair Loss and Diet

You think diet has nothing to do with hair loss or improving hair growth? Well think again. Hippocrates said, “Your remedies shall be your food, and your food shall be your remedies”, many years ago in ancient Greece.

With that said, it is important to look at what you eat to help strengthen, promote hair growth and in some cases, if taken with an herbal supplement, stop hair loss. To help drive the point on the importance of diet, in promoting healthy hair, here is the result of a study done in Japan. Normally in Japan, hair loss was not normal, but recently it was found that more and more Japanese men were beginning to lose their hair. The study found that the main reason for this is that the Japanese men are turning to a more western diet, rather than the traditional Japanese diet.

So what should I change in my diet to promote healthy hair? Having lived in Japan for four years, I am very much aware of the eating habits of the Japanese. Their traditional diet consists of large amounts of fish and poultry dishes. It also consists of lots of fruits and vegetables and very little red meat. They also eat a lot of soy products and seaweed. I never got into eating seaweed, and you do not need to get into it either.

The diet that many of the specialists recommend to stop hair loss and promote hair growth is:

* Complex Carbohydrates: These come from fruits, vegetables and beans.
* Monounsaturated Fats: These are obtained from olive oil and nut oils. Some specific oils recommended are extra virgin olive, cashew oil, avocado oil, etc.
* Lean Protein: This means cutting out red meat and eating more poultry such as chicken and turkey. Also include more fish. Especially fish that is high in Omega – 3. It is all right to have one serving of lean red meat a week.
* Soy Products: There are lots of products now made with soybeans. I especially enjoy the soy burger found in the freezer section of your grocery store and other soy products. I do not eat tofu I do draw a line…

If you follow a diet like this, to improve your hair, you my want to also take a herbal supplement that specially targets the hair to prevent hair loss, and promote hair growth. These supplements have specific ingredients that target the hair and scalp, to prevent hair loss and encourage hair growth.