Shiny, thick and healthy locks of hair are everyone’s dream. Many people take great care of their skin care but tend to ignore their hair, failing to realise that your expensive outfit and glowing skin will lose their appeal if your hair looks bad. If you want healthy, it needs a proper care regimen. Two most common problems are hair loss and grey hair, but both are preventable to some extent if you take some measures well in time. Hair health and eating habits are directly correlated to each other. Are you eating fresh and healthy? Take some time out to know what you should eat for gray hair and hair loss.

Food for prematurely graying hair: Gray hair often causes embarrassment if it appears at an early age and leaves no choice but to dye your hair. There are certain foods that can help if your hair follicles stop making pigment at an early age.

Mushrooms and grey hair: A great way to fight against grey hair is eating mushrooms. Mushrooms help prevent white hair from spreading by helping hair follicles to create pigment. It is a popular remedy in China.

We are what we eat

Beef liver for black hair: Copper and folic acid deficiencies in the body are a major cause of premature graying of hair. Beef liver is rich in copper and zinc. Both these elements are remarkable for premature grey hair. Eat cow liver thrice a week and enjoy black and shiny hair.

Chicken boosts B12: Deficiency of Vitamin B12 does not only leads to premature white hair but causes other health issues too. Along with eggs and milk, chicken can really boost B12 levels in your body.

Go green: Eat as much green vegetables as possible for prevention of gray hair because they are an easy natural source of folic acid, Vitamin B6 and B12. Try to include leafy vegetables in their raw form in your daily diet.

Eat walnuts: A major cause of premature gray hair is deficiency of copper. Walnuts contain copper which is an important source to increase production of melanin, which gives hair its pigment. Wouldn’t it be better to eat a handful of walnuts daily and avoid visits to the salon for dye?

Delicious berries: Any kind of berries, especially blueberries, can be a great help in preventing grey hair. They increase intake of vitamin C, vitamin-B complex, zinc, copper and iodine in your body and promote good hair health. Deficiency of all the above elements is the root cause of gray hair. Daily intake of blueberries increases the production of melanin pigment and helps in reducing gray hair.

Lentils stop grey hair: Amino acids play an important role in retaining hair colour. Lentils increase red blood cell production as they are a natural source of B9 and B12.

Food for hair loss

What you eat shows not only on your skin but on your hair too. If you want to retain the natural, smooth and fine texture of your hair, have a balanced diet, which should be rich in proteins, vitamin C and A, omega 3 fatty acids and iron, etc. A nutritious diet keeps your hair moisturised and healthy, prevents hair breakage, dandruff and hair loss. Here are some foods which are good for preventing hair fall.

Carrot boosts carotene: Carrots contain high amount of carotene which is considered best to prevent hair fall. Drinking carrot juice daily or eating carrots can help add volume to your hair and stop hair loss.

Yoghurt for healthy hair: Yoghurt is rich in proteins, and provides antioxidants that help in hair health and growth. Yoghurt is so important for healthy hair, you could call it scalp food.

Prevent hair fall with spinach: Spinach is rich in vitamin A and C, and iron, and makes your hair lustrous, long and strong.

Hair loss and strawberries: You can see a significant difference in hair fall if you eat strawberries regularly. These are rich in vitamin C, which helps prevent hair breakage.

Eggs for breakfast: Lack of vitamin B leads to hair loss. Eggs include a combination of vitamin B, protein and iron. Their daily intake aids in hair growth and adds shine to hair. They are also great protectors against dull and dry hair shafts.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, May 8th, 2016