Anyone who has a pet knows that hair is affected by diet; switch your dog or cat to a nutritionally rich pet food and watch how dryness disappears and the coat becomes lustrous. What’s good for Fido is good for you, too.”The same thing happens when sufficient nutrients are added to the (human) diet,” says Ronald Hoffman, MD.
All the hair-revitalizing products you can find on the shelf won’t save your hair if you aren’t nurturing your body with fresh, nutritious foods. A food plan crammed with a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables high in vitamins and antioxidants, whole grains for minerals, nuts and seeds for vitamins and minerals, and meat for iron will get your hair looking its best, suggests Lynn Grieger, RD, CDE.
“The fiber from fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes is good for your body and hair,” says Grieger, whose healthy Hair Diet incorporates eight to ten glasses of water and juices a day to hydrate hair, leaving it silky and shiny. A fortified breakfast cereal and soy products rich in phytoestrogens will help your body get the other nutrients it needs.
Lily Morgan, author of Beauty, health and Happiness and founder of Lily of Colorado, a botanical skin care company based in Denver, has her own ideas on what should appear on your healthy-hair plate. Her list of foods necessary for hair health: whole grains, brown rice, oatmeal, brewer’s yeast, cold-pressed olive oil, organic vinegar, nuts sunflower seeds, chickpeas, cauliflower and lentils. Biotin and essential fatty acids, along with the seaweeds, kelp and wakame, also enhance hair, says Morgan. –Susan Weiner
