Eating a healthy, balanced diet that provides a wide range of vitamins and nutrients is highly recommended for any kind of positive, long lasting changes to your body -- achieving longer hair included. Adding vitamins and supplements to your daily regime can be done by taking a pill or liquid form of that vitamin or supplement if you are not able to find foods that provide a natural source of it.
Supplements
The term "supplements" can mean a number of things, including vitamins. Supplements can also mean mineral, amino acid or herbal products as well as enzyme supplements. Taking supplements should not be done in place of a healthy diet. Supplements to promote hair growth, aside from vitamin supplements, include sources of protein. This can be done with liquid or food forms of protein supplements or increasing the protein you eat in your daily meals.
Vitamin E and Longer Hair
Vitamin E actually encompasses a group of antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight damage to cells, which helps protect your scalp and promote hair growth. Choose foods that boast antioxidant benefits and you'll be sure to have the hair-growing power that vitamin E provides. Some of these foods include almonds, hazelnuts, peanut butter, spinach, kiwi and tomatoes. Add a vitamin E supplement to your vitamin regime or be sure that your multi-vitamin provides this.
Vitamin A and Longer Hair
Vitamin A is also an antioxidant and is actually a trick term. Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute explains that Vitamin A is an umbrella term for quite a few nutrients that your body then converts into vitamin A. These include retinal, retinol, and beta-carotenes, to name a few. Vitamin A is essential in promoting hair growth because it aids in the growth of protective sheathing around nerve fibers. Foods high in these nutrients include fortified breakfast cereals, eggs and carrot; to name a few.
Longer Hair and the B-Vitamins
The B-vitamins are also essential in promoting hair growth. B-vitamins help your body convert food into energy, which intern helps your body produce energy for such things as hair growth. Niacin, also known as Vitamin B3, is found in yeast, wheat bran and lean proteins. Folic Acid, also known as folate, is found in fortified breakfast cereals, enriched grains, dried beans, avocados and leafy greens. Biotin, also called B7, is most accessible in egg yolks, nuts, sardines, soybeans, cauliflower, and bananas.
Zinc and Longer Hair
Zinc is a crucial mineral in promoting growth and development of cells in the body. This includes hair. Your body does not need a lot of it so eating foods with zinc for maintaining proper levels of zinc intake is best (reference 5) . Reach for wheat germ, pumpkin and squash seeds, tahini, chocolate, or peanuts. (reference 6) Adding the dietary benefits of these zinc-rich foods will help your body produce longer hair.
Member Comments