Nutrition can make—or break—your hair. Your hair requires and thrives off of nutrients, just as the rest of your body does. When it doesn’t receive these nutrients for a prolonged period of time, it can cause your hair to become weak, thin and fragile and begin to fall out. Sometimes what you eat can also make you hair fall out. Changing your diet can help encourage normal hair growth and promote stronger, healthier hair.
Poor Nutrition
When you do not consume adequate amounts of iron or protein in your diet or you suffer from malnutrition, you can begin to suffer from hair loss. MayoClinic.com reports that crash diets, fad diets and eating disorders can cause hair loss. Aside from iron and protein, the American Pregnancy Association notes that other nutrients such as vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, vitamin E and zinc are also important when it comes to growing a healthy head of hair and reducing hair loss.
Reversing Your Diet
If your diet is not rich in vitamins and other important nutrients, you can begin to see hair loss or thinning of the hair. A healthy diet should consist of six to 11 servings of grains, such as bread, cereal, rice and pasta, as well as three to five servings of vegetables, two to four servings of fruits, two to three servings of dairy and two to three servings of meat, nuts and other sources of protein, according to Health.gov. Fats, oils and sweets should be used sparingly to avoid unnecessary weight gain. Including a wide variety of foods in your diet can help ensure you’re getting plenty of vitamins for your hair and body, which will result in normal hair growth and hair loss.
Diet That Causes Hair Loss
While it’s unlikely that eating even the unhealthiest food—within reasonable moderation—would cause hair loss, sometimes your diet can cause your hair to fall out. Certain diseases, such as celiac disease, can cause your hair to fall out when you eat foods that contain gluten, according to FamilyDoctor.org. When a person has celiac disease, gluten foods can cause a variety of health problems such as hair loss, dental problems, lactose intolerance, dermatitis, canker sores, anemia and osteoporosis. If you have celiac disease, you can reverse hair loss and avoid other problematic symptoms associated with diet by eating only gluten-free foods. FamilyDoctor.org states that not only can you reverse hair loss, but you will also begin to feel better physically.
Considerations
If you suffer from hair loss, talk to your physician about possible causes. It may or may not be caused by diet. Certain supplements can cause hair loss or you could have a genetic disorder that causes hair loss. It’s important to eat a healthy diet so making better diet choices can only benefit your hair as well as the rest of your body, but it’s still important to find out exactly what’s causing your hair loss. Even if your hair loss is caused by a nutritional deficiency, your doctor may be able to find an underlying cause, such as a malabsorption disorder, that is causing a nutritional deficiency. Once the underlying health problem is treated, the nutritional deficiency is likely to correct itself.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Hair Loss: Causes; Mayo Clinic Staff; July 2011
- MayoClinic.com: Hair Loss: Prevention; Mayo Clinic Staff; July 2011
- FamilyDoctor.org: Celiac Disease; FamilyDoctor.org Editorial Staff; Oct. 2010
- MedlinePlus: Malnutrition; June 2011
- American Pregnancy Association: Pregnancy and Hair Loss; March 2007
- Health.gov: Dietary Guidelines; Build A Healthy Base
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