Luscious locks and strong nails are often seen as signs of good health, and while genetics and certain health conditions play a role, diet is a crucial factor you can control. Eating a well-balanced diet rich in essential nutrients is key to maintaining healthy hair, skin, and nails.
How Food Choices Affect Hair Growth
"Your food choices affect anything growing on or in your body," says Dodd. Brittle, straw-like hair and hair loss can be signs of an unhealthy diet lacking in nutrients. Hair follicles in your scalp help hair grow. Chemicals, overheating, trauma, and poor nutrition can damage these follicles, stunting hair growth and causing hair to fall out. Fortunately, you can help protect your locks and stimulate hair growth by choosing the right foods.
Key Nutrients and Foods for Hair Health
The foods promoted in the Mediterranean diet are among the best for hair health,” shares Dodd. This eating plan focuses on plant-based foods, whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats.
Protein: Hair, skin, and nails are primarily made of keratin, a protein. Lean meats, like chicken and fish, provide protein and iron. Iron carries oxygen to all cells in your body, which is how hair grows. Low iron (anemia) can cause hair to shed faster than it grows. In addition to lean meats, you can get protein from plant sources.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Salmon, herring, mackerel, and other fatty fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats have anti-inflammatory properties that minimize oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when molecules called free radicals damage cells in your body. This damage can affect any part of your body, including hair follicles. Other good sources of omega-3s include flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and avocados.
Read also: Healthy food access with Highmark Wholecare explained.
Biotin: Egg yolks are high in biotin. This B vitamin helps make keratin. While one study shows a connection between low biotin levels and hair loss, other studies have yet to prove that getting more biotin means growing more hair. Still, biotin is essential for making amino acids. These molecules are the building blocks of keratin and other proteins.
Selenium: Whole grains have selenium, an essential mineral that keeps your thyroid gland healthy. Thyroid disease can cause your hair to stop growing, become brittle, or fall out. But even people who don’t have thyroid issues need selenium to regulate thyroid hormones and promote hair growth.
Vitamin A: Leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, and leaf lettuce, have vitamin A. This fat-soluble vitamin helps make sebum, the oily substance that moisturizes your scalp and keeps hair healthy. A vitamin A deficiency can cause a dry, scaly scalp and poor hair growth.
Vitamin C: Fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C act as an antioxidant to minimize inflammation that affects hair growth and leads to hair loss. Your body also needs vitamin C to make collagen. This protein strengthens your hair, so it’s less likely to become straw-like and break. Foods high in vitamin C include blueberries, strawberries and other berries, carrots, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, orange and red peppers, oranges and grapefruit, spinach, sweet potatoes, potatoes and squash.
Water: Dehydration dries out your scalp, slowing hair growth. Drink at least 64 ounces (2 liters) of water a day unless you have a health condition and need to drink less. Water-rich foods also contribute to hydration, including cucumbers, watermelon, celery, apples, peaches, tomatoes, lettuce, cantaloupe, watercress, and strawberries.
Read also: Satisfy Your Cravings with Whole Foods
Diet and its Impact on Skin and Nails
Eating a well-balanced diet can help you maintain healthy skin, hair, and nails. After all, health starts from within.
Skin: The nutrients found in plant-based foods may promote the appearance of healthy skin and enhance the skin's barrier function. Although further research is needed to confirm these benefits, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and good fats is undoubtedly a good choice for the body and skin. If you're experiencing dry skin, a nutritious diet and plenty of water work together to hydrate your skin from the inside out.
Hair: Research states that the Mediterranean diet - which is rich in raw vegetables and fresh herbs - and a diet that includes isoflavone-rich soy may promote the appearance of healthy hair and hair growth in those with alopecia.
Nails: Research found that every nutritional deficiency can contribute to the quality of nail growth. So, if you have been eating poorly, you may be experiencing thin and brittle nails. A diet that focuses on the primary amino acids that make up collagen may support the health of your nails as you age.
Foods to Include in Your Diet
Here are some foods that experts recommend including in your diet for healthy hair, skin, and nails:
Read also: Healthy Eating on the Run
Fatty Fish: Seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids can benefit the hair and skin. Omega-3 fatty acids could help reduce inflammation and redness in the body and skin. They’re also a rich source of protein, the powerful antioxidant vitamin E, and biotin, a nutrient that supports keratin production. Fish she recommends are salmon, herring, and mackerel. These fish are also loaded with protein - 14.2 grams per cup.
Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes are rich in the carotenoid beta-carotene, which is a precursor for vitamin A. Vitamin A promotes keratin production and is essential for skin and nail health. The anthocyanins in purple sweet potatoes have anti-oxidant properties that may improve skin inflammation. Antioxidants can also help protect against free radicals, which can trigger premature aging.
Nuts and Seeds: Some seeds, particularly sunflower seeds, are good sources of biotin, protein, and vitamin E. Nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, also boast the antioxidant vitamin E, which helps combat oxidative damage. Vitamin E also boasts anti-inflammatory properties that may help absorb energy from UV light and protect against skin damage and visible aging signs, like fine lines and sun spots. Walnuts are rich in omega-3 and vitamin E, which can reduce inflammation and promote cell health to help strengthen your nails and give them a shinier appearance.
Avocados: Avocados are rich in healthy fats and nutrients that promote skin and nail health, including vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin E. Eating fruits and vegetables was linked to skin health and noted that vitamin C intake is usually associated with consuming produce. Vitamin C could help with collagen production and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
Eggs: Protein is an essential part of a hair-healthy diet. Our hair is made of a protein called keratin, so a diet insufficient in protein may make hair brittle. Eggs are one of the few foods nutritionists look to as a good source of vitamin D. By regulating calcium levels, vitamin D will help your nails (and bones) grow strong. Those sunshine-y yolks also offer biotin and healthy fats, so think twice next time you fry up an egg-white omelet. Finally, eggs are a source of sulfur. While the smell does tend to make you feel a little queasy, sulfur is actually very important for nail growth.
Dark, Leafy Greens: Loading up on leafy greens provides the body with plenty of nutrients that can benefit the hair, skin, and nails. Examples of dark, leafy greens include spinach, kale, swiss chard, bok choy, and collard greens. Kale, arugula, watercress, spinach, and collards can supply you with enough iron, folate, and calcium to keep your nails strong. That means no more splitting your nails when you try to take the batteries out of the TV remote.
Oysters: Oysters are an excellent source of zinc. These fish are also loaded with protein - 14.2 grams per cup.
Water-Rich Foods: Some foods have high water content, including cucumbers, watermelon, celery, apples, peaches, tomatoes, lettuce, cantaloupe, watercress, and strawberries.
Berries: Berries, especially blueberries and strawberries, are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants rid the body of free radicals, or unstable atoms in the body that can damage healthy cells and cause illness. Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties that may help increase blood flow through our body, including our scalp, and hair follicles are stimulated-supporting the growth of our hair.
Beans: Beans, such as black beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans, contain high levels of nutrients like protein, iron, zinc, biotin, and folate, which experts have explained are all essential for healthy hair follicles and scalp circulation, and may promote hair growth. Beans specifically contain a great deal of biotin. Biotin, also known as vitamin B7, is often found in popular hair, skin, and nail vitamins. Beans are also incredibly versatile, and there are over 400 varieties of beans grown all over the world!
Greek Yogurt: It’s packed with protein, the building block of your locks. Greek yogurt also has an ingredient that helps with blood flow to your scalp and hair growth. It’s called vitamin B5 (known as pantothenic acid) and may even help against hair thinning and loss. You may recognize pantothenic acid as an ingredient on your hair and skincare product labels.
Cinnamon: Sprinkle this spice on your oatmeal, toast, and in your coffee. It helps with blood flow, also called circulation. That's what brings oxygen and nutrients to your hair follicles.
Lentils: Lentils are a good source of iron. Iron helps to transport oxygen to the cells in our body which may promote hair growth. When someone is iron deficient, also known as anemic, it is not uncommon to see hair loss.
Broccoli: Broccoli is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, and biotin. With scalp-boosting vitamins A and C, along with keratin-producing biotin, this combo is sure to support healthy hair growth.
Red Bell Peppers: Red bell peppers are high in vitamin C and vitamin A. With vitamin C’s important role in collagen production, and vitamin A’s role in sebum production, both vitamins do wonders for your scalp health.
Carrots: Carrots are high in vitamin A and vitamin C. Orange foods like sweet potatoes and carrots are also high in carotenoids, which are known to protect against UV damage and help improve skin elasticity, hydration and texture-win-win for healthy hair and glowing skin!
Lean Poultry: When you don't get enough protein, hair growth "rests." Since it stops and older hairs fall out, you can have hair loss. To get protein from meat, pick lean options like chicken or turkey, which have less saturated fat than sources like beef and pork. These provide collagen and are high in protein, both of which are crucial to your nail health.
Bone Broth: By harnessing the nutrients found within the bones, bone broth delivers collagen and easily-digestible protein to the body. Collagen is necessary for hair, skin, and nail health. There are collagen powders and even coffee creamer available, but I like the simplicity of bone broth.
Beer: Beer does contain silicon; in fact, it contains a great deal of the stuff. Our bones, cartilage, and nails crave silicon for its strengthening properties. All that to say: you don't have to feel guilty about cracking open the occasional cold one.
Foods to Consume in Moderation
While no food is entirely off-limits unless you have an allergy or intolerance, some foods are better enjoyed occasionally.
Alcohol: Alcohol dehydrates you and preoccupies our bodies with filtering it out, thus preventing our bodies from doing their normal day-to-day maintenance, which includes working to sustain our skin and nail health. Heavy drinking was associated with facial aging signs, including under-eye puffiness, midface volume loss, increased blood vessel visibility, and upper facial lines. Moderate drinking was linked to undereye puffiness and midface volume loss.
Processed Foods: These foods can run the risk of causing inflammation in the body, which would be harmful for our skin and nail health. Foods to consider “once-in-a-while” treats include sweet, fatty, or salty packaged snacks, candies, cookies, and cakes, mass-produced packaged bread, margarine, cereals, instant soups and noodles, and processed meat and cheese. Processed food intake may increase the risk of atopic dermatitis. Some studies linked food processing methods like frying and high-fat diets to skin aging.
Ultra-Sweetened Drinks: Sugary diets can increase skin aging. Low-glycemic diets may help prevent hair loss during menopause. Limit consumption of soda, juices, sweetened iced tea, and coffee with large amounts of sugar.
The Role of Supplements
There’s some evidence that supplements can prompt hair, skin, and nail growth. Still, it is advised to be careful and consult with a provider. Don’t think of supplements as a replacement for a diet rich in healthy foods. It’s important to note that supplements should not be a substitute for your regular diet. Instead, use supplements in conjunction with the whole foods that you’re consuming. A small, older study of 71 patients indicated biotin could help strengthen nails. Another study from 2011 suggested omega-3 supplements may help reduce skin damage from UV ray exposure. Most nutrients can be obtained through food alone.
Vegan Options for Hair, Skin, and Nail Health
Though protein has been linked to hair and skin health, it’s possible to get those benefits-and others-if you follow a vegan diet. Recommendations include nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits and vegetables, plant-based sources of iron, such as dark leafy greens, and soy-based foods like tofu, tempeh, and soy milk.
Additional Tips for Healthy Hair
When it comes to growing your hair faster, “eating well is a great start. But a holistic approach will help you achieve the best results.”
Pay close attention to scalp care: Regular scalp massages, gentle cleansing, and exfoliation can improve circulation and create a healthier environment for hair growth. Using a scalp mask to soothe and nourish the scalp may boost hair growth by creating an optimal environment for the hair follicles to thrive.
Manage stress levels: Chronic stress pushes hair follicles into the resting phase of hair growth, which can lead to shedding and slow regrowth. Try exercise, meditation, and good sleep. Fight stress with antioxidant-rich superfoods like blueberries, dark chocolate (in moderation), and cashews.
Be gentle on your hair: Limit heat and chemical damage from things like excessive heat styling, bleaching, or harsh hair treatments, which can all break and thin the hair. Always use a heat protectant spray before styling!
When to Seek Professional Help
You can make most of the changes that can improve the appearance of your hair, skin, and nails on your own. However, you should see a professional if there is a significant change in the condition of your hair, skin, or nails. Also, there are myriad conditions that can affect the nails including fungal infections, nail dystrophy (a fancy way of saying "ugly nails"), and ingrown toenails. If you're embarrassed by the appearance of your toenails, you shouldn't wait to seek treatment. In fact, the sooner you make an appointment, the sooner you'll be able to enjoy flip-flop season without a care in the world.