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Last Updated on October 17, 2023
When it comes to hair growth, there are certain things that you don’t have control over, like your genetics, if your hair type is prone to dryness, or how long your hair follicles are programmed to grow hair in the anagen growth phase before they move on to be shed.
But, there may be a few things you can do that may help max out the health and overall growth rate that your hair is capable of. Certain foods can help give the hair follicles a concentrated boost of hair healthy vitamins, minerals, proteins, and hair building blocks, to help keep growth on track.
Below, we will cover some of the very best foods to help support healthy hair growth.
- Eggs
As it turns out, eggs are like a little edible and tasty hair vitamin all wrapped up in a shell.
Eggs have protein, biotin, zinc, and selenium to make sure your intake of these is adequate.
Protein and biotin deficiency can cause hair losses or slowed growth, and biotin helps the body make the main hair protein, keratin. So, bumping up your intake to required levels may help you reap the hair benefits if you were previously lacking.
However, if you are watching your cholesterol levels, take it easy on the eggs or talk to your doctor before including them in your diet.
- Spinach
Spinach can make you strong, right? Well, the same may go for your hair.
Spinach provides the body with a boost of iron. And, since low iron states have been linked to hair loss or slowed growth, keeping your iron levels adequate can set you on a path towards hair growth. Vegans, vegetarians, and women who are mestruating may be more prone to iron deficiency, so keeping a contrant supply of this leafy green on hand can go a long way to help keeping your iron levels normal.
In addition to iron, spinach packs a punch of nutrition with vitamin C, vitamin A, and folate. All of these are good for your hair, and the vitamin A helps ensure a healthy scalp oil production to keep your scalp moisturized and healthy.
- Berries
Berries are packed with vitamin C and other antioxidants. These help scavenge free radicals all throughout our body that can damage your cells, in cluding the free radicals in your scalp.
Vitamin C also helps boost the production of collagen, which helps build and provide strengths and structure to hair.
If you hair tends to be brittle and weak, even at the roots, up your berry intake to help give your strands some strength.
- Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes have a ton of beta carotene in them, which gets converted in vitamin A in your body.
This vitamin A helps your scalp produce oils to stay moisturized, and may also help boost hair growth to a healthy level, while promoting thicker hair growth.
- Cruciferous vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables include all the veg that you may not have been a fan of growing up – broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussels sprouts all fall into this group.
These vegetables may have a pungent smell and taste to some, but they are packed with hair healthy folate.
Folate helps with healthy cell division which plays a large role in healthy hair growth, and a deficiency could lead to slowed growth.
- Avocados
Fish aren’t the only way to get your omega 3s in your diet. Avocados are a vegetarian source of omega 3s as well as an easy and delicious addition to salads, sandwiches, or tacos.
Omega 3s are antiinflammatory, and they also provide a source of healthy fats to nourish the scalp and hair. Making sure you are consuming enough omega 3s may help keep your hair looking shiny, glossy, and silky.
Jill Barat, is a Doctor of Pharmacy at Strut Health with a unique background in specialty pharmacy, innovative compounding products, supplements, and integrative medicine with a passion for helping patients live their best lives.
