Want thick, lustrous hair? Here’s what you should be eating

Healthy Hair

Is your barnet lacking lustre? For a healthy, shiny head of hair, eating well is key. Here’s how to eat your way to fantastic follicles…

Protein
Hair is made from protein, which is made up of essential amino acids, so for healthy hair you need to be eating protein-rich foods. Eat lean red and white meat, eggs, fish and shellfish, soya, tofu, nuts, seeds, pulses and beans. Protein should make up 30-40 per cent of your diet.

Complex carbohydrates
Many of the nutrients needed for healthy hair come from complex carbohydrates. Eat wholegrains such as brown rice, rye, oats, barley, buckwheat and quinoa. This group of foods should make up between 40-50 per cent of your diet.

‘Good’ fats
For shiny, healthy hair, you need ‘good’ fats, not the unhealthy, saturated variety. Good fats include sesame, pumpkin, hemp, flax, rape, walnut, olive and hazelnut oils. Avocado and oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna, sardines and pilchards are also great sources. Eat a handful of nuts and seeds a day, a couple of portions of oily fish a week, and use nut, seed or olive oil for cooking.

Vital vitamins
Certain vitamins and minerals are particularly good for your hair, including:

  • L-lycine, B12, B6 and vitamin C – these nutrients are essential for iron absorption. Lean red meat is the best source of both L-lycine and B12. Many fruits and vegetables contain vitamin C, especially red and green peppers, broccoli, kale, kiwi fruit and summer berries. B6 is found in oatmeal, salmon, walnuts, avocado, wheatgerm, lentils and brown rice.

  • Zinc – this mineral helps the body utilise protein and is therefore vital for healthy hair. Foods such as sesame seeds, liver, oysters and other shellfish and wheatgerm contain good levels.

  • Biotin – research shows that a deficiency in this nutrient, found in cooked egg yolk, beans, brown rice and liver, is linked to hair loss.

  • Iron – this helps to keep hair thick and lustrous. Foods rich in iron include organic lean red meat, wheat bran, pumpkin seeds, aduki beans and dried apricots.