Dr Apoorva Shah writes a piece on how nutrition plays a role in the growth and maintenance of our hair.
Healthy looking hair is a reflection of good health. The health of your hair depends a lot on what you consume, as goes the famous saying ‘you are what you eat’. Without proper nutrition hair cannot thrive. Lack of certain nutrients can lead to slowed hair growth, dry and brittle hair, flaky scalp and hair loss. The answer to these hair and scalp problems is hidden in having a balanced diet and leading a healthy lifestyle.
Eating healthy food enables you to grow stronger and healthier cells throughout your entire body, which in turn strengthens your hair. Hair is made of protein; hence make sure you have an adequate amount of protein in your diet. For a healthy lifestyle and healthy hair production, certain foods play a very important role.
Here’s a list of some yummy food that can dramatically improve your hair:
Cottage cheese: Try low-fat cottage cheese for a protein-packed breakfast or lunch on the go when you don’t have time to cook eggs. Top it with some fresh berries for an added serving of fruit. Plus, cottage cheese is also a good source of calcium.
Soya beans: Soy is a great source of protein for vegans. It also contains a substantial amount of iron and Vitamin E. Iron is an important part of haemoglobin production. 
Haemoglobin is responsible for getting oxygen to the tissues of the body. Without it, your hair won’t grow. Vitamin E helps with the absorption of oxygen in the blood. Soya has flavonoids which help to treat Androgenic Alopecia.
Almonds: Almonds are good sources of vegetarian protein, iron and Vitamin E. They also help to lower cholesterol, helping you avoid having to take cholesterol-lowering drugs which actually cause hair loss.
Milk: Milk has absorbable iodine. It’s impossible to overdose on iodine from food sources. Only food sources like iodised salt may cause an overdose.
Spinach: Eat all the spinach you can for healthy hair. Spinach like broccoli and Swiss chard is an excellent source of Vitamins A and C, which your body needs to produce sebum. The oily substance, secreted by your hair follicles, is the body’s natural hair conditioner.
One should include Dark green vegetables which provide iron and calcium to hair and body.
Apart from eating the above mentioned food, you have to maintain a healthy lifestyle which would in turn result in beautiful lustrous hair. Smoking and lack of sleep can also affect how your hair looks and feels. Hormonal imbalances due to undisciplined life style have irreversible damaging impact on hair. Love your body and let your body love you back!
Dr Apoorva Shah is India’s leading and first certified trichologist, with over 25 years of experience in hair care.
(Pictures courtesy respectnatural.wordpress.com, doctor.ndtv.com)