Ten Superfoods For Healthier, Faster Growing Hair

Good nutrition is extremely important for healthy hair and it's one of the first things you should work on if you're experiencing hair loss, excessive damage or slow growth. One of the best eating plans for hair - one rich in protein, essential fatty acids and anti-oxidants - was actually put together by a skin doctor to stave off wrinkles.

Dr. Nicholas Perricone's book, The Perricone Promise: Look Younger, Live Longer in Three Easy Steps (Warner Books, 2004), outlines the foods you should include and those you should avoid if you want great skin. The program will also greatly improve the condition of your hair, especially if poor nutrition is contributing to your hair woes.

The One Nutrient You Can’t Do Without if you want Healthy, Shining Hair

Essential Fatty Acids (or EFAs) are vital for healthy hair growth. In fact, EFAs have even been found to block the enzyme that creates DHT, a follicle-damaging androgen that causes hair loss.

Dr. Perricone, a certified dermatologist, is an expert at using EFAs to keep wrinkles at bay. He's considered the father of fish oil because he was one of the first serious proponents of fish oil supplements as well as wild salmon for supplying the body with much-needed essential fatty acids necessary for supple skin and healthy hair growth.

These “good fats” are called Essential Fatty Acids because your body can’t manufacture them. Therefore, it’s essential that you get them from food or supplements. A deficiency in EFAs shows up as slow hair growth, excessively dry hair, and even hair loss.Foods such as wild salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, sardines, olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocado are all rich in EFAs and should be part of any healthy hair diet.

Ten Superfoods For Hair Growth

In addition to eating EFA-rich foods, Dr. Perricone recommends the following "Ten Superfoods:"

1. Acai: Dr. Perricone calls this Brazilian berry "one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world." Acai contains antioxidants, healthy fats, dietary fiber, phytosterols, amino acids and minerals, all of which are vital to healthy hair growth.

2. The Allium Family: This family of foods includes garlic, onions, leeks,

scallions, shallots and chives. They contain flavonoids that help the body

eliminate toxins and carcinogens. These foods are also rich in Sulfur, a mineral

that’s found in high concentrations in the hair, skin and nails. Sulfur, often known

as the “beauty mineral,” keeps hair shiny and strong.

3. Barley: Dr. Perricone recommends this low-glycemic grain for its high fiber

content. It's also a good source of Niacin, the B vitamin important for healthy hair

growth. Niacin helps improve circulation to the scalp, which can kick-starrt slow

hair growth.

4. Green Grasses: Wheat and barley grasses, blue-green algae, spirulina

and chlorella are recommended for their EFA content as well as their ability to

clear the body of toxins.

5. Buckwheat: Dr. Perricone says Buckwheat is even "better than grains"

because it contains more vitamins and minerals, healthier fats, more fiber

and flavonoids for circulatory health. Better circulation means more nutrients

are getting to the growing hair follicle.

6. Beans & Lentils: Dr. Perricone calls beans (kidney, black, navy, pinto),chickpeas, soybeans, dried peas and lentils "an anti-aging dietary necessity."

Without this rich source of protein, hair follicles can shift into a resting phase.

7. Hot Peppers: Hot peppers contain capsaicin, which has "anti-inflammatory,

analgesic, anti-cancer, heart-healthy effects." Capsaicin can help create ahealthy scalp with a plentiful supply of nutrient-rich circulation.

8. Nuts & Seeds: Nuts and seeds contain a plentiful supply of protein, fats,

vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that are essential for reducing the

visible signs of aging, including thin, dry, lifeless hair.

9. Sprouts: The highly nutritious result of a seed as it starts growing into a

vegetable, Dr. Perricone says sprouts (mung bean, alfalfa, radish and onion) are

a concentrated source of living enzymes necessary for a healthy, youthful body,

including hair and skin.

10. Yogurt & Kefir: These probiotic milk products are believed responsible for

the longevity of the peoples of the Caucasus Mountains of southern Russia.

Yogurt & Kefir help maintain a healthy digestive system, which ensures anadequate supply of nutients to the body. If your body isn’t getting what it needs, your hair will be the first to suffer.

Foods to Avoid for the Sake of Your Hair

You’ve probably heard it before, but it bears repeating. If you want a healthy body, healthy skin and healthy hair, you need to cut down on your fat intake, especially animal fat. Animal fats lead to too much cholesterol in the system. An excess of cholesterol can actually raise testosterone levels and cause slow growing hair and even baldness. For the healthiest hair, your best bet is to eat smaller portions of lean meats.

An Excellent Way to Start Growing Healthy Hair

If you're interested in jump-starting your nutritional recovery for healthy hair, I recommend trying Dr. Perricone's "Three-Day Nutritional Face-lift." It's chockfull of protein, EFAs and anti-oxidants and will indoctrinate you into a new way of eating that's both delicious as well as great for your hair. You can find it here:

Remember that it takes approximately three months for any dietary changes to show up in your hair growth, so be patient and enjoy the benefits to your skin and overall health as your hair's condition begins to improve.

http://www.drperricone.com/3-day-diet.html