Welcome to Swag My Way

10 Best Foods for Hair Growth – You Should Be Eating Everyday

Hair growth

Healthy, long and shiny hair is every women’s dream. Interestingly on average, your hair grows around 0.5 inches per month and 6 inches per year. How fast your hair grows depends on factors like age, genetics, environment, and diet. Although you can’t do anything about your age, environment and genetics, you can control one factor and that is your diet.

To accelerate hair growth, it’s essential to incorporate a healthy diet daily. We’ve put together a list of the foods to eat to promote hair growth.

Top 10 Foods That Help Your Hair Grow Faster

1.      Spinach:

Spinach
Image Courtesy: Pinterest

Spinach is packed with iron, folate, and vitamins A and C, which aids to promote hair growth. A bowl of spinach (approx. 30g) provides 54% of vitamin A. Vitamin A help the glands to produce sebum which moisturizes the scalp and keeps the hair healthy. Spinach is also a good source of iron which is an essential mineral for hair cells.

How to include in your diet:

You can consume spinach in the form of soup or a glass of unstrained spinach juice. You can even sauté spinach and add your seasoning and spices.

Pro Tip:

Don’t overcook spinach, you will lose out on the essential nutrients.

2.      Nuts:

Nuts
Image Courtesy: Pinterest

Nuts are packed with iron, biotin and sulphur which are the essential nutrients that help promote hair growth. Loaded with vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids, binging on nuts daily can help improve the blood circulation of the scalp and maintain healthy hair follicles. Nuts like walnuts and almonds are a good source of iron, vitamin E and protein which helps to strengthen hair from the roots and prevent hair loss. While figs and dates, are rich in iron and help to promote hair growth if consumed regularly. Eating a handful of nuts daily can leave you with strong, healthy, and shiny hair.

How to include in your diet:

You can eat nuts raw or roasted (in ghee/butter). You can even add them to your morning cereals or salads.

Pro Tip:

Eat nuts in controlled quantities as they are high in calories. And the best time to consume them is in the early part of the day, or better start your day with them!

3.      Avocado:

Avocado
Image Courtesy: Pinterest

Avocado is a good source of vitamin E which enhances blood circulation and maintains the pH balance in the body. It protects the hair follicles from getting clogged and promotes hair growth.

How to include in your diet:

You can add avocado to your salad or blend it into the smoothie.

Pro Tip:

Cut the avocado just before you want to eat. Otherwise, it will get oxidised and turn black.

4.      Berries:

Berries
Image Courtesy: Pinterest

Apart from being tangy, sweet and delicious berries are loaded with vitamin C. Vitamin C helps in iron absorption and collagen production, the two factors that promote hair growth.

How to include in your diet:

Strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blueberries, blackberries—take your pick! And start popping them in your mouth. You can even add them to your breakfast cereals or salads or simply blend them into a smoothie/milkshake.

Pro Tip:

 Avoid adding sugar to milkshake/smoothie and relish the natural sweetness of the fruit.

5.      Whole Grains:

Whole grains
Image Courtesy: Pinterest

Whole grains like wheat, barley, and oats are loaded with biotin and are also a good source of iron, zinc, and vitamin B. Biotin helps in cell proliferation and plays a vital role in producing amino acids that promote hair growth.

How to include in your diet:

You can opt for whole-grain breakfast cereal, oatmeal or whole-wheat toast. Ensure you replace refined flour items with whole-grain roti, bread, buns and pasta.

6.      Sweet Potatoes:

Sweet Potatoes
Image Courtesy: Pinterest

Sweet potatoes are loaded with beta-carotene. The body converts this compound into vitamin A. Vitamin A helps in sebum production and boosts hair follicle growth while giving your strands a glossy finish.

How to include in your diet:

Sweet potato is a versatile vegetable root and can be consumed in a variety of ways. You can simply boil or roast sweet potatoes and consume as a snack or make vegetable and eat with roti/bread. You can even make chips or fries in the oven or add them to vegetable soup.

Pro Tip:

Try replacing potatoes with sweet potatoes wherever possible.

7.      Seeds:

Image Courtesy: Pinterest

Seeds like flax and chia are rich sources of omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin E which help to promote hair growth. They contain natural oils, which are beneficial for the scalp and help in maintaining pH levels.  

How to include in your diet:

You can consume flaxseeds raw/roasted or add them to your breakfast cereals or smoothie. Chia seeds are awesome when soaked, try adding them to your smoothie or milkshake. 

Pro Tip:

Consume flaxseeds in limited quantities as they are known to cause heat in the body

8.      Citrus Fruits:

Image Courtesy: Pinterest

Vitamin C is essential for absorbing iron in the body and citrus fruits like sweet limes, oranges, and grapefruit are a natural source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is also required for collagen production that makes capillaries that connect to the hair shafts and supply essential nutrients to the hair, hence promotes hair growth.

How to include in your diet:

Eat oranges, lemon, sweet limes and grapefruits raw or add them to your salad. 

Pro Tip:

Eat the whole fruit rather than drinking juice.

9.      Carrots:

Image Courtesy: Pinterest

Carrots are high in vitamin A which helps the scalp in generating sebum (natural oil) that keeps the scalp and hair roots healthy.

How to include in your diet:

Eat carrots raw just like Bugs Bunny! Or else you can juice it or add it to your salad or soup.

10.    Legumes:

Image Courtesy: Pinterest

 Legumes such as lentils, peas, chickpeas, beans, soybeans are rich in protein, iron, zinc, biotin and fibre. These nutrients help in hair growth and make your hair look fab all the time.

How to include in your diet:

You can use pureed beans as dips and spreads. Try adding black beans and chickpeas to salads. Start snacking on soy nuts instead of on chips or crackers.

Deficiency of essential nutrients like iron, biotin, zinc, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, B, C, D, and E can slow down hair growth.  Following a healthy diet can help you achieve healthy and strong hair. Hence, include the above mentioned healthy foods for hair growth in your diet after consulting your doctor and dietician.

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *