Everyone knows that eating a well-balanced diet and getting plenty of exercise is the best way to ensure healthy benefits, but as far as our hair and complexion is concerned, there are some specific "beauty foods" that prove to pack more punch than botox.
Beauty Foods for Your Hair
Your hair grows up to a half-inch every month and the foundation for hair is the nutrients we eat. Avoiding certain foods or going on a strict diet may be the worst thing you can do to your hair. Diets that are low in important nutrients and can lead to dullness or even hair loss.
Hair is essentially protein so chicken, nuts and low-fat dairy products are great promoters of hair growth. Lean red meat is the most easily absorbed source of iron which is essential for healthy hair but a lot of women tend to be lacking in this mineral. Legumes like kidney beans and lentils are great alternative sources of iron, not to mention provide ample zinc, biotin and protein.
Your body has a natural hair conditioner called sebum.
The oily substance that’s secreted by the hair follicles needs vitamins A and C to produce healthy hair and spinach, broccoli and Swiss chard are good sources of these.
If you can’t remedy thinning hair or excessive shedding with an improved diet, consult a specialist. There may be an underlying cause that needs immediate attention or you may simply require hair loss treatment.
Beauty Foods for Your Skin
We’ve all heard the mantra “you are what you eat” but studies suggest that way to beautiful skin may not be down the surgeon route, or the cosmetic aisle of Debenhams. Rather, what you put on your plate may be just as important as what you put on your skin.
Combat skin damage from the sun and aging with antioxidant-rich foods like green tea, spinach, broccoli, citrus fruits, and egg yolks. Salmon’s a great source of omega-3, as are walnuts, canola oil, soybeans and sardines. This essential fatty acid helps maintain cell membranes so they allow water and nutrients in and keep toxins out.
Get plenty of water too because dehydration makes the skin appear dull, rough and older and avoid sugary foods which can cause premature aging and wrinkles through inflammation of skin cells.
But you don’t need to miss out on the good stuff - red wine contains resveratrol, an antioxidant found in the skin of red grapes which has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Just don’t go crazy more than one glass and you risk too many free radicals that attack collagen and elastin, which accelerates aging.
Getting the Most out of Your Food
You shouldn’t rely on a pill to give you the nutrients you need. While skin and hair supplements can be beneficial for those severely lacking a particular nutrient, research suggests it's better to get your nutrients from whole foods. Experts believe it's the synergy between vitamins and nutrients in naturally occurring food that creates the optimal benefits.
More Information:
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The Belgravia Centre is a world-renowned group of a hair loss clinic in Central London, UK. If you are worried about hair loss you can arrange a free consultation with a hair loss expert or complete our Online Consultation from anywhere in the world for home-use treatment.
View our Hair Loss Success Stories, which includes the world's largest gallery of hair growth photos and demonstrates the level of success that so many of Belgravia's patients achieve.