The 7 Best Foods You Can Eat for Healthy Hair

We’ve all heard the old adage before: you are what you eat. So, if you’re on the hunt forhealthier, shinier, and stronger hair, one of the best ways to help yourself reach your goals is to implement nutrient-rich foods into your daily diet.

The science checks out: hair is made up of a protein fiber called keratin, which means eating foods rich in protein helps promote strong hair particles that don’t go brittle and break—and when it comes to ensuring your hair texture remains silky and smooth, look no further than foods high in minerals iron and zinc. 

THE BEST FOODS FOR HEALTHY HAIR

Ready to begin eating your way to healthy hair? These are the very best foods you can eat for an incredible mane.

1. Spinach

Yes, we know that Popeye was bald—but he was also on to something. Spinach is loaded with beta carotene, a plant pigment that the human body converts into vitamin A, one of the most powerful anti-aging vitamins for our bodies. Spinach helps keep our hair moisturized and strong.

2. Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are similarly high in beta carotene. Deficiencies in Vitamin A can lead to indicators of poor hair health, such as dandruff and dull, lifeless hair, so eat up.

3. Almond Butter

Almond butter is full of the potent antioxidant vitamin E, which will not only help keep your locks thick, but has been demonstrated to help increase hair growth by as much as 34.5 percent over eight months.

4. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is full of polyunsaturated fatty acids that you can obtain through your diet. Incorporating oats into your diet will give your body a boost of zinc, iron, biotin and omega-6 fatty acids, which will help keep your hair strong and, just as importantly, on your head.

5. Avocados

Avocados are loaded will essential fatty acids that your body can only receive through diet; additionally, they’re loaded with the antioxidant vitamin E, which helps combat oxidative stress and protects areas of the skin, such as the scalp.

6. Legumes

Beans, beans, the musical fruit, the more you eat, the… shinier and silkier your hair will become! Beans, lentils, and other legumes provide the body with a substantial dose of protein, iron, and zinc, which can help promote hair growth.

7. Red Bell Peppers

Many people think of citrus fruits when they think of vitamin C, but did you know that a single cup of chopped red bell peppers actually has almost three times as much vitamin Cas an orange? Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron and helps protect hair follicles against harm from free radicals.