The food you eat is responsible for the nutrition your hair receives.
Healthy, strong, and lustrous hair are desired by both men and women and it can be pretty distressing to start noticing your hairline receding or patches of hair missing.
While people generally attribute hair problems to genetics, stress, environmental and health factors, another surprising factor is a person’s diet. You might be surprised to know that a poor diet can make your hair condition worse and speed up hair loss.
For the sake of your hair, avoid these foods because they are known to trigger and contribute to hair loss.
1. Fried foods
Consumption of high fat, fried foods and hydrogenated oils will not only make you obese and give you cardiovascular diseases, but it can also make you lose hair.
These foods are laden with monounsaturated and saturated fats which can lead to increased testosterone levels and potentially increase the levels of DHT hormones as well.
DHT is a byproduct that is related to alopecia. Also, the hydrogenated oils can suppress essential fatty acids needed for hair growth and also clog pores.
2. Alcohol
Alcohol contributes to hair loss in several ways. Firstly, it can create a nutritional imbalance in the body system which can lead to the death of hair follicles.
Alcohol also has a negative impact on the synthesis of essential proteins in the body, including keratin. Keratin is the protein which gives structure to the hair.
Additionally, alcohol is dehydrating and regular consumption makes your hair dry and brittle till they eventually fall off.
3. Diet soda
Diet soda contains an artificial sweetener called aspartame which researchers have found to cause damage to hair follicles. People experiencing hair loss should avoid diet soda completely as it may be a trigger.
4. Raw egg whites
Eggs are great for hair, but they should not be consumed raw because raw egg whites result in biotin deficiency. Biotin is the vitamin that helps in the production of keratin.
5. Fish
If you notice you start losing chunks of your hair all of a sudden, you probably need to avoid eating fish for a while because the high levels of mercury present in some fish can contribute greatly to hair loss.
Seawater fish like swordfish, mackerel, and some varieties of tuna are rich in Mercury.
