No one is immune to thinning hair—and that goes for women as well as men.
Sure, we all hope to hold on to a thick, shiny mane well into retirement. But you’re in good company if your hair has other plans. And for many people, that means finding more and more strands in your hairbrush or bathroom sink. And a whole lot fewer on the top of your head.
At that point, you have two options. You can wave the white flag and invest in a new hat collection. Or, you can fight the good fight and start getting serious about your nutrition. Because despite what you may have heard, hair loss isn’t always inevitable.
Halt hair loss with every forkful
And believe it or not, filling up on the following five foods may be the key to keeping baldness at bay…
1. Eggs:
Eggs are an unbeatable source of biotin—a B vitamin your body needs to grow unbreakable hair and nails. If you have thinning hair (or brittle nails), it can be a big clue that you need to boost your biotin levels.
Clinical research shows that a daily biotin supplement can halt loss and foster new growth in women with thinning hair. But a daily omelet can help to do the trick, too.
2. Meat:
Iron deficiency is a major contributor to thinning hair—especially in pre-menopausal women. In fact, according to one study, up to three-quarters of ladies in this group could suffer from anemia-related hair loss. If your hair started thinning before menopause, you may be one of them.
If you suspect your iron stores are low, see your doctor to be tested. He’ll most likely prescribe an iron supplement if you turn out to be anemic. But a heaping helping of pasture-raised red meat, pork, or poultry will help give your body the iron boost it needs if you’re simply running low.
3. Seaweed:
You won’t find a better natural source of iodine than seaweed—and your thyroid won’t find a better ally. That’s because your thyroid gland needs a steady stream of iodine to work properly. But if you’re not meeting your quota? Well, thinning hair will be one of your first signs that something is amiss.
Luckily, seaweed snacks are trendy these days—and grocery stores have caught on. So you definitely won’t have to go deep sea diving to get all the incredible benefits this ocean vegetable has to offer.
4. Oysters:
Oysters are a goldmine of zinc. And since low levels of zinc are a common hair loss trigger these shellfish could be the answer to your hair related prayers. According to experts, zinc deficiency damages the hair shaft. Research has also linked low levels of the trace mineral to alopecia—a cause of pattern baldness in both women and men.
The good news? One study showed that more than half of alopecia patients reported noticeable benefits with a daily zinc supplement. But bellying up to the raw bar will help to boost your levels of this critical mineral, too.
5. Leafy green vegetables:
Leafy greens like spinach and kale are rich in folate—a critical B-vitamin (known as folic acid in its synthetic form). This nutrient keeps your follicles in good working order by boosting a chemical called PABA—which helps protect your hair, starting at the roots, to keep it from falling out.
As an added bonus, a recent study found that folate, B12, and biotin—all abundant in leafy greens—also protect against those pesky gray hairs. Which means if you play your cards right in the kitchen, you’ll be safeguarding the color as well as the quantity of your locks.
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