Foods that cause hair loss: do NOT eat this!!

Many people spend thousands on hair products, unaware that the real culprit behind their thinning hair might be sitting on their dinner plates.

While genetics play a major role, your diet can either fuel hair growth or accelerate shedding.

To help you make better choices for your scalp health, we have summarized the most common dietary triggers and their healthy alternatives in the quick-reference guide below.

Quick Guide: Food Swaps for Healthier Hair

What foods can cause hair loss?

Food is essential for hair, just like for our body, and plays a very important role in strengthening our hair against diseases or external aggressions.

Of course, that does not mean that our hair problems can be solved just with food: but it is true that a poor diet can aggravate the problems that we may suffer in our hair or scalp.

Actually, when we refer to bad foods that cause hair loss, the recommendations are not very different from those that any nutrition expert can give us about which is the best diet for our body’s health: after all, everything that we eat ends up affecting our hair.

Let’s see below a list of some of the foods that increase hair loss, and that we should NOT eat if we want to take care of our hair:

High-Sugar Foods and Insulin Resistance

Our diet usually includes an excessive consumption of sugars (soft drinks, industrial pastries, sweets, etc.), which is not only unhealthy for our body but also for our hair.

An excess of sugar causes an increase in stress levels in our body, and reduces vitamins B and E levels, which are very necessary to keep our hair strong and healthy.

Processed Meats and Preservatives

Although some cold meat (chicken, turkey, etc.) are healthy due to their low content of saturated fats and cholesterol, in general, consumption of cold meat increases fat and cholesterol levels, and stimulates the production of the hormone testosterone.

In addition, a diet with too many fats increases the risk of having excess of sebum in the scalp, which ends up affecting the functions of hair follicles.

Salt

Salt not just affects our heart and causes hypertension; an excess on salt also affects our hair health. Salt not only contributes to dry hair, but also weakens the hair structure, slowing down its growth and accelerating hair fall.

Fatty foods

As with cold meat, fatty foods in general are not good for health and we must do everything possible to reduce them in our diet, due to their high content of salts, sugars and fats.

It´s not just about fatty foods, but also fried foods, processed food… All of them stimulate the production of testosterone, which in turn accelerates the production of dihydrotestosterone (DHT): the hormone directly responsible for hair shedding in pattern hair loss, the most common cause of baldness.

And of course, fast food stimulates hair loss, too. So, it is recommended not to eat too much fatty foods, as they cause hair loss.

Alcohol

Although in limited amounts and with low graduation, it can have some beneficial effects, alcohol is a bad ally for health in general and for hair in particular.

Excessive or frequent alcohol consumption causes dehydration in scalp and in follicles, making hair more fragile and brittle; in addition, alcohol reduces the absorption of trace elements such as zinc, a mineral that precisely regulates and limits the production of DHT.

High-Mercury Fish (Swordfish & Mackerel)

Fish, in general, is a very healthy food, rich in proteins and low in fats, especially in what concerns to oily fish;

the problem comes when we consume certain large fishes – such as bluefin tuna or swordfish – or seafood in abundance, since they usually have high concentrations of mercury, which causes hair loss (among other problems).

However, it must be underlined that, according to studies, we would need to eat very large amounts of fish or seafood on a regular basis to experience a negative effect on our hair or on our health.

Healthy food for hair loss

Of course, there are bad foods for hair health, but also good ones. We already explained in another recent post what food is good for hair growth: so, if you wish to learn more about the subject, we invite you to take a look at that article.

A healthy diet – like the Mediterranean diet – is one of the best allies for our health in general, and for our hair in particular.

A list of healthy foods that protect the health of our hair, includes the following:

1. fruits (oranges, kiwis, avocados)
2. vegetables (spinach, broccoli, carrots)
3. eggs
4. legumes (soy)
5. brewer’s yeast
6. milk
7. mushrooms
8. lean meat
9. oily fish (salmon)
10. nuts

In general, the most important thing is to follow a varied, rich, balanced diet, in which fresh and healthy foods prevail and where we minimise those that can be more harmful to our body.

As with foods that cause hair loss, a diet that includes healthy foods is not going to solve -unfortunately – our alopecia, nor is it going to recover our lost hair if we suffer from male pattern hair loss.

Our recommendation: if you observe any symptom of hair problems, consult a specialist.

As a leading hair restoration hub in Istanbul, Clinicana specializes in all advanced hair treatments. [Ask for a free consultation and estimate], with no obligations. We are waiting for you!

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