What are the Best Nutrient-Rich Foods for Healthy Hair Growth?

If you are facing hair problems due to poor nutrition, you are advised to eat a balanced diet with the right nutrients to improve your hair health. Here are the 12 best foods you can eat to promote hair growth. 

12 Best Nutrient-Rich Foods for Healthy Hair Growth

What to Eat for Healthy Hair: 12 Best Foods for Hair Growth

Hair Nourishment

Healthy hair is an important indicator of one's health, and food is one of the most important factors contributing to building healthy and strong hair.

Therefore, a healthy diet must be followed in order to obtain healthy and shiny hair and to ensure that the hair grows correctly.

As the length of the hair changes monthly and increases in length from 1 to 1.5 cm per month.

This rate varies according to gender, age, race, genetic factors, and different lifestyles.

In this article, we will address the most important foods that must be eaten to nourish hair and scalp and get healthy hair free of problems.

12 Best Foods for Healthy Hair Growth

Among the most important foods that nourish the hair and provide it with the elements necessary for its health and the health of the scalp are as follows:

1. Chicken and Red Meat:

Chicken is a very rich source of proteins necessary for hair growth and preventing hair loss.

Also, red meat contains a high percentage of nutrients important for the health of hair, such as zinc, iron, and vitamin B.

So it is recommended to eat these foods in appropriate quantities daily because not eating them leads to hair loss and weakening gradually.

2. Fish:

The most important of fish are salmon, sardines, and shellfish, as these types contain a very high percentage of omega-3 fatty acids. 

Omega-3 has anti-inflammatory properties that prevent hair follicle inflammation — a factor that can directly contribute to hair loss.

Omega-3 provides essential proteins and nutrients to hair follicles and skin and promotes circulation in the scalp that may trigger hair growth, in addition to that it helps hair growth and keeps it shiny and complete.

3. Oysters:

Oysters are saltwater bivalve mollusks that live in marine or brackish habitats. Oysters are one of the best food sources of zinc.

Zinc plays an important role in the growth and repair of hair tissues and helps the glands of follicles to function properly.

A lack of zinc in the diet may lead to telogen effluvium - a reversible condition in which hair falls out after a stressful experience.

4. Eggs:

Keratin protein makes up about 70% of the hair and the loss of protein from the hair makes it damaged and weak.

Eating eggs that have high levels of protein promotes and strengthens hair growth and helps rebuild damaged hair.

5. Milk and Dairy Products:

Fat-free dairy products are very rich in calcium, which is necessary for healthy hair growth, as well as proteins that are important in providing essential elements for healthy hair growth, in addition to minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium, and vitamins B, C, E, A, and omega-3.

6. Vegetables and Fruits:

Eating fruits and vegetables continuously will provide the body with the essential nutrients to ensure the health and growth of hair.

The most important varieties of these foods are:

Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables: such as carrots, sweet potatoes, yellow apples, squash, melons, nectarines, yellow tomatoes, and pineapples.

They are very rich sources of beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A in the body, and this helps to produce essential oils for the scalp.

The lack of sufficient vitamin A in the body can lead to itching and dandruff.

All kinds of berries: cranberries, raspberries, and other varieties of berries, as well as strawberries, are a rich source of vitamin C, which supports the small blood vessels that feed the hair follicles and helps to stimulate blood circulation in the scalp, in addition to vitamin B, which provides cells with a large oxygen rate, and this helps to reduce hair loss and the chance of graying, in addition to stimulating hair growth and giving it a great shine.

Citrus: One of the best ways to ensure healthy hair is to get adequate amounts of the antioxidant Vitamin C necessary for the production of collagen in the skin.

 The most important citrus fruits are rich in Vitamin C include: orange, lemon, and grapefruit.

 For better and faster results it is recommended to rub fresh lemon juice into the scalp to eliminate dandruff in addition to stimulating blood circulation.

Avocado: Avocado is rich in beta-carotene and vitamins B and C, as these elements are necessary for the process of hair growth, in addition to vitamin E, which provides the cells with an adequate amount of oxygen needed, and strengthens hair from its roots, and stimulates the blood circulation of the scalp.

7. Dark-colored leafy vegetables:

Dark-colored leafy vegetables are lettuce, molokhia, spinach, radicchio, broccoli, arugula, and beets.

They are very rich in minerals, such as iron and calcium, which are important for healthy hair, in addition to vitamins such as vitamins A and C. These vitamins stimulate hair follicles to produce oily material (sebum), where they moisturize the hair and protect it from dehydration and split ends.

8. Seeds

The seeds provide a large amount of nutrients with a relatively small number of calories. Many of these nutrients may also help promote hair growth. These include vitamin E, zinc, and selenium.

Flaxseed provides a type of omega-3 fatty acid that the body does not use as efficiently as the omega-3 found in fatty fish.

Pumpkin seeds provide zinc, which enhances immunity and supports cellular reproduction, in turn promoting hair growth.

Sunflower seeds provide nearly 50% of your daily vitamin E requirements, with a wide variety of hair-healthy B vitamins.

Chia seeds are chock full of omega-3 fatty acids, protein, fiber, calcium, and phosphorous, making them a powerful hair strengthener.

If you want to get the widest variety of nutrients, you should consume a mixture of seeds.

9. Legumes:

Legumes are a rich source of biotin, which is important for hair growth, and the lack of biotin in the body leads to hair loss and its weakness. 

The most important legumes include beans, chickpeas, lentils, and other legumes.

10. Wheat and Whole Grains:

Wheat contains many essential nutrients that help to strengthen hair and stimulate its growth, the most important of which are the B vitamins, in addition to minerals such as zinc and iron, and these grains are also characterized by containing large amounts of healthy fibers that help supply the body with energy throughout the day.

11. Nuts:

Nuts are very rich in zinc and protein, as these elements are necessary to strengthen hair and make it soft.

One of the best nuts recommended for eating is Brazil nut because it contains biotin and omega-3 fatty acids in addition to selenium.

These nutrients work to promote healthy skin and scalp as well as prevent hair loss.

12. Almonds:

Almonds are rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that complete healthy and essential blood flow and promote hair growth. This, in turn, helps make the hair strong, shiny, and soft to the touch.

Almonds can help you fight hair issues and repair damaged hair and they can help your hair grow faster and thicker due to their high biotin content.

Eating about 14–15 soaked almonds, every day will go a long way in ensuring hair health and thickness. 

If you are facing hair problems due to poor nutrition, you are advised to eat a balanced diet with the right nutrients to improve your hair growth.