7 Nutrients You Need for Healthy Hair
Healthy hair is more coveted than the perfect pair of jeans but sometimes more elusive than the perfect avocado. While we don’t all hate the Pantene lady for being beautiful, we do have a little ounce of envy at what happens when she swings her mane around in slo mo. Why? Because when we swing our dry, brittle, over-processed, or just generally damaged hair around, it kinda just stays in one place. And then we swing in the other direction to make sure it wasn’t just a directional fluke, but nope. Kinda just stays in place. So what’s a girl to do to get those frazzled locks back to being commercial worthy? EAT! As much as I love trying the latest beauty products and believe in many of them, my expertise is fixing us all from the inside out. So when it comes to sporting healthy hair, I always turn to my fork rather than the fancy stuff in a bottle. The healthier you are on the inside, the healthier you’ll look on the outside. Your hair is no exception. 7 Nutrients You NEED for Healthy Hair: B Vitamins: Go for quinoa oatmeal, brown rice, strawberries, green leafy vegetables, chicken and salmon. They contain the B vitamins niacin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, B6 and B12, which are responsible for strengthening hair follicles and increasing circulation to the skin. They work to stimulate hair follicles to grow healthy hair. The complex of B vitamins is important because all of these vitamins work together. Researchers have shown that B vitamins play a role in a reduction in hair loss, a decrease in gray hair as well as longer, shinier hair. Biotin: You don’t often find me telling you to eat liver, but it’s a very good source of biotin, which is also a B vitamin. Biotin gets special attention for its role in stimulating new cells and re-growing lost hair. It’s still up in the air as to whether or not biotin supplementation, shampoo and hair products can do the same work as biotin in the diet, so make sure chow down on these great sources: nuts, eggs, Swiss chard, whole grains and halibut. Zinc, Selenium and Iron: You’ll find zinc in oysters, red meat, shellfish and legumes. Selenium is abundant in butter (yes, a little organic grass fed butter is good for you!), garlic, whole grains and fish. And, iron you’ll find in dark greens, grass fed meat, sunflower seeds and even dark chocolate. These minerals assist the body in repairing damaged hair and strengthening hair follicles. You need every strand you have, so eat foods rich in these minerals to keep your stylist in business. Protein and omega 3s: You’ll find protein in nuts, seeds, legumes, meat and fish. Focus on fish when it comes to hair because you want both protein and omega-3s to help your hair and grow shiny. Aside from adding these uber nutrient foods to your diet, if your hair is on the dry side, don’t wash it daily – 3 or 4 times a week is probably plenty. The oils on your scalp can revitalize the shine to your hair, so don’t go scrubbing them away with shampoo every day. Also, limit heat based styling tools, such as blow driers and straightening irons (yes, ladies you can do this!) which can rob the hair of moisture. If you need an immediate shine and repair for your otherwise lackluster mane, food comes to the rescue, yet again. Use one of these ingredients to add instant pizzazz. You can apply the below foods to just the dry parts of your hair, or your whole head. Avocado Argan oil Beer Moroccan oil Olive oil Nutrient deficiency shows in your hair not just your mood, friends. If your diet is somewhat lacking, a multivitamin may not be a bad choice to help make the most of your pony. So there you have it. Healthy hair starts with what goes in your mouth. So the next time you’re having a bad hair day, make it a good food day.
3 Edible Seeds That Make Awesome Snacks
I’m nuts about seeds. Edible seeds, to be specific. Seeds play a major role in what I tell my clients to eat. I’m all about recommending that they add flax meal (ground up flax seeds), chia seeds and hemp seeds to oatmeal, quinoa, yogurt and baked goods. I push poppy and hemp seeds in muffins and breads. I tell moms and dads to use sunflower seeds for their little leaguer’s snack bag and there is no way I can make it through the fall season without reminding everyone to save their jack-o-lantern seeds to toast up with a little cinnamon of course. I’m not telling you to retire your nuts – I mean, I’m always going to be nutty – (sorry, couldn’t help myself with that one) – but I hope you broaden your horizons with a little variety of edible seeds. 3 of My Favorite Edible Seeds: Sunflower Seeds Let’s start with a queen bee of seeds, the sunflower. I’m a huge fan of sunflower seeds. Like most seeds, they’re super low in the allergen world, so parents can easily give them to kids with nut allergies (a great substitute). They are high in protein and fatty acids, vitamin E (an important antioxidant), minerals such as manganese, magnesium, copper, selenium and phosphorus (important for blood, skin, nerve and many other metabolic functions), and B vitamins (think energyyyyyyy). For 200 calories in a ¼ cup, they make a great snack and the best part is they require ZERO prep! Yep, just eat them straight out of the bag. Sunflower seeds were made famous by baseball players, who gave up chewing tobacco and bubble gum for… sunflower seeds in their shells. While it’s certainly not attractive to watch grown men spit little pieces of shell, spitting vs. swallowing the hulls is up for some debate. The shells of the seeds are tasty and mostly made up of insoluble fiber, which is important for keeping bowels regular and a great tool for slowing down speed-eaters. If you choose to swallow them, chew the sharp, fiber rich coverings very well so you do not risk damage to your digestive tract. Chia Seeds I remember when chia was launched into mainstream culture as Chia Pets. Whoever knew that those silly potted plants came from seeds that are a veritable nutrition power house? High in protein, fiber and omega 3 fatty acids, chia seeds are super easy to incorporate into any meal. But many of us still forget how easy it is to sprinkle them on a salad, stir into yogurt or smoothies, or add to bread crumbs. One tablespoon has only 70 calories and will contribute greatly to feeling satisfied. If you haven’t jumped on this one yet, get going, the flavor is really mild and the little bit of crunch is all YUM. This seed is a no brainer addition to your diet. Pumpkin Seeds The kids look forward to the carving part, but when I’m digging in to a pumpkin, all I see are seeds. You can also use butternut squash seeds, acorn squash seeds or even hubbard squash seeds the same way as a pumpkin seed and they’re slightly less demanding on the biceps to hack into. I put pumpkin seeds on my salads, on top of my soups or into a trail mix, and recommend you do the same: a quarter cup has 71 calories, and 3 grams of fat and protein. They are rich in phytonutrients, phytosterols, manganese, tryptophan, magnesium, copper, zinc and iron. Keep in mind that the Spanish name for pumpkin seeds are ‘pepita’ – you’ll sometimes see them sold in the market under that name. There are a million fancy recipes out there, but I simply remove the slime and innards from the pumpkin seeds and lay them on a cookie sheet prepped with olive oil from a misto sprayer. I toast at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes, checking and shaking the pan often to toast both sides. Make sure you do the same, they can burn fast. When they are out and cooled, I’ll add a tiny sprinkle of salt if I feel savory, or a pinch of brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg if I am in a sweet mood. Edible seeds should be on your grocery list, friends! One last reminder to keep portion control in mind, because even though they are low carbohydrate and full of health benefits, they are not a food to eat in voluminous amounts. Crunch away! lse”]
