The Nutrition Salon is NOW Open!

Did you know that your hair tells your eating secrets?  It is definitely a way that practitioners can determine your nutritional status.   What can you eat to grow healthy hair, regardless if you are vegans/vegetarians or not?

Protein is the primary nutrient that provides the structure for our hair.  In addition to proteins, there are supplemental nutrients such as zinc, sulfur, essential fatty acids that give us that rich and ‘bangin’ hair that we all hope for.       

For Vegans/Vegetarians:   

Best protein sources:  beans, green peas, chickpeas, tempeh, tofu, edamame, nuts, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah),  butternuts, leafy green vegetables, hemp, chia seeds, sesame, sunflower and poppy seeds, seitan (wheat gluten that looks like duck meat, but taste delicious when added to meals), non-dairy milk, and unsweetened cocoa powder (1 tbsp =1g of protein)

Zinc: bran cereal, roasted cashews and almonds, chickpeas, boiled lentils and lima beans, and tofu

Sulfur: as for sulfur, it is a component of two vitamins thiamin and biotin that helps with cell metabolism, and is essential to the structure of hair, skin, and nail.  Therefore, taking an organic multivitamin-mineral supplement can help meet your recommended nutrient needs to promote growth.   Food sources:  legumes, nuts, onions, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, garlic, leeks and shallots

Essential fatty acid: olives and olive oil, sunflower and safflower oil, seeds, flaxseeds, grapeseeds, walnuts, whole grains, avocados, canola oil, hempseeds, and chia seeds, sea vegetables and microalgae, dark green leafy vegetables

For Meat Eaters:

Best Protein sources:  lean meats, eggs, fish, seafood, beans, lentils, peas, nuts and nut butters, and low-fat milk and dairy products  

Zinc: red meats, oyster, soybeans, nuts and wheat germ

Sulfur:  lean meats, eggs, cheese, milk, nuts and legumes

Essential fatty acid:  fatty fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel, eggs, olives and olive oil, sunflower and safflower oil, whole grain, flax seeds, walnuts and almonds, green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts,

Whether your hair is long, short, relax, perm, natural, or colored -- there is one thing for certain, we all want healthy, lustrous hair.

Until next time, love and take care of ‘yo’ hair.

Food Jonezi, RDN

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 In since we are talking about hair… I uploaded the “Beautiful hair” scene from my favorite movie “School Daze,” by Spike Lee. There is no such thing of good or bad hair just HEALTHY HAIR!

Additional Sources:

Webmd: http://www.webmd.com/beauty/hair-styling/top-10-foods-for-healthy-hair