[br] [br] [br] There are so many hair products that make all kinds of claims for healthy hair. Some of these products are good but some products have caused harm with long term use.

Hair growth starts below the skin. The raw materials, used to make each individual hair, come from what you put in your body. What you eat and what you drink can directly affect your hair, skin, and nails.

What are foods that can give you the best materials for making strong health hair? What foods should you avoid that can make hair weak and brittle?

Here are my 7 favorites :

Fat. Yes I said fat. Let me clarify. Healthy fats are important for hair strength and shine. These include wild caught salmon, avocados, pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hemp seeds.

Aloe Vera. Drinking Aloe Vera juice from the inner filet helps your body produce collagen which is an important component of hair and skin. It also helps heal and keep the gut in top shape so other healthy foods can be absorbed.

Sea vegetables. These are a great source of important minerals including iodine. Minerals are needed for hair health and color. Iodine feeds the thyroid gland. An unhealthy thyroid can contribute to hair thinning and hair loss. Kelp, spirulina, chlorella and wakame, are great sources of hair health minerals. If you don’t like the taste of these, blend them in a smoothie or put them into soups.

Fermented dairy, if your diets allows for it. Items such as plain yogurt and kiefer provide protein and B vitamins. Get the plain versions and sweeten with berries if needed. Make sure the dairy is from grass fed animals.

Green leafy vegetables. All varieties are good. Steam them, cook them, juice them. Whatever it takes get these into your body. A wide variety of green vegetables provide a broad range of nutrients to promote healthy hair growth.

Protein. Your protein source can vary depending on your diet. If you are a meat and egg eater, make sure your proteins come from grass fed and/or pastured sources. The hormones, antibiotics, and GMO foods fed to other animals make them unhealthy, and in turn unhealthy for your body too. Vegetarians can look to beans and hemp seeds as healthy sources of protein. Protein is essential for hair growth.

Berries. Blueberries, dark cherries, blackberries, goji berries are wonderful antioxidants that can protect your scalp and provide vitamins and mineral needed for healthy hair.

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 [br] [br] If healthy hair is a priority to you, these 2 main things are what you need to avoid:

Sugar. Sugar and sugary drinks can cause damage to cells in your body. If the cells of the hair folicals are already weak, this is just going to make them weaker and susceptible to more damage.

Fast food. I could write a long article just on this. However let’s just keep it simple. You need to eat the best foods on the planet for optimal body and hair health. Fast food is the worst food on the plant for you. So stop it now!

Best of Health to you. Beautiful hair and a healthy scalp is on its way.

~ Joel Crosby

This article is solely the opinion of health coach and fitness trainer Joel Crosby.