Macronutrients and Hair Loss

Good nutrition is vital to hair health. Basic macronutrients are essential to health, and if they are lacking in your diet, your general health will be affected, leading to hair loss.

Protein, an essential component of hair, is found in most animal source foods, particularly meats, fish, milk, cheese, eggs and yogurt. There is no need for a person eating the typical Western diet to eat additional protein.

A challenge for vegans is to maintain healthy levels of protein, being that complete proteins containing all nine essential amino acids necessary are found mostly in animal sources. Legumes, seeds, nuts, grains and vegetables do not contain the complete protein necessary for a healthy body, although one may eat from a wide variety of vegetable sources in order to obtain all the essential amino acids.

There is only one common non-meat source for complete protein, and that is the soybean. Fortunately, soybeans have been made into tofu and texturized vegetable protein (TVP) so that they can be made into various dishes.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's) are fatty acids that are needed by the body yet not produced by the body. EFA's are a key component to healthy skin, hair and nails. Common skin diseases like eczema and seborrhea, are in part caused by deficiencies in EFA's. Eating deep-water fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout, or herring approximately three times a week will provide sufficient amounts of EFA's. However, if for some reason you cannot eat deep-water fish or have a dislike for it, it may be necessary to take a supplement to obtain the required amount of EFA's.

Fiber is vital to making sure undigested food moves through the body and to the bowels properly. Failure of foods to move through the bowels in a reasonable amount of time can cause fermentation of undigested food in the bowels and blocking of nutrients being absorbed through the body. This can also cause a level of toxicity that will overwork systems in the body such as the adrenal glands and contribute to hair loss. Healthy amounts of fresh vegetables, fruits and legumes consumed daily will ensure a proper amount of dietary fiber.

Water: Last but not least, make sure to include the proper amount of water in your diet. Water is vital to proper hydration, which is necessary in order for all nutrients to be utilized properly by the body, not to mention the proper function of every cell in the body including hair follicles. The suggested amount of water intake daily is eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day, or 64 ounces a day.