Food To Avoid For Healthy Hair | SNI Natural Hair Care

We all love food so, when wanting to grow your hair, your diet is everything.

Last week Team SNI spoke about foods we should be eating for healthy hair on our blog. We talked about how the healthiest diet for your hair is one that is based on real, whole foods. Foods rich in iron, zinc, vitamin C, B vitamins, and omega-3 are most commonly linked to stronger and longer hair. After that blog post, we got a lot of questions regarding what foods to avoid when wanting to grow your hair.  Below we have accumulated a list of five foods you should stay clear from. Although you shouldn’t stop eating them all together, it is best to limit the following:

Sugar

 

Ah yes. Sugar. We all tend to have a love hate relationship with sugar and sweets, because although we all love it, an excess amount of sugar can be quite detrimental to your body–and to your lovely locks. Sugar hinders the absorption of protein  which is super important to include in your diet when wanting to grow your hair. Insulin levels can rise when consuming too much sugar which also increases androgen, a hormone that is known to shrink hair follicles. Be sure to read the ingredients in the back to make sure you are staying clear from hidden added sugar.

According to the American Heart Association, the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are:

• Men: 37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons which is equivalent to 150 calories per day
• Women:  25 grams or 6 teaspoons which is equivalent to 100 calories per day

Pasta & Other Starchy Foods

Refined over processed foods such as pasta can be detrimental to your hair health and can actually cause hair to thin out. This is because like sugar, refined starches are converted to sugar when consumed. Try to stay away from overly processed starches that can cause hair loss. Some other examples of starchy foods are white breads, cakes, and pastries. If you are craving pasta, try to resort to whole-grain options such as quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and vegetables. Unlike the refined carbs, these complex carbs actually do have to work in order to break down carbs, whereas refined carbs just get absorbed rapidly by the body. Therefore, stick to a whole and minimally refined carbs with low glycemic index as these foods are rich in fiber, biotin, protein and vitamins A, D and E.

Fizzy Drinks

This one is a no brainer–right? As you can see the pattern, fizzy drinks contain sugar. A lot of it.  Your whole day’s worth of sugar intake is in that one can of Coke, so stay clear because artificial sweeteners are linked to hair loss. If you want to drink something with your meals, opt for healthier options such as a fruit smoothie or all natural juices.

Fried Foods 

Fried foods translate to oily foods which can cause oily skin and an oily scalp. An oily scalp can cause clogged pores which is not good because this will not allow the hair to grow. Instead of frying, try to bake or roast your potatoes or vegetables with minimal oil.

Swordfish/ Fishes that Contain High Level of Mercury

Although fish is typically amazing for healthy hair, stay clear from swordfish and even some types of tuna because this it contains high amount of mercury which can lead to hair loss. Instead, opt for salmon or check the ingredients in the back of the tuna can so you are not consuming too much mercury.

This concludes our 5 foods you should avoid when trying to grow your hair. Remember, beauty comes from what you put inside your body as well as how you treat you hair. A combination of a healthy diet and a good hair regimen will do wonders for your hair!

Much Love & Until Next time,

Team SNI Natural Hair Care