Nice healthy hair as we all know can boost your confidence. Hair grows from inside out and like plants, it is great to feed the roots with good stuff from the inside to have healthy hair on the outside. Apart from the healthy hair practices you should do, diet is an important part of the practice and a number of foods in your diet may boost the health of your hair from inside out. Let us break down the important nutrient contents in common foods that can boost your hair. The tables in this article  (Source : Encyclopedia of foods ) show  the nutrient content of these foods  regarding hair health and growth.

Fruits.

Fruits are a great source of vitamins in our general health but there are specific fruits that have more nutrients in them compared to others that help promote healthy hair. Fruits with the highest nutrient content good for hair growth include Avocado, Berries, Cantaloupe, Kiwi, Loquat, Mango, Orange, Papaya, Plantain and Tangerine.

 

NUTRIENT CONTENT

Fruit	Serving	Potassium (mg)	Selenium (µg)	Niacin (mg)	Folate (µg)	Vitamin A (IU)
Avocado	1 raw	1,204	1	3.8	124	1,230
Blackberry	½ cup	141	0	0	24	119
Cantaloupe	¼ medium	426	0	1	23	4,449
Kiwi	1 large	302	0	0	35	159
Loquat	½ cup	198	0	0	10	1,138
Mango	½ fruit	161	1	1	14	4,030
Orange	1 fruit	237	1	0	40	269
Papaya	¼ medium	196	1	1	29	216
Plantain cooked	½ cup mashed	465	1	1	26	909
Tangerine	1 medium	132	0	0	17	773

Red – Highest ,Orange – Second highest, Green – Third highest

Vegetables.

I know most of us don’t like our vegetables but there is a lot of good in them. Personally, i am not really a fun of vegetables but i like a fancy salad with a few nuts in it now and then. There are some vegetables which are really delicious though especially the Kenyan traditional vegetables like Amaranth leaves and the African Night shade. Now to the vegetables promoting healthy hair, you might want to add Spinach, Amaranth, Artichoke, Chicory, Chinese cabbage, Collards, sweet potatoes, Lettuce and peppers to your diet.

NUTRIENT CONTENT

Vegetable	Serving	Potassium (mg)	Selenium (µg)	Niacin (mg)	Folate (µg)	Vitamin A (IU)
Artishoke	1 medium	425	0	1	61	212
Asparagus	4 medium	175	1	1	82	373
Brussel sprouts	½ cup	247	1	0	47	561
Chicory greens	1 cup chopped	756	1	1	197	7,200
Chinese cabbage	1 cup shredded	176	0	0	46	2,100
Collards	½ cup	247	1	1	88	2,973
Lettuce	1 cup	162	0	0	76	1,456
Pepper (sweet red)	½ cup chopped	132	0	0	16	4,247
Spinach	½ cup	419	1	0	131	7,371
Sweet potatoes	¾ cup	522	1	1	34	32,733

Red – Highest ,Orange – Second highest, Green – Third highest

Protein.

Hair is made up of protein and a diet rich in protein is a plus for healthy hair. There are many sources of proteins and i will break this down into Seafood, Nuts &Seeds;,Lentils & Legumes and meat.

Seafood.

Sea food in general is a great source of Protein. They are rich in nutrients like Selenium, Niacin, Folate, Vitamin A, Potassium, Omega 3 fatty acids and Sodium among others which are great for your hair. Some sea foods that you might want to incorporate in your diet are Salmon, shrimp, Oyster, Cod, Tuna, Swordfish, Mackerel, Sardine, Mussel and Octopus

NUTRIENT CONTENT

Sea food	Serving	Potassium (mg)	Selenium (µg)	Niacin (mg)	Folate (µg)	Vitamin A (IU)
Cod	3 oz	207	32	2	7	39
Mackerel	3 oz	341	44	6	1	153
Mussel	3 oz	228	76	3	64	258
Octopus	3 oz	536	76	3	20	230
Oyster	3 oz	111	56	3	19	222
Salmon	3 oz	429	40	9	30	422
Sardine	3 oz	338	45	4	10	191
Shrimp	3 oz	155	34	2	3	183
Sword fish	3 oz	314	52	10	2	116
Tuna (fresh)	3 oz	275	40	9	2	2,142

Red – Highest ,Orange – Second highest, Green – Third highest

Nuts &Seeds.

These are great snacks that you can have almost anywhere. You can also slip some in to your salad or muesli. Apart from their great taste, they are a great source of Sodium, Folate, Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin A. Some of these that you might want to try are, hazel nuts, Sunflower seeds, Chia seeds, Flax seed, Brazil nuts, Almonds, triticale, rye, rice and safflower seed.

 

NUTRIENT CONTENT

Nuts / Seeds	Serving	Potassium (mg)	Selenium (µg)	Niacin (mg)	Folate (µg)	Vitamin A (IU)
Almonds	1/3 cup	343	4	2	12	0.0
Brazil nuts	1/3 cup	280	1,381	1	2	0
Chia seeds	½ cup	407	99.9	8.83	49	54
Flax seeds	½ cup	528	4	1	215	0
Hazel nuts	1/3 cup	306	2	1	51	309
Rice	½ cup	876	9	20	37	0
Rye	½ cup	223	30	4	51	0
Safflower seeds	1 oz	195	(- )	1	45	14
Sunflower seeds	¼ cup	272	25	2	76	0
Triticale	½ cup	319	0	1	70	0

(-)   Means nutrient value not available.

Red – Highest ,Orange – Second highest, Green – Third highest

Lentils & Legumes.

These are a great source of Folate, protein and potassium which are great for hair growth and health in general. Some have more than others and those with the most of these nutrients include;- chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans, adzuki beans, mung beans, lentils, navy beans, soy beans, green peas, black eyed peas and peanuts just to mention a few.

NUTRIENT CONTENT

Legumes / Lentils	Serving	Potassium (mg)	Selenium (µg)	Niacin (mg)	Folate (µg)	Vitamin A (IU)
Adzuki bean	½ cup	612	1	1	139	7
Black beans	½ cup	305	1	0	128	5
Black eyed peas	½ cup	321	2	1	121	9
Chick peas	½ cup	239	3	0	141	22
Green peas	½ cup	217	1	2	51	478
Lentils	½ cup	365	3	1	179	8
Mung beans	½ cup	269	3	1	160	24
Navy beans	½ cup	335	5	0	127	2
Pinto beans	½ cup	400	6	0	147	2
Roman beans	½ cup	342	1	0	183	0

Red – Highest ,Orange – Second highest, Green – Third highest

Egg protein is a common ingredient in protein treatments and DIYs. That already says that its nutrient content is important for hair care. Eggs are rich in selenium and vitamin A. You may have thought that eggs are a rich source of protein right?! Well it does have protein but not as much as the meat mentioned in the next paragraph. Surprise!

Meat.

Well, meat lovers you are definitely not left out. Meat is a common source of protein but we are looking at the nutrient contents that are best for hair growth and health. In this case, meat rich in folate, vitamin A, and selenium that you may want to include in your diet are,- beef heart, beef kidney, beef liver, loin, chicken liver(simmered/canned), goose liver canned and duck meat.

NUTRIENT CONTENT

Meat and Egg	Serving	Potassium (mg)	Selenium (µg)	Niacin (mg)	Folate (µg)	Vitamin A (IU)
Beef heart	3 oz	198	33	3	2	0
Beef kidney	3 oz	152	239	5	83	1,055
Beef liver	3 oz	200	32.8	9	184	30,327
Chicken liver	3 oz	119	82.5	4	655	13,919
Eggs whole	1 large	61	15	0	24	318
Goose liver	3 oz	117	64	2	51	2,835

Red – Highest ,Orange – Second highest, Green – Third highest

Oils.

As well as foods, oils are also good for your hair. These oils are made in 2 categories, those you can ingest and those you can apply on your hair. The most common oils that you can multitask are, Avocado oil, olive oil, grape seed oil, coconut oil, almond oil, argan oil just to mention a few.

Bottom line.

Most of these foods are available in our grocery stores and are not really expensive. You don’t need to go out of your way to get them. Preparation of most is also not really hard and from the mentioned foods there surely is something or two that you can add to your diet to help boost your hair health.

Eating healthy foods and not actively taking care of your hair is like paying for the gym and hope to lose weight by sitting on the couch. You have to practice both for you to achieve the most out of them. Do you know of any other foods that promote hair health and growth that i haven’t mentioned or just any addition or questions regarding this article? Feel free to drop a comment or contact me and i will be glad to write back.