The bonus? These nutrients are not only essential for healthy hair, skin and nails, but also for supporting your overall health and wellbeing. Read on to learn why these nutrients are important and which foods are the best sources to make part of your daily nutrition!

Skin, hair and nails are made mostly of proteins like keratin, collagen and elastin, which provide strength and elasticity and support healthy growth. Most of us eat plenty of protein-rich foods regularly throughout the day such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs, legumes and dairy so this is not usually a nutrient people have to put much thought into!

However, if you are vegan or vegetarian or lead a very active lifestyle, you may need protein powder to supplement your nutrition. These essential fatty acids form an integral part of the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin.

Not including enough essential fats in your diet can result in a dry, flaky and itchy scalp and skin. A study from the Research Centre on Human Skin found that mono-unsaturated fats found in nuts, avocado and olive oil reduce premature ageing of skin, possibly due to its antioxidant effect which prevents damage over time.

Here are some easy ways to include more essential fats in your diet:. Iron carries oxygen around in our blood and helps with energy production while supporting the immune system.

Tiredness and shortness of breath are often the first symptoms of iron deficiency. Other signs can include pale or itchy skin, cracking at the sides of the mouth, brittle nails, dry hair, or increased hair loss. Zinc is essential for healing wounds and encouraging strong, healthy hair growth as it keeps the oil glands around the follicles working properly and is needed for the production of certain proteins.

A lack of zinc can lead to hair loss, the development of skin lesions, impaired immunity and slow wound healing.

Foods that are high in zinc include oysters, beans, nuts, dairy and whole grains. B vitamins are important for many bodily functions, such as converting food into energy and maintaining healthy cells.

Eating inadequate amounts of B vitamins can lead to dry and itchy skin, rashes, low energy or mood and digestive issues. Vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen which plumps up skin, giving it shape, elasticity and support.

Although rare, a lack of vitamin C aka scurvy can show up as bruising, bleeding gums and poor wound healing. Keep your vitamin levels high by eating plenty of fruit and vegetables! Some foods that are high in vitamin C include peppers, kiwifruit, strawberries, oranges and tomatoes. Eating a healthy, balanced diet that includes plenty of fresh whole foods is great for your overall health and your hair, skin and nails.

The following foods are excellent sources of the nutrients essential for healthy hair, skin and nails and will support your general health, too. Oily fish is loaded with vitamin D, protein and omega-3 fats that promote hair growth by keeping your scalp healthy. A serving of salmon, tuna or mackerel times a week will meet the recommended — milligrams mg of marine-sourced omega-3s EPA, DHA per day.

Including nuts and seeds in your diet is a great way to support the health of your hair, skin and nails. Walnuts and flaxseeds are great sources of omega-3 and 6 fats as well. Grab a handful as a snack, add them to breakfasts or salads, or enjoy a natural nut butter as a topping!

Avocado is a fantastic source of vitamin E, vitamin B and omega-3 fats and also contains fibre and vitamin C. Spread avocado on your toast or crackers, add it to a smoothie for creaminess, or chop and add it to your favourite salad.

Not only are avocados great for hair and skin, but a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found those who eat avocados regularly have a better overall diet quality, lower BMI and lower risk of lifestyle diseases than people who avoid them.

Oats are such a nutritious whole grain that is high in several skin and hair-loving nutrients such as B vitamins, manganese, iron and zinc. Oats are also a great source of fibre and are low GI, meaning they keep you full for longer and provide sustained energy.

A bowl of porridge or bircher muesli are both delicious breakfast options, or you can blend oats into a smoothie! Vitamin C is essential for collagen production, and adding berries, citrus fruits or kiwifruit to your shopping list is a great way to up your intake!

These fruits are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that are important for healthy hair, skin and nails. Greens like kale, spinach and broccoli are all good sources of zinc, iron and vitamins C, A, K, B - just to name a few!

Sweet potatoes and other orange or red vegetables, including tomatoes, carrots and red capsicum red peppers are a great, tasty way to get enough beta-carotene. Beta carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body and is one of the key antioxidants that help prevent dry hair and skin and damage from UV rays.

This one sounds simple and it really is. Be sure to drink at least 1. If you find it hard to drink enough water, try herbal teas or add slices of lemon, cucumber or berries to your water for extra flavour. Many of us try to nourish our hair, skin and nails with special products and supplements, but focusing on eating a highly nutritious, balanced diet can go a long way.

Your hair, skin and nails will benefit from good nutrition and healthy habits , and eating well is great for your overall health and wellbeing too. Good nutrition will help you feel your best inside and out! The above information should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or medical condition.

Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, sleep methods, daily activity, or fitness routine. Sweat assumes no responsibility for any personal injury or damage sustained by any recommendations, opinions, or advice given in this article.

Pineapple is loaded with Vitamin C, which is critical for good hair health, among other nutrients such as Vitamin B.

It is also rich in calcium, a deficiency of which is known to lead to hair loss. Slurp on a refreshing pineapple ice tea or pineapple and lime mocktail on summer days or toss in pineapple and mango to make a wholesome smoothie bowl.

One glass of pineapple a day is recommended by nutritionists, but you may want to consult a doctor before deciding on the portion of any fruit you wish to add to your diet as per your health conditions. Apricots are highly recommended by nutritionists chiefly because they contain two essential fatty acids and their high Vitamin content help stimulate hair growth and prevent hair loss.

The golden and orange coloured fruit is a powerhouse of nutrients that keep your hair nourished and your scalp healthy. It is especially recommended to fight dry hair and flaky scalp.

Including apricots in your diet can give you stronger and longer hair that is easy to style. You can make apricot and almond energy bars or oatmeal cookies with apricots.

The pomegranate, of which India is the largest producer around the world, is known to help stimulate hair growth. Pomegranate is packed with antioxidants that strengthen your hair and keep your scalp healthy.

These two are key factors for hair growth. A pomegranate breakfast smoothie is a wonderful way to start your day with a dose of hair health. You can also sprinkle them on your salads and yogurts. Kiwis are small fruits which pack not just a lot of flavor, but also plenty of health benefits.

Kiwi is full of nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin E, folate, and potassium. A key benefit of kiwi is that it can prevent premature greying.

Kiwi is also great in fighting hair loss and preventing dandruff in the scalp by improving blood circulation. Kiwi smoothies look and taste great and you should certainly give that a go. Grapefruit chakotara has a flavour which can range from bittersweet to sour, it also contains a range of essential vitamins and minerals which work together to protect, cleanse and revitalise your scalp and hair.

Grapefruit contains vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B1, pantothenic acid, fiber, copper, potassium, and biotin. Like all citrus fruits, grapefruit is rich in vitamin C which strengthens your hair follicles and promotes hair growth.

Plums are relatively low in calories, but are impressively high in nutrients. If your hormonal balance gets disrupted, it can lead to several health problems including hair loss. Adrenal glands are critical to maintain our hormonal balance. By reversing adrenal gland fatigue, plums help stop hair loss and encourage new hair growth.

Plums can also be used to make hair masks to fight off the bacteria on our scalp and soothe the irritated scalp. You can whip up a healthy plum crumble or a plum granola bar. Perennially flowering blueberry plants are another good friend of your hair. Being low on calories and rich in proanthocyanidins, aka plant chemicals, blueberries are super food not just for the body, but also for the hair.

Plant chemicals stimulate hair follicles which can facilitate hair growth. Blueberries also have a ton of vitamin C, without which your hair can break more easily. So try making the mouth-watering and super healthy blueberry crumble or a blueberry and pineapple oatmeal smoothie which you can slurp on even at your desk.

There are a slew of health-related reasons to eat delicious mangoes - a staple in Indian households. The high Vitamin C content, fiber and pectin in mango makes it a perfect fruit for great skin and healthy hair.

The fruit also is known to control high cholesterol levels. The benefits of mangoes on the skin are well known but mangoes are great for your hair too. It makes your hair shiny, smooth and tangle-free.

For nourished hair, mangoes are a safe and effective bet. Cherries bring your hair back to life! Packed with Vitamin B and Vitamin C, they help prevent breakage and keep your scalp moisturized, healthy, lustrous and soft. Cherries also contain melatonin which helps treat sleep deficiency, jet lag and have anti inflammatory properties.

Cherries also have antioxidant properties and the melatonin makes them highly recommended for a good night of beauty sleep. A cup of cherries contain about calories and you can consider drinking cherry juice every day or just snacking on some sliced cherries during lunch.

Dates have been traditionally associated with many skin and hair benefits. They are an extremely nutritious fruit that is packed with just the right minerals - especially iron - which keeps your hair strong and prevents breakage.

The iron content in dates makes sure that there is proper blood circulation to your scalp - thus strengthening hair follicles, preventing hair loss and stimulating the growth of hair.

Consuming two to three dates per day will give you stronger hair. You can pack a box of dates for your lunch along with chopped nuts or add them to sweeten your salad.

Adding fruits to your diet is perhaps the easiest way to healthy hair. Guidelines recommend 2 to 2. The important thing is to make sure that you vehemently ensure to make fruits a part of the diet everyday. You can make amazingly simple smoothies and salads with healthy fruits! Before you end up spending a lot of money on other treatments, pay attention to your hair type and regular diet - the first step towards your goal of healthy skin and hair.

Picking the right fruits is important for healthy hair growth and for strengthening and nourishing your hair. Consult a dietician or nutritionist to chalk out a diet plan to include these 20 colourful fruits in your diet today!

Begin By Knowing Your Skin. SkinKraft has helped over 1. Are you ready for the same effects on your hair? Then answer a few simple questions to understand your hair type, its unique needs and concerns. Image: Shutterstock. Did You Know? pdf 4. What are the benefits of Vitamin E For Hair?

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Aim to meet your needs by eating vitamin-A—rich foods like sweet potatoes and avoiding too much supplementation. They also provide an excellent source of vitamin E, which may support hair growth.

Like vitamin C, vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps prevent oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals. Some studies have found lower levels of vitamin E in people with hair loss, but the evidence is conflicting 1. In one older study, people with hair loss experienced Vitamin E also protects areas of the skin, like the scalp, from oxidative stress and damage.

Damaged skin on the scalp can result in poor hair quality and fewer hair follicles Nuts are tasty, convenient, and contain a variety of nutrients that are important for hair growth.

They also provide a variety of B vitamins, zinc, and essential fatty acids. Deficiency in any of these nutrients may contribute to hair loss 1. Nuts have also been linked to other health benefits besides hair growth, including reduced inflammation and a lower risk of heart disease Seeds are rich in nutrients with relatively few calories.

Many of these nutrients also support hair growth. These include vitamin E, zinc, and selenium. Certain seeds like flaxseeds and chia seeds also provide omega-3 fatty acids.

Two tablespoons of ground flaxseed provide 4. Flaxseeds provide a type of omega-3 fatty acid that is not used by the body as efficiently as the omega-3s found in fatty fish. Nonetheless, they are a great addition to the diet. Vitamin C helps promote collagen production, which can help strengthen your hair strands.

It has been linked to hair loss and the graying of hair Sweet peppers also provide an excellent source of vitamin A This vitamin is important for hair growth and affects the production of sebum, which helps keep hair healthy.

Oysters are one of the best food sources of zinc. Zinc is a mineral that helps support the hair growth and repair cycle A lack of zinc in the diet may promote telogen effluvium, a common but reversible form of hair loss caused by a lack of nutrients.

Taking a zinc supplement may reverse the effects of hair loss caused by zinc deficiency However, too much zinc can cause toxicity. Like oysters, beans are a good source of zinc, which aids the hair growth and repair cycle. They also provide many other hair-healthy nutrients, including iron, biotin, and folate On top of all these benefits, beans are highly versatile and inexpensive, which makes them an easy addition to the diet.

Studies have shown that compounds in soybeans may promote hair growth. One of these compounds is spermidine, which is abundant in soybeans A study of people found that a spermidine-based nutritional supplement prolonged a phase of active hair growth called the anagen phase.

The longer a hair follicle stays in the anagen phase, the longer it will grow 3 2. Other studies suggest spermidine may promote human hair growth But, the research on spermidine and hair growth is fairly new, so more studies are needed before health experts can make recommendations on spermidine intake.

Meat contains nutrients that may aid hair growth, including protein and iron. The protein in meat aids growth and helps repair and strengthen hair follicles.

This mineral helps the red blood cells deliver oxygen to all cells in the body, including hair follicles 8. However, overconsumption of red meat, especially processed red meat, has been linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer, and type 2 diabetes Deficiencies in protein and iron may contribute to hair loss 1.

There is not one food that best supports hair growth. Rather, eating a balanced, nutritious diet that provides the necessary macro and micronutrients can help hair growth. This includes protein sources like fatty fish and red meat and plant foods high in vitamins and other nutrients like spinach, seeds, and nuts.

Some foods that support hair growth include eggs, spinach, fatty fish, and sweet potatoes, among others. A nutritious diet with the recommended essential nutrients, including protein, antioxidants, iron, and fatty acids, can help support healthy hair growth. Avoiding deficiencies can help prevent hair loss due to a lack of nutrients.

Berries provide key antioxidants such as vitamin C. Antioxidants can help prevent damage to follicles from free radicals. Vitamin C also helps your body absorb iron, which is necessary for hair growth. A lack of proper nutrients, including vitamins A, C, D, and E, zinc, B vitamins, iron, biotin, protein, and essential fatty acids, may slow hair growth or cause hair loss.

Correcting a deficiency in any of these nutrients may help treat hair loss and promote the rate of hair growth. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

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Vitamin E is known for its anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties, but its effects extend beyond skincare! Some people apply egg yolk to their scalp as a hair treatment.

We explain the reasons why and how to make an egg yolk hair mask. Folate is responsible for healthy cell growth. But is there any evidence that folic acid is a hair-growth treatment?

Read our review of Nutrafol for Men to see if these hair loss products really work. A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Nutrition Evidence Based The 13 Best Foods for Hair Growth.

Medically reviewed by Cynthia Cobb, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, FAANP — By Ryan Raman, MS, RD — Updated on February 5, Nutritional deficiency Eggs Berries Spinach Fatty fish Sweet potatoes Avocados Nuts Seeds Sweet peppers Oysters Beans Soybeans Meat FAQ Takeaway.

What is the effect of nutritional deficiency on hair? In comparison to them, they are healthier and contain higher levels of vitamin A.

Sweet potatoes contain high levels of pantothenic acid and potassium, which have many moisturising benefits. They are also a great source of folate.

Folate is a nutrient that can protect the skin against damage from UV light which can cause cancers. Sweet potatoes are also high in vitamin C which is essential in the production of collagen, which promotes the growth of hair and nails through amino acids and proteins.

Collagen also has anti-ageing properties and can help to reduce hair loss. Sweet potatoes also contain nutrients like zinc and vitamin B and C which supports both hair and nail growth. Fruits are an important part of your diet.

They have many health benefits like reducing the risk of heart problems and preventing some types of cancer. In general, berries are great fruits.

They contain high levels of vitamin C, antioxidants and vitamins which are extremely beneficial for your skin, hair and nails. For example, blueberries are an excellent superfood that contains proanthocyanidins which can stimulate hair growth.

There are certain foods that you can consume to have healthy skin, nails and hair. These foods generally contain high nutrition, such as vitamins B, C, biotin or zinc which can encourage healthy growth or even help clear your skin. However, you must remember that you should consume all food in moderation.

You should consult a medical professional if you are considering making drastic changes to your diet. When faced with issues concerning their hair, skin or nails, some individuals might turn to store-bought supplements.

If your condition does not improve, it can be beneficial to consult a specialist such as a dermatologist. Established in , SOG Health Pte. For general enquiries, please click here. Beh Suan Tiong Dr. Choo Wan Ling Dr. Cindy Pang Dr.

Heng Tung Lan Dr. Natalie Chua GynaeOncology Dr. Sim Hsien Lin Dermatology Dr. Joyce Lim Dr. Liew Hui Min Paediatrics Dr. Lim Xue Yan Dr. Lifestyle and Beauty Top 8 foods for healthy skin, hair and nails. Glowing and Clear Skin Water-rich foods can help to flush out toxins in your body, preventing acne and other skin issues.

Reduce hair loss Consuming water-rich foods keeps your scalp hydrated and healthy. Strengthen nails Water-rich foods can strengthen your nails by preventing dry or brittle nails. Examples of Water-rich Food Some water-rich foods you can include in your diet are: Cucumber Tomatoes Watermelon Peaches Celery Lettuce Avocados Avocados are a popular breakfast food, with a rich source of healthy fats, minerals and a large variety of nutrients.

Moisturise skin Avocados are rich in natural oils which have many moisturising benefits. Promote hair growth While the consumption of avocados has many beauty benefits, avocados are also commonly used in the form of masks to promote hair growth. Eggs Eggs are a great source of proteins and vitamins, rich in iron, and vitamins A, E, B7 and B Promote hair and nail growth Eggs are rich in biotin, which supports the production of keratin.

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