My recent keto diet left me wondering if there was a perfect hair diet.
I mean, keto is pretty close to being perfect for growing strong, healthy hair, but it was really lacking in fruits for vitamins, and vegetables for fiber. Of course that was one of my main criticisms of it, and I may have voiced it a time or two.
My other, more personal, criticism was how hard it was to go without the dopamine and serotonin-releasing foods such as chocolate. And now where I'm neck deep in work and my final project, I'm just tired and stressed and really need some feel good hormones. Sigh.
Anyways: Back on topic.
The way I see it, a perfect diet for growing hair would have certain properties:
- High protein
- High omega 3
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- High sulphur
- Good for gut health
- Not cause weight gain
High protein
The perfect hair diet would have to be high in protein, and have protein from many different sources. About 80% of the human hair weight comes from proteins. Human hair contains 18 out of the 21 amino acids found in the human body. Keratin is composed of all 18 of these amino acids, with low sulphur alpha keratin as the most common kind. The keratin molecules ability to be deformed by water is what gives the hair strands the ability to be styled by water and then "freeze" into shape when it dries. When hair becomes damaged by losing too much keratin, it stops being able to hold shape after getting wet.
Nine of the amino acids are called essential amino acids because they need to be consumed and can't be created out of other molecules by the body. The essential amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. The 18 found in human hair are alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, cystine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, prolyne, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine and valine. In the list of the18 amino acids, are all 9 essential amino acids as well.
I used a search on nutritiondata.self.com for this and the amounts they name are based on levels per 100-gram serving. Some amino acid sources were really obscure, so I have also written them down according to if they are commonly available.
- Alanine is found in the highest concentrations in gelatin products, seaweed products, egg, turkey and beef.
- Arginine is found in the highest concentrations in more obscure food sources, but some of the higher concentrations are found in crab, shrimp, lobster and spinach.
- Aspartic acid is found in nectarines, peaches, cherries, plums, apricots, strawberries, lime and grapefruit.
- Cysteine is found in the highest concentrations in egg white, beef, pork, milk and halibut. The amino acid cysteine forms the disulfide bonds between the other molecules and adds rigid strength to the hair structure. The rigid strength to hair is something that seems to be underrated a lot, but it is what gives hair the ability to snap and break instead of being pulled until the structural integrity is ruined.
- Glutamic acid is found in the highest concentrations in soy protein products, defatted sunflower seed and peanut flour, egg white and parmesan.
- Glycine is found in gelatin products, pork skin, pork products in general, chicken breast, and lamb.
- Histidine is an essential amino acid. It's found in the highest concentrations in more obscure food sources, but some of the higher concentrations are found in parmesan, deer, defatted sunflower seed and peanut flour and pork
- Isoleucine is an essential amino acid. Isoleucine is found in egg white, seaweeds, turkey, chicken and lamb.
- Leucine is an essential amino acid. It's found in egg white, soy protein products, seaweed, chicken and tuna.
- Lysine is an essential amino acid. Lysine is found in chicken, pudding, honey, canned pears, margarine and corn starch.
- Methionine is an essential amino acid. It's found in egg white, halibut, chicken, tuna and turkey.
- Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid. Phenylalanine is found in pollock, grouper, tilapia, duck, chicken, turkey and shrimp.
- Prolyne is found in gelatin products, beef products, cream cheese, cottage cheese, savoy cabbage, cheddar and Colby cheese.
- Serine is found in egg white, soy protein products, seaweed, turkey, cottage cheese and cream cheese.
- Threonine is an essential amino acid. Threonine is found in watercress, seaweed, turkey and in fish like tilapia, tuna, pike and cod.
- Tryptophan is an essential amino acid. It's found in seaweed, spinach, egg white, crab, shrimp and halibut.
- Tyrosine is found in seaweed, soy protein products, egg white, cottage cheese, salmon and turkey. The amino acid tyrosine is also part of the complicated process of hair producing melanin. There are two types: Pheomelanin, present in light hair and eumelanin, which is present in dark hair.
- Valine is an essential amino acid. Valine is found in egg white, seaweed, watercress, seaweed, turkey, tuna and cod.
But how much protein should you eat? And how much of each amino acid?
That are two really good questions. And after searching a lot, I'm not sure I got a whole lot wiser!
The general answer to both seems to be pretty much: "Just eat healthy and varied!", which isn't actually that useful when you try to figure out what "eating healthy" actually is.
1 gram of protein per 1 kg of body mass seems to be more or less generally accepted as a good level, but when it comes to how much of each amino acid.... Meh. No real answer there. I guess it doesn't help that the amazingly complicated human body is capable of creating so many amino acids out of other amino acids.
But, as my own observation: Egg white seems to be the king of amino acids. Having a bottle of egg whites in the fridge is a good choice: It keeps well, is easy to work into your food and is a nice low calorie protein booster.
High omega 3
Hair consists of about 3 % lipids, found mostly in the intercellular cement of the cortex and the cuticle. It gives the hair a degree of impermeability and ensure the cohesion of the hair fibre. These lipids are a mixture of different types of waxes, cholesterol and fatty acids that mostly come from sebum. The process of making keratin is also done with the help of cholesterol and fatty acids. Omega 3 is also known for being anti-inflammatory, and any type of inflammation is known for causing hair loss.
α-Linolenic acid (ALA) or omega-3 is an essential fatty acid that the human body needs to get from the diet.
I used a se
arch on nutritiondata.self.com for this too and the amounts they name are based on levels per 100-gram serving. Some omega 3 sources were really obscure, so I have also written them down according to if they are commonly available.
But foods high in omega 3 are pretty much well known.
There are oils like flaxseed oil, walnut oil, wheatgerm oil, chia, hemp, rapeseed and avocado oil.
Nuts that often are the same as the high omega 3 oils, such as chia seeds, walnuts and pecans.
fish roe and caviar, mackerel, salmon, herring, tuna, trout, halibut, bass,
tofu,
Vitamins
I tried to cover this some years back, and found it to be way beyond my knowledge of human chemistry and diet. The thing with vitamins when it comes to hair care is, that yes, you can load up on biotin until your pee turns neon orange for it. Yes, biotin affects hair directly, yes, it may boost your growth rate. But. So many other vitamins affect hair indirectly too.
Some vitamins help maintain healthy red blood cells, which in turn deliver nutrition and oxygen to your hair. Some vitamins are necessary for a healthy immune system, and any sort of illness can affect your hair. Some vitamins are necessary to produce healthy sebum, and hair will become dry and brittle without it. Some vitamins are necessary for the body to process protein, and your hair will lose its elasticity without it.
The human chemistry is crazy complicated and everything is interlinked.
In my opinion, you should always take vitamins for your general health and not for the vanity of your hair. If you are healthy, your hair will be healthy too.
Minerals
Minerals are part of the composition of hair, and minerals take part in the process that builds the hair strands. The amount of minerals in hair varies from person to person. Minerals found in human hair include iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, lead, calcium, cadmium, chromium, copper, and silicon. I have tried to cover it
here too, but minerals in hair have the same "problem" as vitamins: Some are a direct part of creating the hair structure, but a lot of them have a supporting role in keeping the rest of the body healthy.
High sulphur
The main chemical elements present in hair are carbon (45%), oxygen (28%), nitrogen (15%), hydrogen (6.7%) and sulphur (5.3%). Sulphur is part of the amino acids methionine and cysteine, and are part of thiamin (Vitamin B1) and biotin (Vitamin H).
Sulphur is found especially in:
- Allium vegetables: garlic, onions, scallions, leeks and shallots
- Cruciferous vegetables: arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and radishes
- Dairy products: milk, yogurt, parmesan cheese, gorgonzola and cheddar cheese
- Eggs
- Legumes: chickpeas, soy beans, faba beans, kidney beans, lentils, black beans, white beans and peas
- Meat and seafood: beef, duck, chicken, crab, lobster, scallops, shrimp, turkey and organ meats
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, brazil nuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds
And here again, I have to point something out: There is quite the overlap in these foods sources from other foods I have already mentioned!
Good for gut health
This is something I feel is often overlooked when you discuss diet and supplements for hair growth. If your digestive system isn't working properly, it will keep those important proteins, vitamins and minerals from being absorbed correctly.
It's a good thing to consider getting enough fibre, probiotics and fermented food in general. The focus on feeding the good and beneficial bacteria in your digestive system luckily seems to be a trend that just wont die down. Your digestive system is the basis for everything your body can do, and even affects your brain.
Foods like yoghurt, kefir, miso, kombucha, sauerkraut and kimchi are excellent sources for the good bacteria.
I think the most entertaining, yet scary video I have found on the topic of diet in general, is this one:
Not cause weight gain
With fat soluble hormones, having excess fat will cause hormonal disturbances. This is why so many underweight and overweight people see changes in hair growth: Hair loss, changes in the structure or colour of the hair and extra hair growing in places it didn't use to be before.
Being overweight also cause chronic inflammation in fat tissue. The fat cells themselves react to the stress with releasing pro-inflammatory chemicals that affect themselves and the immune cells.
As it has been pointed out many times before, "Hair is very low on the body's pecking order", meaning that the human body will prioritize any other issue over hair. Any other cells or structures that needs repairs will be given the nutrition and energy over hair growth.
Being overweight also puts you at risk of a bunch of other diseases and issues, such as type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, certain types of cancer, sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart disease and strokes. All things you want to avoid for obvious reasons, and growing healthy hair is just a tiny, insignificant part of it.
