A good hair day can be a real confidence booster. But waking up with a thick mane isn’t the case for everyone. If you’re finding it difficult to maintain your hair’s health, especially as you age, you’re not alone. One of the most common side effects of aging is hair loss. Whether you’re experiencing shedding, thinning, or losing hair length, you don’t have to resign yourself to brittle, short hair. Thankfully there are steps you can take to really celebrate the hair you have, from choosing haircuts that boost the volume in your hair to switching up your diet.
It has been proven that the quality and length of your hair are largely impacted by diet. Eating nutrient-rich foods can have a profound impact on the strength of your locks by building up each strand for less breakage and fallout over time. Specifically, the nutrients in certain superfoods are beneficial for hair growth and thickness.
But what are superfoods? Superfoods are foods–including vegetables, fruits, and some dairy–that are dense in nutrients. Some examples of popular superfoods are blueberries, salmon, and kale. Superfoods don’t have their own food group and the label itself is more of a colloquial term for foods that have health benefits. It has been proven that they contain a variety of nutrients, such as antioxidants, which studies suggest ward off diseases and keep your body healthy. Consuming foods that are packed with nutrients, as many superfoods are, is certainly a good idea for maintaining a healthy body–including healthy hair, skin, and nails!
And when it comes to hair growth, superfoods are filled with nutrients like vitamin C, biotin, iron, zinc, and B vitamins which help strengthen the hair follicles. Health experts recommend eating the superfoods kiwi and spinach to thicken and grow your hair.
To learn more about the nutrient benefits of kiwis and spinach, we spoke with Dr. Kristina Hendija, MD and medical advisor to Beardoholic, and Christine Kingsley, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse at the Lung Institute. They told us why these superfoods are so important for hair growth and how to incorporate them into your diet.
Kiwi
Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants can help promote an overall healthier body. Kiwis are packed with a multitude of such nutrients, making them an incredible addition to your diet for strengthening your hair. "Kiwi contains zinc which can stimulate hair growth, [and] prevent hair fall and dandruff," says Hendija. "[It's] also rich in vitamin C, K, E, potassium, and folate which help nourish your scalp, encourage blood circulation, and prevent your hair from turning grey prematurely."
Having a healthy scalp is crucial for hair growth and thickness. Hair grows from a root at the bottom of a follicle under your skin then the blood in your scalp goes to that follicle. The blood supplies oxygen and nutrients to the hair root which encourages your hair to grow. Think of your scalp like the soil of a farm. Poor soil will negatively impact the well-being of the "plants," or your hair follicles, growing in it. So eating superfoods like kiwis will nourish your scalp and thus stimulate hair growth (you may also want to try using some nutrient-rich scalp serums).
As for how often you should be eating kiwis, Hendija says that there’s no need to have this fruit every day in order to see the profound effects. "Eat kiwi a few times a week to get the most benefit, but never overdo it as it can interact with the function of your thyroid," she explains. "You can eat kiwi as is, combined with other fruits, added to your salad, or made into a smoothie."
Spinach
Spinach is loaded with antioxidants! This superfood contains antioxidants like lutein, beta-carotene, coumaric acid, and ferulic acid which help prevent chronic illnesses and diseases. It also has nutrients like vitamin A, folate, and vitamin C that keep your hair moisturized so your follicles won't break. This is great for your locks because it gives your hair a chance to grow.
"[Spinach] is one of the ultimate hair-growth powerhouses," Kingsley said. "The prevalence of folate and iron makes this potent in alleviating hair-loss symptoms caused by iron deficiency or anemia." That's good to hear! You can add spinach to your salads, smoothies, pasta, omelets, or even as a side dish.
Overall, there are great ways to incorporate both kiwis and spinach into your everyday diet to ensure longer, more voluminous hair. Although hair growth cannot be attained with just one method, the nutrients found in superfoods are essential for healthy hair and a healthy body–so these ones are definitely worth a shot!
