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Today
women can be beautiful with or without hair on their heads. When Robin
Roberts of the TV show “Good Morning America” lost her hair due to chemotherapy,
she walked the runway at an Isaac Mizrahi fashion show completely bald— and she
looked sensational doing it!
Hair loss
ranges from extensive and permanent (going bald) to mild and temporary (hair
thinning). Genes have a great deal to do with hair loss, as do hormonal
shifts. For example, while you are pregnant, the percentage of hair on your
head that is in the growing phase goes up dramatically.
After
childbirth, more follicles than usual enter the hair’s resting phase all at
once. When hair cycles all at once, it all falls out at the same time.
This can be alarming, but it is completely normal. Fortunately you still have
the same number of functioning hair follicles, and the hairs rebalance their phases
in a few months at most. While your hair is growing in, it will be
thinner than usual, but this is temporary. A similar syndrome can occur after
you stop taking birth control pills or switch types of birth control pills.
In addition to age and hormone shifts, causes of thinning hair include:
*Too much styling, straightening, curling,
coloring, or blow drying. Hair loss due to overly tight hairstyles is called traction alopecia.
*Physical damage to the follicles, such as
burning or scarring
*Illness (such as anemia or thyroid
disease) or infection (including fungal infections)
*Disorders that interfere with the body’s
ability to digest food and absorb vital nutrients
*Dropping pounds quickly and being
undernourished
*Some medications (including chemotherapy)
*Stress, either physical or emotional
Most causes of hair thinning are temporary, so with proper treatment hair will grow in again. Massaging the scalp can help stimulate blood flow
to the scalp and may help hair grow in more rapidly.
THE BEAUTY DIET RX
To Fight Hair Loss or Thinning Hair
*Follow the nutritional guidelines for growing
healthy hair; the lifestyle tips for lovely, luxuriant locks; and the healthy hair maintenance tips in this post.
*If your iron status is questionable, load
up on iron-rich foods. Also consider cooking in iron pots.
*Make sure you are getting an adequate
amount of protein and zinc in your diet each day.
*Take a multivitamin to ensure adequate
intake of vitamins and minerals, however, be careful with supplements.
Occasionally hair loss is caused by oversupplementing with individual
vitamins or minerals.
*Avoid losing a lot of weight suddenly.
*Drink my beauty beverage, green tea.
Some studies have shown that green tea may influence the serum levels of certain
hormones that are linked to at least one form of hair loss, androgenic
alopecia, which is common in women and men.
Iron’s Role in Beauty
Recommended Dietary Allowance
WOMEN: 18
mg (ages 19 to 50), 8 mg (ages 51 and above)
MEN: 8 mg (ages 19 and above)
As you probably know by now, iron is a key beauty nutrient. The mineral plays important roles in the health of your hair
and nails. There are two types of dietary iron: heme (derived
from animal foods) and nonheme (derived from plant foods). The heme
variety is easier to absorb; your body will take in up to 35 percent of
the iron from animal sources. The nonheme variety is more difficult to absorb;
your body takes in only 2 to 20 percent of the iron from plant sources. Vitamin
C enhances your absorption of nonheme iron, while calcium can decrease it.
Five Good Whole-Food Sources of Heme
(Better-Absorbed) Iron
1. Chicken liver, cooked, 3 oz. 12.8 mg
2. Oysters, 6 cooked 4.5 mg
3. Beef, chuck, lean, braised, 3 oz. 3.2 mg
4. Clams, cooked, 1/2 cup, 3.0 mg
5. Turkey, light meat, roasted, 3 oz. 1.6 mg
Five Good Whole-Food Sources of Nonheme
(Harder-to-Absorb) Iron
1. Soybeans, boiled, 1 cup, 8.8 mg
2. Lentils, boiled, 1 cup, 6.6 mg
3. Blackstrap molasses, 1 tablespoon, 3.5 mg
4. Spinach, fresh, boiled, drained, 1/2 cup, 3.2 mg
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