Nutrition is the term that is coined for nourishing a body with the right kind of nutrients and food. There are a few people who often forget that our hair and skin also need adequate nourishment and that they would play significant roles in our overall wellness and health.
The largest organ of our body is our skin, and it serves to be the main barrier against every pathogen present in this environment. It serves as a shield to protect from the loss of fluid from within the body and which is the reason why we should be keeping our skin healthy and well-protected from UV light.
Foods To Nourish Your Skin And Hair
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The main aspect to being healthy both in and out would be in eating well with the massive range of nutritious food that is available along with the specific macronutrients, minerals as well as vitamins. It offers the most important and essential nutrients for healthy hair, nail, and even skin. You can get it all by consuming a well-balanced nutritious diet without the requirement for any supplement.
Vital nutrients for healthy hair and skin
Similar kind of cells forms hair and skin with the proteins like collagen, keratin as well as elastin so they all would require the similar kind of nutrients for growing healthily. There are also a few specific kinds of nutrients, including healthy fats, zinc, iron, and antioxidant vitamins, that are important for the well-hydrated, glowing, and healthy-appearing hair and skin. It will be easy for you to make sure that you are consuming the right diet that includes good rich in these nutrients each day after understanding the reason why these nutrients prove to be an effective one.
These nutrients are not only important for the overall health of your hair, skin, or nails but also support your fitness journey with overall wellbeing and health.
- Protein
Proteins are the main component for the formation of skin and hair. The proteins that help in keeping your skin look healthy, offering elasticity and strength are keratin, elastin, and collagen. There are people who consume plenty of proteins through meat, chicken, eggs, legumes as well as dairy foods. So, it is, however, not a necessity to consume protein or collagen as a supplement.
- Essential Fats
The fats that are also known to be the unsaturated or the healthier ones are Omega 3 as well as Omega 6. These are the important fatty acids here, forming the most vital part of the epidermis here is the outer layer of the skin. The scalp and skin would be dry, itchy, and flaky when you do not have sufficient fats in a day. Make sure that you are dressing your salads and cooking in olive oil, spreading avocado on your toast, and eating oily fishes like tuna, mackerel, or salmon at least 3-4 times a week to include fat in your diet.
- Iron
The essential nutrient that is specifically vital for women is iron. It carries oxygen around in our blood, and tiredness is often the main symptom of iron deficiency. There would also be other symptoms that are associated with an iron deficiency that includes the pale or itchy skin cracking over the sides of the mouth here.
The nails would therefore be becoming quite brittle and develop into vertical stripes, becoming the shape of the spoons. Hair would be shedding more than what is normal and tend to dry up being brittle and dull. Make sure that you include the lean meat about 2-3 times a week or even vegetarian sources, including the leafy greens, on a regular basis.
- Zinc
For the healing of wounds as well as stronger hair, zinc is an essential element. Skin lesions impairing the immune system and slowing down the healing of wounds would be caused due to the lack of zinc. Zinc is also considered a vital ingredient for hair growth and strength as it helps in keeping the oil glands around the follicles working in a proper way so that the hair appears healthy.
- B-Vitamins
Your skin can appear dry and itchy when you do not eat an adequate amount of B-vitamins. Lack of B2 can lead to the corners of your mouth cracking up or oily skin with dry as well as the flaky patchy. Lack of B3 would make your skin appear inflamed, sunburnt, and flushed. Rashes, as well as dermatitis, appear with the lack of vitamin B6.
- Vitamin C, E & beta-carotene
For making collagen, Vitamin C is very important as it can plump up your skin, giving it the right support and shape. The lack of Vitamin C can appear up as bleeding gums, bruising, and poor healing of wounds.
Best foods for hair, skin, and nails
In the manner in which you choose a path for healthy hair and skin as well as to your overall health, eating a balanced diet with lots of fresh foods would be the best option. The following are the best foods you can try out as they are a rich source of nutrients for healthy hair and skin.
- Salmon
Salmon is a rich source of protein, Omega-3 fats, and vitamin D that helps in promoting the growth of hair by keeping your scalp healthy. A serving of tuna, mackerel, or salmon at least 2-3 times a week would be meeting the recommended 250-500 mg of the marine sourced Omega 3s every day.
- Nuts and seeds
The best way in which you can help your skin and hair would be by including almonds, cashews, and even walnuts. Nuts are considered to be a rich and good source of protein as well as Vitamin B & E. Nut, specifically the seeds like linseed as well as walnuts, is considered a great source of omega-5 fats. The best way to include it would be to grab onto a handful as your snack or even spread nut butter on your toast every morning.
- Avocado
Avocado is considered a great source of Vitamin B, Vitamin E as well as omega-3 fats. It contains fiber and Vitamin C as you can now use avocado instead of just butter on your toast, as you can chop as well as add to your favorite salad. According to a study, it has been found that people who consume avocado on a regular way would have the overall quality of diet with a lower BMI and lower the risk of lifestyle diseases than the people who are avoiding it generally.
- Oats
One of the ideal sources of whole grain would be oats. They would contain the protein or biotin with a B vitamin that would be helping to support the development of keratin. Oats also have the added benefits of being low in GO levels so that they would be keeping you fuller for a longer time, as well as they are high in fiber known as the beta-glucan, helping with the reduction of cholesterol absorption. It can therefore keep the breakfast a simple one with the bowl of porridge or even a bircher muesli to reap the rewards here.
- Berries
For making the collagen that can prevent the hair from breaking off, even boosting the production of collagen and repairing damages on skin that are caused by the exposure to UV rays and likewise environmental toxins would be through Vitamin C. The fruits like citrus and kiwi are known to be loaded with potent vitamins, minerals as well as antioxidants, and they are the best ones to heal damaged skin and hair.
- Leafy greens
The other rich and good source of Vitamin C would be the greens like spinach and kale, and they are considered as a great source of phytonutrients that have antioxidant as well as anti-inflammatory advantages. Spinach also assists a lot with the elasticity of the skin, being a rich source of iron specifically while following a diet that is vegetarian.
- Sweet potato
If you are looking to get enough of beta-carotene, then sweet potatoes and another orange as well as red veggies, including the carrots, tomatoes as well as red pepper, would be the great tasty way. Beta carotene transforms into vitamin A which is considered the main antioxidant to help safeguard your skin from UV damages. The lack of vitamin A would result in dry hair as well as skin, so you need to be sure of consuming a great number of veggies and oranges for youthful-looking hair and skin.
To conclude
There are way too many supplements claiming to boost the health of your skin and hair as they are not actually the ones that are required as you can actually get hold of every important nutrient that you require through a wholesome and balanced diet.
If you follow good nutrition as well as the healthy habit of consuming well and proper diet, then it can prove fantastic to your overall wellbeing and health-benefiting your hair and skin. You will have a feel-good vibe both in and out through good and proper nutrition.
Lacey Arlo is a wellness expert and a nutritionist who aims to help members with health and diet queries. Lacey Arlo has worked with junior, national, and Olympic-level athletes by providing them with customizing programmers, supplement strategies, and support during their travel and competition. From weight management, PCOD, thyroid-related weight loss, and nutrition for children to diets for pregnant and diets for senior citizens, She offers nutrition-aided solutions for different age groups with consideration for each person’s unique health demands.