Diet mistakes that can cause hair loss, brittle nails
What you put inside your body reflects on the outside. Your skin, your hair and nails can tell how well or poorly you're feeding your body. Too little or too much of a nutrient can affect your health. An imbalanced diet can cause your nails to become brittle and dry, and hair to break or fall outBoth hair and nails are made from the same protein, called keratin. Several specific nutrients including protein, biotin, and vitamin A are essential for keratin synthesis. A diet filled with foods rich in these nutrients can help promote keratin production in your body and keep your hair and nails healthy and strong. An imbalanced diet can affect them both. Besides diet, other unhealthy lifestyle choices can also have an impact on hair and nail health. For example, smoking can reduce circulation and cut down on the amount of biotin in the blood. Here are some foods/diet mistakes that may be responsible for your brittle nails or thinning hair.
Too much fish: Some fish like swordfish, mackerel and certain varieties of tuna contain high levels of mercury. Eating too much of this fish may lead to high levels of mercury in your body which can lead to hair loss. Canned light tuna, salmon, and shrimp contain less mercury, according to the FDA.
Sugary foods: Sugar is bad for the skin, hair and nails. Eating sweets
causes blood sugar to spike. Your pancreas makes more insulin when your
blood sugar is high. This also raises levels of androgen, a male hormone
that can make the hair follicle shrink in both women and men.
A high-glycemic diet: Some foods are quickly digested and absorbed, causing a rapid rise in blood sugar. Termed as high-glycemic foods, they are often high in processed carbohydrates and sugars. Research has also shown that a high-glycemic diet can increase androgen levels, and result in hair thinning. Starchy white breads, pastas, and cakes are high-glycemic foods.
High Vitamin A intake: Vitamin A is essential for production of sebum or oil on the scalp. This keeps your hair moisturized and promotes blood circulation to strengthen hair follicle for hair growth. But in ultra-high doses, vitamin A can lead to hair loss.
Too little protein: You may experience brittle nails or hair loss if you don't get enough in their diet. This makes sense as hair and nails are made of protein. So, include foods rich in protein like meat, beans, tofu, spinach, and lentils to your diet. Foods that include cystine - the amino acid that creates keratin - such as pork, broccoli, wheat germ, and red peppers can also benefit your hair and nails.
Deficiency of zinc and iron: Those little white flecks in your nails may
not be a calcium deposit, but a sign of zinc deficiency. Both zinc and
iron are essential for keratin formation. So, lack of these nutrients
can cause hair and nail problems. Both zinc and iron are found naturally
in red meats and some seafood and beans.