Foods That Feed Your Follicles

When I was little, my mom used to try to coax me into eating the crusts of my bread by telling me they’d make my hair curly. This did little to increase their appeal, and the driest, dullest part of the sandwich usually remained on my plate, until I could coax one of my indiscriminate, straight haired kitties to finish the job for me.

Unfortunately, eating crusts, or any food for that matter, won’t change the basic structure of your hair, including its curliness. Our hair type—the thickness, strength, texture, and luster—is, for the most part, written in our genes. However, there is some truth behind the notion that eating a nutritious substance (like a bread crust) can improve what nature gave us.

Hair, follicles, and our scalp, like all tissue in our body, need nutrients for growth and proper functioning. Below are the key ingredients for a healthy mane.

Protein
Protein is one of the basic building blocks of all cells and is a necessary component for new cellular growth. Hair shafts are made of a protein called keratin, so getting enough dietary protein will ensure the keratin keeps on being synthesized.

• Good sources of protein: meat, chicken, fish, legumes, nuts, eggs, and dairy products.

B Vitamins—Folate, B-6, and B-12
B Vitamins are involved in metabolism and the formation of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to all the cells in our body. The B vitamins are especially important for rapidly growing tissues like hair.

• Good sources of B vitamins: eating a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables will take care of your folate requirement; good B-6 sources include bananas, potatoes, spinach, meat, fish, and lentils; major sources of B-12 include meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products.