The odes about healthy food, diets filled with vegetables and fruits are so popular nowadays. More and more people find out about the harmful effects of American diet, meals full in fat and low in vitamins.

Such books as Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford and Smart Medicine for Healthier Living by Janet Zand, Allan N. Spreen and James B. LaValle show the connection between American diet made of fast-foods and hair loss. They say that food rich in animal protein, fat and salt damages kidneys and increases blood acidity. At the same time it does not provide enough vitamins causing their deficiency. All of these factors lead to premature hair loss.

At the same time a diet rich in silica, calcium, iron and vitamins helps to prevent hair loss or reduce it. The best “hair” food is green leafy vegetables, especially sea vegetables. Raw oats, dry fruits and juices bring great benefits to hair.

Male pattern baldness is a result of genetics. It is hard to change the things inherited from parents. However, the studies have shown that this type of hair loss was rare in Japan before World War II when the diet was made of lean and healthy food. After the war, Japanese people started eating fattier, western-like food which increased baldness among men. If a person knows that his ancestors had male pattern baldness, he is recommended to stay on a low-fat diet, which might not stop the hair loss completely, but at least slow it down.

Sometimes problems with gastrointestinal tract lead to hair loss in women. The troubles might originate in excessive amount of stomach acids or the deficiency of protein, zinc and some other nutrients. Women are advised to take two acidophilus tablets between meals every day for two months – it is a good way to avoid the problem and hair loss.

Anemia brings hair loss, because hair follicles do not receive enough iron. Liver, dark green vegetables, apples, whole grain cereals, eggs and dry fruits are good sources of this mineral.

Protein is very important for healthy hair because it is the main hair-building material. With low level of protein hair grows slowly and becomes brittle. This mineral is primarily found in brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, beans, liver, dairy products, lean meats, nuts and seeds. Along with protein these products have vitamin B6 which improves hair health too.

Several studies have shown that soy protein is extremely good for hair health and growth. Sometimes the growth was increased by 15% if people had soy protein diet. The best sources of soy protein are soy milk, tofu, cheese, eggs, fish and yoghurt.

Silica is low in modern diets because of the way the food is processed. However, it is one of the main hair minerals: silica slows down hair loss, prevents baldness encouraging hair growth, and gives shine and strength to hair. The mineral can be found in potato skins, green and red peppers, cucumbers, bean sprouts, whole wheat, oats, millet and barley.