The New Year usually brings about resolutions for weight loss. The gyms will crowd with people looking to shed the holiday weight and start the New Year with a fresh start and clean slate. Some people may resort to unhealthy diets and eating habits in order to see results. However, your diet and exercise may cause you to lose more than just weight. In certain circumstances, your diet may cause you to lose some of your hair.
If you start a new unhealthy fitness and diet lifestyle in the beginning of January it will shock your system. The aftermath of such a shock may include hair loss and can occur about three or four months after the diet has begun. When you do not diet properly you are robbing your body from certain nutrients. These missing nutrients are essential for hair growth.
Below, are the top reasons individuals lose their hair when going on an extreme or unhealthy diet or fitness routine and how to properly maintain your body for healthy hair:
Lack of Essential Nutrients
At the very heart of nearly all types of hair-related loss or stunted growth is a lack of nutrients. If your body is not getting enough of the nutrients it needs, your hair isn’t going to look healthy and full while your skin may look a bit duller too. Nutrients are important but they can be hard to get enough of, even by someone who eats a modern diet. To improve your nutrient intake eat more sources of Vitamin C, Vitamin A and Biotin.
Hormone Imbalance
Working out excessively can affect your hormone balance. If your hormones are not right, your hair and skin will show it. Hormonal imbalances can lead to hair that’s thin and skin that looks aged. Your hormones tell the organs what to do and when they are working properly everything works the way it should. With the appropriate hormone level your hair becomes fuller and your skin looks more youthful.
Strict Diet Changes
It is important to consider the overall implications that all types of very strict diets can cause. For example, Atkins and South Beach Diet limit nearly all carbohydrates from your diet. These types of diets are high in protein and fats which, in some cases, may strip out many of the sources of nutrients that your body needs including healthy carbs and fruits. These limitations reduce the amount of hair your body produces. These and other food-group-limiting diets should not be something you choose whenever possible.
Losing Weight Too Quickly
Another way that dieting can cause hair loss is by the speed at which you lose weight. If you lose weight too rapidly, your hair may be lost at a rapid rate as well. In some cases, significant weight loss at a rapid pace can lead to complications with health and even the hastening of hereditary factors. In other words, if you were likely to develop some hair loss due to hereditary concerns later in life, this may be sped up now during your rapid weight loss.
What should you do then if you want to lose weight and you don’t want to lose your hair? Your hair (and your overall health) depends on the quality and quantity of nutrients that your body receives on a regular basis. Choose a diet that focuses on safe levels of weight loss without cutting out whole food groups. Also, you’ll want to select nutrient rich foods whenever possible. Look for a rainbow of colors in your diet and a variety of foods. This varied selection of food will translate into a better diet for you to follow for health reasons as well as an improvement in some diet related hair loss you may have suffered.
Flora Fuentes, Owner and President of Unique Hair Concepts
Flora Fuentes is the Owner and President of Unique Hair Concepts, a hair loss and restoration studio located in Ardsley, NY. Unique Hair Concepts helps men, women and children of all ages and backgrounds with hair loss or thinning hair. Flora is also the U.S. Director for Cesare Ragazzi, the established world market leader and innovator in hair loss and enhancement. She travels nationwide serving as the Cesare Ragazzi spokesperson and expert on the topic of hair loss.
