Your diets and genetics are two main factors that play a massive role in our hair growth and skin health. While you can’t change your genetics, you can change your diet for better hair and skin health. If you’re trying to grow hair or improve skin health, which of course you are, here is a list where you can find what food items are harmful to your hair and skin. Make sure you’re aware of what goes in your mouth.
Contents
What Food Items Are Harmful To Your Hair And Skin?
Say No To Gluten
If you can’t cut gluten entirely from your diet, at least you can free yourself from non-organic gluten. Gluten does nothing wrong to your body and is exceptionally healthy for you. But the problem lies in the intense chemical processing of gluten. Gluten is known to cause scalp inflammation which is not very good. If you can’t do without pasta or bread, go organic.
Control Your Sweet Tooth
You got it right; it’s all about processed sugar blood sugar in your body spikes when you eat sugary foods. In that case, your body pumps insulin to control the blood sugar. When this happens, it raises the level of androgen in the body. Androgen is a male hormone that causes the hair follicle to shrink both in men and women.
Stay Away From High-glycemic-index Food Items
High-glycemic index food items cause insulin to spike in your blood. These food items quickly break down into sugar and pose certain hair risks. Food items like pasta, bread, and sugar (again, it is) are all high GI foods. These food items can cause an imbalance in androgen which can cause hair fall.
Alcohol Is Also Bad For Your Hair
Hair is mainly protein keratin which gives structure to your hair. Alcohol harms protein synthesis and can cause hair to lose its luster and get weaker. Apart from this, heavy alcohol consumption may lead to nutritional imbalances and cause follicle death.
Fish
High levels of mercury can lead to sudden hair loss. You usually get it from fish which is a common source of mercury. Specific climate changes have increased the concentration of methyl-mercury in fishes over decades. Sea-water fishes such as mackerel, swordfish, and some varieties of tuna are high in mercury.
The Culprit For The Major Health Problems You Face – Junk Food
Junk foods are full of monounsaturated and saturated fats, which makes you obese, increases the risk of high blood pressure, cholesterol, and cardiovascular diseases. With so many things, junk food can also cause hair fall. Also, oily foods can make your scalp greasy, which eventually clog pores. This leads to the miniaturization of hair follicles.
Worst Food Items For Skin
Refined Carbohydrates Are A No
Refined carbs refer to processed flour and processed sugar which breaks down into sugar. Sugar acts as a food for harmful bacteria, which gives it a chance to feast, grow, and crowd out the good bacteria. If you have acne, eating refined carbs can make it worse. Also, these food items increase oil production, which clogs the pores of your skin. This, again, can cause breakouts.
Keep A Check On Processed Meats
If you wake up with puffy or swollen skin, check out if you ate a lot of salt yesterday. And this includes processed food or restaurant food that packs a lot of sodium content. Processed meat such as bacon or cured meats have high sodium content, which can cause water retention and lead to puffiness and swelling on your face.
Say No To Spicy Food Items
It’s still not clear why, but spicy foods can trigger existing skin conditions, especially acne. It’s because acne, eczema, and other skin and inflammatory diseases are an indicator of excessive heat in the body, and eating spicy foods which have heating properties should be avoided.
Ditch Your Morning Coffee
According to studies, regular caffeine consumption can increase cortisol levels in your body which may cause inflammation in your skin. If you can’t do without a morning coffee, replace it with herbal tea or green tea.
The Bottom Line
Keeping your hair healthy and skin glowing and supple becomes quite challenging with age. But you can ensure that your diet isn’t making things worse for you. Your diet directly links to problems like hair fall, rough hair, skin conditions, and acne. While all these conditions are different for each person, the right food choices can benefit everyone. With a proper diet, make sure you take care of your hair by using deep conditioners and cleaning them regularly. If you face severe skin conditions, it’s best to consult a dermatologist for better treatment.
