You may have heard of the many benefits that cutting meat and dairy out of your life can offer to you. You may have heard this can help you to lose weight. It could help boost your overall energy levels. For some, it means improving quality of life and living an animal-product free lifestyle. But, what about your hair? In many ways, men and women choosing to go on a vegan diet don't realize the long-term, systematic impact that this change can create. While there is good, there are also areas of concern to keep focus on. In fact, research indicates that, for many men and women, a vegan lifestyle can lead to early hair loss.
Vegan Is Everywhere
There is no doubt that being vegan is one of the most common dieting changes people are making. Those who are vegan do not eat meat, dairy products, or any other product that comes from animal products. The number of people who are living a vegan lifestyle, in fact, has grown some 360 percent from 2006 through 2016. That's incredible. It has been brought on by a number of things including health claims, celebrities who have done it, weight loss programs, and those fad diet trends. But, is vegan really good for you?
Why Veganism Means Hair Loss
Let's take a step back. Imagine if you went on any other diet out there. When you make a significant change in what you are eating – no matter what that change is – your body still needs to get the same types and amounts of nutrients necessary to operate all of the needs of each one of your cells. When you remove a whole food group or you move a whole source of those nutrients from your diet, you paralyze your body's ability to continue to do what it has to do. Quickly, your body is unable to keep up the workload and, within a matter of time, it becomes obvious where the body stops its focus – on the least necessary tasks it has to perform, such as growing hair.
Knowing this, you may think that getting enough nutrients will resolve the problem. This can help, but there are a few other things you need to know before you take a step in this direction. Being vegan still means early hair loss.
Your Hair Needs Nutrients to Grow
Vegan diets cut out many of the important nutrients a person needs to grow hair. For example, much of the iron necessary to grow hair comes from red meat, poultry, and pork products. If you do not have enough iron in your diet, this will lead to hair loss. Both men and women will likely experience this. The lack of iron in your diet creates a nutritional insufficiency that leads to changes in the way the body fuels activities. Simply, an iron deficiency is going to create limitations for hair growth within the body. Some vegetarian diets do the same thing.
Fixing the Problem
You do not necessarily need to stop being vegan. After all, not all vegans have no hair. Instead of making that change, you will need to put more time and effort into comprehensively supporting your body's nutritional needs in other ways. That is, you'll need to obtain a better source of iron from the foods you do consume. Most commonly, getting at least 8.7 mg, a day is necessary. You can get this from many different sources. Some of the best include spinach, beans, and dried fruit. You can also supplement your diet with a quality supplement product. Keep in mind that purity matters here. Pay close attention to the amount of iron you are getting in every meal you take in. Look for foods to add to your diet that offer more protein.
Any type of nutritional deficiency is going to have a negative outcome on your body. If you decide to go towards a vegan lifestyle, then it may be time to more clearly focus on what foods you are eating and what level of nutrition you are taking in. Otherwise, you may notice a bit more hair loss than normal.
Contact the hair specialists at Unique Hair Concepts to learn more.
