Photographed by Sharif Hamza for the March 2023 Issue of Vogue Philippines
After four decades of life, I’ve started to notice a certain fragility in my hair. I know I’m not the only one. As women, we are at the whim of our hormones. They are responsible for many of the changes that our bodies experience during all stages of life, including perimenopause and menopause—and all these changes can be brutal for our hair.
In my case, I went from having a shiny and abundant mane to noticing that it was losing density and luster. According to experts, a progressive drop in estrogen and progesterone ultimately shortens the hair growth cycle, causing it to grow less and become thinner and more brittle.
Our diet, our hair
Luckily, our diets can become a key ally in combating this and other symptoms that occur. After all, getting adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals is essential when it comes to hair health.
To that end, zinc, biotin and folic acid are proven to be especially beneficial to hair, which means consuming a diet filled with leafy greens, legumes, whole grains, fruit, and fatty acids can be a real game-changer.
Read on to find out more about how diet impacts our hair.
We are what we eat
“Changes in the appearance, volume, or density of hair can be a sign that there is a nutritional deficit in our diet,” explains Beatriz Robles, a food technologist and expert in nutrition and dietetics. In her job, she’s responsible for disseminating, with scientific rigor, the nutritional value of what we eat us to help combat the great misinformation that exists.
To that end, she says it is important to remember that it’s not just specific foods that contribute to hair health, but our entire diet. When there is a deficit of certain nutrients, it can negatively affect our health and appearance.
And it’s not just a lack of nutrients that can affect our hair—lifestyle influences it as well. “Toxic habits such as alcohol consumption have a negative impact on the health of hair,” she says, adding that overeating and lack of exercise can also have adverse effects.
Food for hair health
This is why ensuring our diets are rich in fruits and vegetables is essential. “We know that a plant-based diet is associated with lower risk of non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity or cancer, for example,” Robles explains.
To prove the point, let’s look at the humble leek. “Leeks are a vegetable of the same genus as garlic or onion,” explains Robles. “One of the distinguishing characteristics of these plants is their strong, pungent flavor, produced by sulfur compounds, and they stand out for their vitamin K, C or manganese content.”
Like all plant foods, leeks also stand out for their phytonutrient content, which Robles describes as “compounds that have bioactive effects that intervene in metabolic processes and can be beneficial to health.”
Incidentally, these compounds are also found in trace amounts in our hair. We truly are what we eat—and the hair on our heads is proof.
Therefore, eating a high-nutrient diet based on vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and healthy fats—and avoiding ultra-processed foods—is a non-negotiable for all aspects related to health. Not least of all, our hair. So go ahead, and eat those leeks, and all the other healthy things.
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
