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If You Want Healthier Hair, Eat This

Healthy hair requires a healthy diet. Hair typically grows a half-inch each month. Restrict your calories too much, and your hair growth will slow. It could even fall out. Hair needs a nutrient-rich supply of blood to the follicles to grow and be its healthy best. Here's a quick test from InStyle magazine to tell if your hair is healthy: Stretch a strand of hair by the root when it's wet. Tug gently. If it stretches about 30 percent of its length before it breaks, it's healthy. If it snaps instantly, it's damaged.

Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet with the following nutrients is one of the best things you can do for your hair:

Omega-3 fatty acids
Salmon, mackerel, halibut, sardines, herring, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, soybeans, soybean oil, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed oil, walnuts, and walnut oil.

Zinc
Oysters, cereal, Alaskan King crab, the dark meat of turkey, cashews, sunflower seeds, spinach, kidney beans, and tofu.

Vitamin B-6
Bananas, salmon, light meat of chicken, sweet potato with the skin, cod, watermelon, and spinach.

Vitamin B-12
Cereal, top round steak, canned tuna packed in water, flounder, turkey breast, fruit-flavored yogurt, skim milk, and mozzarella cheese.

Selenium
Baked potatoes with the skin, roasted pork loin, eggs, top sirloin, turkey breast, wheat germ, whole wheat bread, and cashews.

Other healthy hair diet tips:

• Drink lots of water (8 to 10 glasses a day) to hydrate your body and keep your hair silky and shiny.
• Eat lots of fruits and veggies and stay away from processed foods.
• Take a multivitamin daily.