Manage Hair Loss Naturally with Alopecia Areata Diet

Are you experiencing hair falling out in small patches of late? Is patchy baldness on your scalp affecting your appearance? If yes, you might be suffering from alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition in which your immune system attacks your hair follicles causing hair loss in patches. It can affect any area of your body, such as the scalp, eyebrows, bread, eyelashes, chest, and other body areas. Abnormal levels of androgens, inflammation, stress, a low-protein diet, iron deficiency, or any type of underlying disease condition can trigger patchy baldness or alopecia. The extent of the patchy loss of hair may vary from person to person. Inflammation triggers and aggravates the symptoms of the autoimmune condition.

Fortunately, Knowing the worst food for alopecia areata and the best foods for alopecia areata can help manage the condition effectively, by following the alopecia areata diet comprising nutritious foods offering anti-inflammatory and nutritious benefits, you may be able to alleviate or reverse the condition significantly. Adding the right food for alopecia areata diet and eliminating certain alopecia foods to avoid that cause irritation and inflammation in the body can help reduce hair loss and promote hair regrowth. If you’re looking for a diet for alopecia areata, consider these effective dietary tips that can help in the management of alopecia.

9 Dietary Tips to Follow for Managing Alopecia Areata and Reducing Hair Loss:

What you eat impacts the autoimmune response responsible for alopecia. Nutritious, anti-inflammatory foods can help alleviate the symptoms of alopecia areata. A healthy anti-inflammatory diet containing antioxidants, zinc, probiotics, healthy oils, and biotin can help you heal and may reverse the condition in some affected individuals.  Here are some simple yet effective tips to follow to manage alopecia areata and diet tips to follow.

1. Include Probiotics to Your Diet

The intake of probiotics helps in replacing the gut’s normal bacteria and mitigating the inflammation. This helps in enhancing the microbiome of the skin and reversing some hair loss or, at least, preventing alopecia from turning worse. Alopecia areata diet plays a crucial role in modifying the microbiome of the scalp that helps reduce the progression of alopecia areata. Yoghurt is a nutritious probiotic and alopecia areata food that you can include in your regular diet to manage the condition effectively.

2. Add Plenty of Proteins to Your Diet

Your alopecia areata diet must be rich in proteins to meet your body’s requirements of proteins for the good health of hair. Protein is a crucial component of our hair, as our hair comprises proteins. So, add sprouts, beans, seafood, and other appropriate protein abundant options to your diet.

3. Choose Healthy Fats

Including the foods abundant in healthy fats in your diet helps minimize the inflammatory response in your body. Eating a diet rich in healthy oils or omega-3 fatty acids helps minimize oxidative stress and reduce hair loss due to alopecia areata. So, use olive and canola oils for cooking. Add fatty fish, such as sardines, salmon, and tuna, to your hair loss diet to increase the intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Also, seafood is rich in vitamins and minerals that nourish your body and promote the good growth of your hair when suffering from alopecia. If you are preferring vegetarian options, eat walnuts, hemp seeds, and flax seeds as they contain the necessary healthy fats.

4. Increase Your Intake of Antioxidants Abundant Foods

Antioxidants help promote healthy immune functions and are effective in fighting inflammation in your body. They are found in a variety of forms, such as bioflavonoids, vitamins, and minerals. Fresh vegetables and fruits are the best natural and rich sources of antioxidants. So, add berries, apples, apricots, leafy green vegetables, broccoli, and spinach to your alopecia areata diet.

5. Have Biotin Abundant Foods

Biotin, which is also known as vitamin B7, is a crucial nutrient responsible for the good health of your hair. The deficiency of biotin can cause the thinning of hair. For good health and growth of your hair while managing alopecia, add foods rich in biotins, such as carrots, nuts, bananas, tomatoes, and romaine lettuce, to your diet.

6. Minimize Inflammatory Foods in Your Diet

It is wise to reduce or avoid the intake of foods that cause an inflammatory response in your body and trigger the symptoms of alopecia areata. Focus on eating plant-based sources of proteins, such as beans, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Animal-based sources of proteins, such as meats, contain certain acids and saturated fats that lead to an inflammatory response in your body. Cut out certain dairy products that may affect your immune system adversely. For instance, milk protein casein can irritate your immune system when dealing with alopecia, so avoid it. You can meet your body’s calcium requirement from other food sources, such as nut milk, soy foods, and leafy greens.

Also, minimize your intake of polyunsaturated fats, such as margarine, corn oil, trans fats, that are found in fried foods and baked goods, to minimize inflammation in your body for the management of alopecia. Gluten-sensitive individuals should avoid eating foods rich in gluten to prevent triggers of alopecia areata.

7. Enrich Your Diet with Zinc

Zinc is a crucial mineral for smooth hair follicle function and the body’s immune functions. Also, it protects your hair follicle against shrinkage and slowed growth. Adequate intake of zinc helps promote recovery of your hair follicle. So, it’s one of the best alopecia areata food that you should include in your diet. The deficiency of zinc causes hair loss. Zinc deficiency is often found in people having alopecia areata. So, enhancing your hair loss diet with zinc abundant foods, such as avocadoes, raspberries, beans, and cashews, can help you manage the unpleasant alopecia condition effectively.

8. Eat Foods Rich in Iron

The deficiency of iron is one of the most common causes of hair loss, and it is also found to be related to alopecia areata. Iron deficiency also disrupts the normal cycle of hair growth. So, including foods rich in iron in your regular diet can help in promoting good hair health and growth and effective management of alopecia naturally. Add dark green leafy vegetables, beans, legumes, pumpkin seeds, and other iron abundant foods to your diet.

9. Boost the Intake of Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a variety of auto-immune health conditions, that include alopecia areata. People suffering from hair loss are found to have low levels of vitamin D. Good levels of Vitamin D helps promote hair regrowth. So, add vitamin D abundant foods, such as fortified cereals, fortified rice milk, mushrooms, and oily fish like salmon and herring, to your hair loss diet. Also, soak up some fresh sunlight in the morning as it’s the best natural source of this crucial vitamin.

7 Foods to Avoid When Managing Alopecia Areata and Hair Loss:

1. High Glycaemic Index (GI) Foods

   Eating foods having a high glycaemic index can cause a spike in insulin and androgens. Also, your body may experience hormonal imbalances by eating high GI foods. Spike in androgens, which bind to your hair follicles, can make you suffer from undesirable hair fall. So, avoid high GI foods, such as sugary foods, refined flour, and bread, as they come in the list of foods that cause hair loss.

2. Alcohol

   Our hair is made up of a protein known as keratin, which imparts structure to the hair. The intake of alcohol affects protein synthesis negatively. This makes your hair grow weaker and lustreless. Heavy drinking of alcohol leads to nutritional imbalances that result in the death of follicles. So, alcohol is one of the foods

3. Raw Eggs Whites

   Another food to avoid in alopecia areatais raw egg white. Although eggs are great for hair health and thickness, it is important to note that you should not eat them raw. If you eat raw egg white, you may suffer from the deficiency of biotin that affects your hair health adversely. Biotin is a crucial vitamin that supports the production of keratin. So, be sure you avoid eating raw egg white when dealing with alopecia.

4. Sugar

   Excess sugar is harmful to your hair health as it is for your overall health. Sugar causes insulin resistance, which may lead to obesity and diabetes, which may also make you lose your hair. A diet high in refined carbohydrates, sugar, and starches can lead to insulin resistance.  So, it is wise to avoid sugary foods, as they not just hamper your overall health but may also make you experience hair loss.

5. Diet Soda

   The artificial sweetener known as aspartame in diet sodas has been found to damage follicles of the hair. So, if you are suffering from alopecia, make sure that you avoid diet sodas.

6. Fish with High Mercury Content

   Having high levels of mercury in your body through food intake can make you experience a sudden hair loss. Certain fish, such as mackerel, swordfish, and more, are abundant in mercury. These fishes are the most common source of mercury, so they come in the list of foods to avoid in alopecia areata.

7. Junk Food

   Last, but not least, junk food is another most common and leading among the foods that cause hair loss. This is because junk food is loaded with saturated fats which not just increase your risk of turning obese and developing the cardiovascular condition but also lead to hair loss. A high intake of saturated fats from junk food raises your levels of testosterone, which increases its by-product called the DHT hormone. DHT hormone may make you suffer from alopecia. So, to maintain good health and prevent or reduce your hair loss, be sure you do not savour junk food.

Now that you know which foods to eat and which foods to avoid in alopecia areata, you can follow a right, nutritious hair loss diet to manage the condition naturally. If you are suffering from alopecia, consult expert dieticians, such as health experts at Health Total to receive a customised alopecia areata diet to minimize hair loss and promote good hair growth. Health Total believes in a unique integrated treatment approach that provides you with the right homeopathic and Ayurvedic solutions to help you heal from within and addresses the underlying cause of your alopecia. For a personalized alopecia areata diet, contact Health Total experts online or over a call on 1-800-843-0206 and receive a natural, gentle, and safe solution for the management of your alopecia.