Most Important Minerals Needed For Healthy Hair

By : Rick Jarvis

1. Iron
All of your Iron intake should come from natural food sources.
One of the most common causes of hair loss in pre-menopausal women is not hormones, but a nutritional deficiency, with depleted iron stores being the most important factor.

Iron is the mineral that occurs in the greatest amount in the blood. The most important function of Iron in the human body is helping the production of both hemoglobin (the substance that carries oxygen within the red blood cells) and Myoglobin. Myoglobin is a form of hemoglobin found in muscles. Iron is also involved in the oxygenation of your body's red blood cells. It is understood that levels of iron play a significant role in various body functions; however, it is also essential for the normal growth and maintenance of hair. If the amount of energy used up by the body is not replaced by food intake, then other non-essential stores will be used up. Unfortunately, this means the hair cells as they are not a vital part of living.
Sources for Iron: Greens like broccoli, asparagus, spinach and other leafy vegetables, also lean red meat, liver, poultry, Oysters, tuna, Iron-fortified cereals, whole grains, dried beans, dried fruit, wheat, millet, oats, brown rice, Lima beans, soy beans, dried beans, kidney beans, almonds, Brazil nuts, prunes, raisins, apricots, dried peas, eggs.
It’s recommended to eat or drink citrus foods with vitamin C with your same meal so the Iron will absorb into the body better.

2. Iodine
This mineral is very important when it comes to combating hair loss. You need a certain kind of Iodine. Not the Iodine found in salt as this could actually cause you more hair loss. An excess of iodine in the body can adversely affect the thyroid causing your cell metabolism to slow down and body cells and hair cells don’t receive the energy they need to function properly. Symptoms of low Iodine are loss of more hair than normal.
Get Iodine from natural sources.
Sources of Iodine: Berries, boiled eggs, Mozzarella cheese, Cows milk, Kelp, and low fat yogurt.

3. Zinc
Deficiency in zinc can contribute a lot to hair shedding because without zinc and other related minerals, you hair shafts get weakened, causing hair breakage and very slow hair regrowth. Zinc benefits for hair include promotion of cell reproduction, tissue growth and repair of broken tissues. It also maintains the oil-secreting glands that are attached to your hair follicles, which combats dandruff thus decreasing their chances of falling off.
Sources of Zinc: almonds, cashews, pecans, green peas, ginger root, lima beans, chickpeas, split peas and organic foods like eggs, beef, beef liver, wild turkeys.

4. Trace Mineral Silica
It's the most important mineral when it comes to healthy hair because it helps the body absorb other minerals.
Silica helps many parts of our body that include, Hair growth, Bones, Teeth and Gums, Finger and Toe Nails, Tissue regeneration,
Sources of Silica: Oats, millet, barley, whole wheat.

Author Resource:- http://www.keepmyhair.ca