Crash Dieting and Hair Loss
Crash dieting and hair loss are interlinked. This is because lack of essential nutrients in a diet is one of the primary causes of hair loss. A crash diet is one form of diet where you compel yourself to starve for losing weight, by drastically curtailing your daily calories. Adequate growth and volume of hair is attained only when you are providing internal nourishment to your body. While being on a crash diet, the health of your hair is bound to get affected, and hair loss becomes subsequently rapid.
Crash Dieting and Hair Loss: An Overview
Crash diets are extremely low in calories that guarantee quick weight loss. However, the side effects of crash dieting could be disastrous. Diets like the lemon water diet, the cabbage soup diet, and the special K diet, are not really useful in the long run. This is because you cannot starve your body permanently. When you resume your normal diet, then you will put on weight randomly. On the other hand, you are depriving yourself from the nutrients that are most required by your body while being on a crash diet. As already said, the growth of hair is to a large extent dependent upon your diet. It will tend to thin when you follow a crash diet for a long period. If you were wondering if crash dieting cause hair loss, then I'm sure you have got the answer now.
Hair loss takes place when your body is deficient in proteins and omega-3-fatty acids, that come mostly from animal products and dairy foods. You hardly consume dairy products like milk, butter or cheese, while following a diet that is extremely low in calories. Omega-3-fatty acids are essential for volume of your hair, while proteins promote hair growth. Chicken and turkey are also sources of niacin, that promote blood circulation in the scalp and prevent hair loss. A crash diet mostly entails consumption of small portions of fruits and vegetables. Although these plant compounds contain vitamins, you do not receive them adequately since you are consuming a very small quantity. Similar are the effects of Atkins and cabbage soup diets, where you tend to lose hair after a certain point of time. Eggs are rich sources of biotin that prevent premature graying and hair loss. No matter whether you are reducing consumption of poultry, meat, fruits or vegetables, it will directly affect your hair, and you will soon observe the damaging effects on your skin as well.
The most important vitamin that accentuates growth of hair is vitamin E, which in present mostly in nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, etc). Nuts are also rich sources of omega-3-fatty acids, which you restrict while trying to lose weight. Although, green leafy vegetables are sources of vitamin E, you do not receive it in the desired amounts as required by your body. If you are suffering from vitamin E deficiency during the period of crash dieting, then hair loss is something unavoidable. This unplanned diet is the most obvious reason behind sudden appearance of a receding hair line. When you become deficient in the nutrients that are required for the growth of your hair due to an improper diet, then hair problems are more likely to occur.
However, there is a remedy for such kind of problems. First of all, never follow a crash diet unless it is extremely required. Even if you are following it, do not extend the diet regimen for more than a week. To promote the health of your hair, you must follow a nutritious diet that will contain more dairy products, nuts, cereals, pulses and legumes. A balanced diet comprising adequate amounts of vegetables, fruits (especially citrus fruits) and lean meat, would definitely stop hair loss. Apart from the diet, you can also nourish your hair externally by massaging the roots with vitamin E oil, and rinse it thrice a week with a premium quality of shampoo. Last but not the least, drink at least 3 liters of water daily to keep all sorts of hair problems at bay.
