5 Foods To Ensure Your Child Has Healthy Hair Xyz

We all want our children to not just be healthy, but also look smart and clean. One of the first things that people notice when they look at your child is their hair – thick or thin, straight or curly. Thickness of the hair solely depends on the hair follicles. If your child has thick hair follicles, they will have thick hair. Likewise, if your child has thin hair follicles, they will have thin hair.

On an average, hair grows at the rate of an inch every 3-4 months for children. The hair keeps growing out of the follicles for about 2 years, stays there for 3 more months and then falls out. This is why it is normal for up to 100 hair strands to fall out every day. The health of your child’s hair depends on a lot of factors. Nutrition plays a major role in it.

So, here are a couple of healthy foods that can help maintain your child’s beautiful shiny mane.

1. Fish

You should replace the saturated fats in your child’s diet with trans-fatty acids, which are helpful for hair growth in children. Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, which is essential for proper hair growth. Smaller fish are a better option when compared to bigger ones that contain saturated fats. Also, bigger fishes are higher up in the food chain, which means they eat smaller fish, which eat even smaller fish and thus, these big fish have a greater build up of toxins. If we consume these fish, it could be extremely harmful to our health. You can drizzle a bit of olive oil over the fish dish, as the oil contains omega-9 fatty acids – a rare and essential nutrient for children.

2. Zinc-rich foods

Ensure your child consumes enough zinc in their diet. A deficiency in zinc intake can lead to hair loss. Include zinc-rich foods in your child’s diet to ensure he/she has strong hair. Foods that are rich in zinc include chicken, sunflower seeds, wheatgerm and whole grain oatmeal.

3. Meat and leafy greens

An iron deficiency will not just make your child feel weak, but it can also cause hair fall. Include lots of green leafy vegetables in their meals to really stack up on the iron. Other foods that contain iron are pumpkin, iron fortified cereals and meat.

4. Eggs

Feed him/her eggs for breakfast every day. There are plenty of egg recipes available, so your child won’t get bored of them. Eggs are an excellent source of protein, which is not just beneficial to your child’s growth, but also makes his/her hair shiny, strong and beautiful.

5. Whole grain foods

You should switch from maida and processed wheat used in whole grain foods. This includes using whole grain bread instead of sweet milk bread, which is made from maida. You should include a variety of grains and pulses in your child’s diet – ragi, oats, barley and whole wheat – as they contain Vitamin B and iron, which are both crucial for hair growth. Also, whole grains contain biotin. A lack of biotin can lead to hair loss, so ensure your child consumes enough of it.

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