Have you been noticing more hair strands on your brushes and shower drains lately? You’re not imagining it; hair loss is reportedly a common occurrence these days due to increased stress levels during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Juggling working from home and home-based learning for your kids might be stressors that trigger the sudden hair loss, but that doesn’t mean you should find solace in binge-eating, which actually might worsen the problem.
Eating healthily has benefits for your hair, obviously, but you might be surprised to know that your favourite local dishes may already contain specific vitamins and minerals to help your hair grow. Here are 6 of them:
1. Soft-boiled eggs
The quintessential Singaporean breakfast food is abundant in protein and biotin, two nutrients that promote hair growth. Protein is the building block of hair follicles and biotin aids in the production of a hair protein called keratin. Skip fancy scrambled eggs in cafes and opt for this (affordable) protein in a cup instead.
2. Asam laksa
This sour-spicy, tangy noodle-based dish is typically made with fatty fish like fresh mackerel or sardines, which are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats are known to assist with hair growth and can even make your tresses stronger and healthier over time. Asam pedas—a sour and spicy fish stew dish—also offers similar benefits, so choose this next time you’re at a Nasi Padang stall.
3. Lemak bayam
The presence of iron and Vitamin A in spinach plays a role in boosting hair health. What’s more, iron deficiencies have also been linked to hair loss. Whilst blanched bayam (spinach) is probably the healthier way to eat this superfood, this creamy dish of spinach cooked in coconut milk makes a more flavourful side dish with steamed rice.
4. Rojak
Typically regarded as the Asian “salad”, rojak is a healthy hodgepodge of cucumber, pineapple, green mango, jicama (or sengkuang), tofu, and fried fritters tossed in shrimp paste with ground peanut sauce. Almost every ingredient in this dish aids in hair health; for instance, pineapple and mango are high in Vitamin C content while tofu is a rich source of keratin and calcium.
5. Meat
If you’re anything like us, you’d have at least one BBQ session at home this past year as dining in restaurants is restricted. Protein in meat aids growth and helps repair and strengthen hair follicles. Red meat, in particular, is rich in iron, which may aid hair growth. We recommend grilled steak with a simple herbed butter sauce for the ultimate feast at home.
6. Pengat ubi keledek
This Nyonya dessert is typically made with keledek (sweet potatoes) and steeped in coconut milk and pandan leaves. Against the regular potato, sweet potato is an underrated starch. However, the latter contains beta-carotene which aids cell growth, prevents hair loss and can even reduce dullness in hair.
Prevent hair loss with hair treatments
We cannot stress enough that what you eat can have a huge effect on the health of your hair.
A lack of the right nutrients including vitamins A, C, D and E, B vitamins, biotin, iron, zinc, protein and essential fatty acids may slow down hair growth or even cause hair loss.
If you think you’re lacking any of these nutrients, try adding some of the above foods to your diet.
Fortunately, there are also hair treatments available which may help treat hair loss and promote the rate of hair growth. If you find that you require more than preventative maintenance, the hair consultants at Beijing 101 can help you tackle your hair concern from its root cause.
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About Beijing 101
Since 1974, Beijing 101 has been treating common hair issues such as hair loss, oily hair, greying hair, premature or excessive white hair and male / female pattern hair loss, in more than 60 countries worldwide.
Their hair care treatments use premium-grade Chinese herbs that help to solve multiple hair problems in an integrative and harmonious way, which is in line with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practices. Using TCM herbs, Beijing 101 hair treatments are being administered by certified hair consultants to solve the root of their hair problems.
*Disclaimer: Beijing 101’s claim based on research conducted by Nielsen, 9 out of 10 of Beijing 101’s customers have seen visible results after receiving hair treatments.
This article is brought to you in partnership with Beijing 101.
