Get Healthly   Get Healthly

Most people, especially women, define and shape their identity primarily through their hair style. As the crowning glory of a woman, the hair is considered by many as a significant symbol or extension of their personality and style. No wonder, so many women take extra lengths to maintain the health and good appearance of their locks.

Human hair is subjected to a number of pollutants, irritants, and other sources of potential damage. The most common causes of hair damage include harsh chemicals found in hair styling products, straightening or waving treatments, hair dyes, and even overexposure to the sun. If this continues, hair that was once radiant would eventually look brittle and frizzy.

Zoe Draelos, a noted dermatologist, said that people need to understand that hair is actually non-living material that cannot be repaired once it is damaged. Draelos added that hair growth slows down as we get older, and the cosmetic beauty of our hair decreases. Hair loss that occurs from continual breakage over the years is a serious concern for many women, so the key is to prevent damage by stopping the cycle of over processing or over grooming the hair while selecting hair care products.

While the hair is at its healthiest in our 20s, Dr. Draelos noted that some young women fall for fad diets at this age which can ruin the hair. Some of these hair care fads make use of chemicals that deplete the hair of essential vitamins and minerals that come from the food we eat.

Adding to this, Dr. Draelos said that hair appearance is a sign of our general health. If a person has an eating disorder or has an imbalanced diet, it would surely show from the way their hair looks like. Some women in their 20s and 30s also experience changes in hair quality and appearance due to their use of birth control pills. Dr. Draelos explained that when estrogen levels fall during this process, hair will also fall out. According to Dr. Draelos, when a woman notices her hair falling out, the use of birth control pills would not usually come under suspicion. Most women do not suspect anything wrong with shedding hair since it is quite normal to lose a number of strands at any given day. Only when a sizeable amount of hair is lost would a woman start to feel uneasy.

For women in their 30s, pregnancy becomes another reason why women lose their hair. During pregnancy, all hair follicles usually experience re-generation, resulting in luxurious, radiant-looking hair. However, six months after delivery, the new mother would most likely loose hair again. Some of the hair that is shed post-pregnancy may eventually re-grow, said Dr. Draelos. However, for women who have female-pattern hair loss, hair may no longer return. Those women who have an inherited tendency towards hair loss should seek professional help.

Although hair dyes are popular for women of all ages, women in their 40s may be more likely to turn to hair color as a way to camouflage gray hair that typically starts to appear at this age. Dr. Draelos said that once the hair has been dyed chemically, it strips the protective lipid layer of the hair shaft and opens up holes in the hair shaft, allowing the dye to enter and create a new color. Adding also that hair dyeing is damaging, but lightening hair for more than three shades require more peroxide, which creates more holes in the hair shaft and therefore more damage. The best thing for covering gray hair is to stay on shade, within three colors of her natural color. Dr. Draelos advises women in their 50s to shorten the amount of time they leave on styling products such as hair dyes or permanent wave solutions because thinner hair shafts require less time to process. Dr. Draelos recommended that older women use a good conditioner, and also advised women to handle their hair as little as possible, including avoiding over-brushing hair.

Include these healthy foods in your diet. No matter how much weight you are working out to loose or gain, these healthy foods will enhance any diet. Do not mind about the added calories, they are so minimal. To think of it, most food contains calories. The benefits you get from these foods are great.

Let us drink to your health
Water for the body is good. Water with flavoring? As Rabbis usually says, we could look at that in different ways. Funny sometimes are Rabbis but actually there is too much wisdom in that. You see, you will never go wrong with water. No one does. Any water that is not needed by the body gets out of the body. The more is flushed out, the cleaner our system gets, and the healthier we become. What should be bothering is what we mix with the water.

Fruit juices? Okay but make it natural. Juices squeezed out of fresh fruits do wonders for the body. It has some calories but the benefits far outweigh whatever the added calories. The sugar in fresh fruits unlike processed sugar is good. The calories derived from it give constant, steady burning energy unlike table sugar that gives sudden energy boosts and the feeling of tiredness afterwards. Because of the natural sugars, the feeling of being full lasts and so we feel hungry less. If the diet leans on strict adherence, do not buy bottled juices or powders. There are so many other additives in it that may upset your dieting program. This is the time where you should read the label. Read the fine print too. You may be getting more of the additives and less of the fruit juice. Most fruit juice preparations are so watered down, perked up with additives, highly sugared and not worth much in the healthy foods department.

Coffee Yes. Coffee are very rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants benefit the body in many ways. One of these is the slowing down of the aging process. Now, eating food that are rich in antioxidants may not shave off years to our looks but it makes our body function better. But limit that to a few cups because of the caffeine.

Then We Feast

Eat avocado and no, do steer off it because of the fat. The fat in avocado is good and considered in nutrition circles as “healthy Fat”. Avocado is one of the richest in fiber especially those that are fully ripe. Actually the more mature it gets the better the fiber. It is one of those rare food that are very filling without calories. Just like coffee avocados are very rich in antioxidants less the caffeine. It is also an excellent source of Omega 3 fatty acids. Avocados could be a complete meal when mixed with milk. It also blends very well with many different kinds of food like salads, guacamole, tortilla etc. This is not a boring health food.

If avocado tops in fiber, walnuts top in Omega 3. Good as salad and pastry toppings, it is also a good portable snack. Hemp oil is almost similar in benefits.

Likewise, apples, potatoes, oats, Brazil nuts, and fishes of the fresh water/fatty variety are healthy foods that you will never go wrong even when you eat plenty.