Hair loss and vegetarian diet

Well I have been experiencing hair loss for quite some time, and today my dermatolgist said it is probably due to inadequate nutrition.

I am vegetarian. He told me to start taking Zinc and also to get protein powder.

Has anyone experienced hair loss due to their diet? Were you able to improve you hair?

Also, any recommendations for what kind protein powder?

Thanks!

I always heard that B12 vitamins will help with hair loss in the case of a vegetarian. I haven't noticed any hair loss so I haven't really started any supplements.

i know anorexic people suffer from hair loss from lack of nutrients. you're probably not getting enough protein (which is supposed to be what fortifies your hair). in that case, stock up on beans, lentils, stuff like that. also, meat subsitutes have alot of protein in them and are pretty tasty (:

The Mayo Clinic has a helpful article on hair loss ... http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hair-loss/DS 00278

=^..^= MOLLY

Thinksubro,

Diets that are too low in fat, including very low fat vegetarian diets are notorious for causing hair loss.  IMHO, some of the very popular starch-based vegetarian diets are way too low in fat.  Are you getting some healthy fat in your diet?  Including some raw, unsalted nuts and seeds in your diet is extremely good for your health.   

BTW, back when I was in weight watchers, it was a well known fact to our leader that lack of fat a) inhibits weight loss, and b) causes the hair to fall out.  There were folks in our group who thought that they could lose weight faster if they cut the fat out entirely (i.e. not eating any food from the weight watches 'fats' group), and instead they stalled their weight loss and their hair started falling out.  As soon as they added the fat back in, the weight loss resumed.  Ironically, your body actually needs some fat in the diet in order to lose weight, otherwise it just hangs onto the weight.

 

I, too, am a vegetarian. But when I suffered from an ED, my hair fell out, too. So you're not getting adequate nutrition.

I used to think being a vegetarian simply meant cutting meat from the diet, and that was it. Well, that leaves a big gap that needs to be filled. Make sure you get plenty of protein from lentils, beans, dairy (if you eat it), grains, etc.

Iron deficiency is another factor. I used to think eating a few servings of broccoli a day would provide my iron. Well a cup of cooked broccoli doesn't even get you 1/10 of the iron you should be getting. Eat foods rich in iron such as lentils, beans, cashews, asparagus, whole wheat pastas, etc. Vitamin C helps the body to absorb iron when eaten at the same meal - so vegetarian chili with tomatoes and beans, for example, would be an excellent, iron-rich meal.

Here's a site with other suggested iron-rich foods. Scroll to the bottom to see a chart: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutr ient&dbid=70

I eat really nutritious foods but I also take a B complex "50" every morning as well as a mineral tablet with zinc & iron. 

After 15 months of a vegetarian diet I am now paying way more attention to how much nutrients we need and how many foods don't have enough.   I am cooking more with lentils, beans, and quinoa.  Nuts or seeds for snacks.   

It's one thing to be a vegetarian, but being a healthy vegetarian takes work! 

I am not a vegetarian but I do eat a mostly vegetarian diet.  I am also on medications that causes hair loss so I have experienced this.  Look at all the side effects of your medications if you are on any other then that I agree with all of the above posters.  I had to increase my protein intake and be very consistent with getting the right percentage of fat/protein/carb in my diet to eat nutritionally.

 

Thanks, everyone! All the replies were so helpful.

I am going to start eating beans and lentils, as I rarely eat any. I'm also going to try and eat more healthy fats, that is another thing I think I'm lacking on. Do you know how much fat you are supposed to get in your diet?

Is it possible to grow my hair back with an improved diet? It seems like it won't be able to come back...

And the only other factor which may be contributing is birth control.

I think for a 2000 calorie diet, nutrition labels usually say 65 grams of fat total, with no more than 20 grams of saturated fat. I don't know how much that would change if you eat less than or more than 2000 calories, or even if that is an ideal number of grams as opposed to a maximum. I guess what you're looking for more is a minimum gram number... sorry.

Alrighty, here's a formula to find out how many grams of fat you should aim for!

1.) Take the number of calories you eat in a day. I'll use 1800 as an example.
2.) You should eat from 20-30% of your calories from fats. I'll use 30% in this example.
3.) Multiply your daily calories (1800) by the percent of fats you want to eat (30%). So:

1800 x 0.30 = 540

So you should eat 540 calories from fat. Since each gram of fat equals 9 calories, divide this number by 9.

540 / 9 = 60g of fat

woah i calculated the fat percentage and i'm supposed to be getting 40 grams?? that's insane. i eat probably like 20 on average.. :| is it really that healthy to eat that much fat? it sounds gross.

muttlover's figure of 20-30% calories from fat IS generous - I would have thought 12-15% is a reasonable minimum. I can see having more than the minimum if you have hair loss problems, though.

PS: 20-30% calories from fat are figures I've heard recommended to omnivores, who need to show a bit of self-restraint just to keep within the 30% limit.

Original Post by flamel:

muttlover's figure of 20-30% calories from fat IS generous - I would have thought 12-15% is a reasonable minimum. I can see having more than the minimum if you have hair loss problems, though.

PS: 20-30% calories from fat are figures I've heard recommended to omnivores, who need to show a bit of self-restraint just to keep within the 30% limit.

 20-30% of calories from fats is not generous, it's right on the money.  According to the World Health Organization you should be consuming 15-30% of your calories from fat (pdf - page 56):

• Total fat - 15 to 30% 
  
  • Saturated fatty acids - <10%
  • Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) - 6 to 10% 
    
    • Omega-6 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) - 5 to 8%
    • Omega-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) - 1 to 2%
  • Trans fatty acids - <1%
  • Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) - By difference
• Total carbohydrate - 55 to 75%
  • Free sugars - <10%
• Protein - 10 to 15%
• Cholesterol - <300 mg per day
• Sodium chloride (sodium) - <5 g per day
• Fruits and vegetables - 5400 g per day
• Total dietary fibre - From foods
• Non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) - From foods

I am having similar problems - i am a raw vegan and have been for six months now. I have noticed that my hair is really starting to thin and im so worried, i dont want to touch or brush it at all. I guess you could say i had an ED i ate very little and nothing cooked. Im starting to see now that im slowly hurting myself and i need to make a change so im reaserching and starting to eat more grains and seeds and fats like avocados. im also thinking about including more beans seeing as how that is something that i have not eaten in months and months. i really hope that the hairloss will stop and grow back soon im so scared!