How To Grow Long, Shiny, Healthy Hair
Janice Johnson

Many men and women complain that their hair is not growing. They buy the most popular hair products, which promise more shine and growth. They buy supplements and read magazines looking for the next quick fix. But what many men and women fail to realize it that the way they treat their bodies plays an enormous role in the state of their hair.

Here are some helpful tips to help grow healthier hair:

Consume a diet high in vital nutrients mainly beta carotene, iodine and protein are necessary for shiny healthy hair.

Iodine is necessary for the production of the thyroid hormone thyroxin. This hormone promotes hair growth. The foods that contain iodine are seafoods like cod, mussels, seaweed and haddock.

Beta Carotene is actually converted by the body into vitamin A which makes the hair strong. You can find it in green and yellow fruits and vegetables like green peppers and cantaloupes.

Protein can be found in foods like meat, eggs and nuts to name a few.

Also, try to exercise weekly. This helps improve the circulation while getting your body in shape and making your body “work” better.

The hormones and healthy chemical processes taking place in your body during your workout sessions, assist in overall health.

Get out! Well, I’m not saying this rudely. But rather literally. Get out of the house more often and get some sun. If you’re at the office during the day, take a short walk outside on your lunch break. Studies have shown that healthy doses of vitamin D received from the sun actually plays a role in hair growth. But don’t forget to protect your hair and scalp at all times.

Always apply a sunscreen lotion to your skin and wear a hat if you’re outside for long periods of time. If you’re not wearing a hat a great tip is applying some sunscreen lotion to the exposed skin on your scalp. This will keep the area from getting burned.

Remember, take care of your hair and skin. You’ll be thankful in years to come!

About the Author

Janice Johnson is the founder of the www.CurlyHairSalon.com website. An online multi-ethnic curly hair magazine that offers information, tips and advice to care for curly hair.

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How to determine if your diet is healthy enough
Zaak OConan

Everyone wants to eat a healthier diet, but it can sometimes be difficult to know if your diet is healthy enough. There are a number of factors that go into creating a healthy diet, and it’s important to evaluate the current state of your diet before embarking on a plan for healthier eating.

There are several questions you should ask yourself when evaluating the healthiness (or lack thereof) of your current eating plan. These questions include:

Do I eat a wide variety of foods?
Variety is one of the most important hallmarks of a healthy diet, since no one food contains all the nutrients needed by the human body. It is important to eat foods from all the major food groups, including grains and breads, fruits and vegetables, milk and dairy products, meats, beans and nuts.

If you find yourself avoiding some food groups, such as vegetables for instance, it may be time to look for a healthier diet.

Do I recognize the importance of cereals, breads and other grain products?
Eating a wide variety of grain based products is important to a healthy diet. Grains and cereals contain a large number of important nutrients, including high levels of dietary fiber.

It is important to choose whole grain products as often as possible, since whole grain products like wheat bread contain more nutrients than more refined white bread and similar products. When eating cereal, it is a good idea to choose whole grain varieties, or those that are enriched with vitamins and minerals.

Do I eat lots of fruits and vegetables?
Many people do not eat sufficient servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Most experts recommend eating between 5 and 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, roughly equivalent to 2 cups of fruit and 2 cups of vegetables.

When shopping for vegetables and fruits, it is important to choose a good variety of dark green, dark red, orange and yellow varieties. That is because different colored fruits and vegetables contain a variety of different nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin A and beta carotene.

Do I eat a good breakfast every morning?
Breakfast, or the absence of it, is often a good indicator of the state of your diet. If you rush out of the house every morning and grab a donut at the local convenience store, chances are your diet can use some work. A healthy breakfast provides a foundation for the rest of the day, helps you avoid cravings and provides much needed nutrition.

Do I choose low fat foods over higher fat alternatives?
This is also an important question to ask yourself. Low fat alternatives are available for a variety of products, including milk, cheese, meats and more.

One part of following a healthy, low fat diet is avoiding prepared foods whenever possible, since prepared foods tend to have higher amounts of fat and sodium than fresh foods.

It is also important to control the amount of fat that is added at the table. Adding things like butter, sour cream and heavy sauces is a sure way to ruin an otherwise healthy meal. Even healthy foods like salads can be sabotaged by the addition of high fat salad dressings. Try using lower fat alternatives like flavored vinegars instead.

Do I drink plenty of water?
Drinking plenty of fresh, pure water is important to maintaining a healthy body and a healthy lifestyle. Water is important to maintaining optimal levels of health.

If you think you need more water, try substituting water for less healthy beverages like soda and coffee.

Am I able to maintain my optimal body weight?
Gaining weight without trying to is often a sign of a poor diet. Following a healthy diet, and getting plenty of regular exercise, is the only way to lose weight and keep it off.

Do I limit the amount of salt, sugar, alcohol and caffeine in my diet?
While all of these elements are fine in moderation, excessive amounts of any of these four can indicate a serious problem with your diet. It is important to limit the amount of unhealthy elements in any diet.
About the Author

Zaak O’Conan discovers and presents useful information on how to enhance and/or repair your life, body and relationships. You’ll find his other articles on eating better and other ways how to improve your life at http://your-health-center.com

Tags: Author, Cereals, Current State, dairy products;, Dietary Fiber, Food Groups, food;, Fruits And Vegetables, grain products;, Grain Varieties, Grains, Hallmarks, Healthier Eating, Healthiness, Healthy Diet, Human Body, Low Fat Diet, Milk And Dairy Products, Nutrients, Similar Products, Vegetables And Fruits, Vitamin A, Vitamins And Minerals, Wheat Bread, White Bread, Whole Grain Products —

Healthy Hair Vitamins
Tania Jain

There a number of different specific hair vitamins and minerals
that can play a major role in helping a person have a healthy
head of hair. If a person does not have sufficient hair vitamins
then the deficiencies can lead to thinning hair or even total
baldness in the most severe cases. The fact is that the state of
a person’s hair reflects the overall condition of their body.
Extra hair vitamins are likely to be needed if a person is
generally unwell or is undernourished as their hair will show
damage too and may even stop growing.

Some of the most important hair vitamins that a person needs to
have healthy hair include B6, biotin, inositol and folic acid.
The best way to ensure that a person receives enough of these
essential hair vitamins are for them to be taken as vitamin
supplements. It is not just hair vitamins that are necessary for
healthy hair though as there are a number of minerals that are
essential, including magnesium, sulphur, silica and zinc.

The most essential hair vitamin is vitamin a but the best form
of this is to include in the diet is beta-carotene. This is
because the hair vitamin A can be toxic if consumed in large
quantities but beta-carotene has no such problems and is
converted by the body into vitamin A that can be used to promote
healthy hair. Of course, vitamin A is not just a hair vitamin,
it is also needed for a number of other functions including
normal growth of bones, skin, nails and the protective sheath
surrounding nerve fibres.

Protein is another essential hair vitamin. This is because hair
itself is essentially protein. The amount of this hair vitamin
that a person consumes in their diet can affect the hair
directly. If a lot of protein is included in a person’s diet
then this hair vitamin will lead to improved hair growth and a
far fuller head of hair. However, a person who has a diet that
is lacking in this hair vitamin will suffer from thinning hair
and slow hair growth.

Of course, it is not just hair vitamins and minerals that are
needed to ensure that a person has healthy, strong hair. There
are a number of researchers who have found that there are direct
links between the overall health of a person and the condition
of their hair. If a person is under a lot of stress or suffers
from a lack of sleep then their hair is also likely to suffer
and it is likely that their diet will not provide enough hair
vitamins to counter these effects. Hair vitamin and mineral
supplements can be the solution to weak and damaged hair.

Find information on vitamins for
hair loss.

About the author:

For vitaminsdiary.com . Your ultimate nutrition centre! Also
learn about phenylalani
ne and dont forget to visit our section of herbal remedies
at http://www.vitaminsdiary.com/herbal-remedies/

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Do you eat a wide variety of foods for a healthy diet?
Zaak OConan

One of the most frequently cited reasons that diets and attempts at healthy eating fail is boredom. Many people simply do not know how to keep a healthy diet interesting day after day, and it can be quite a challenge.

Given the huge variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meats and other healthy foods at the local grocery store, however, it is definitely possible to create exciting, nutritious meals that will keep boredom at bay.

Your key to healthy eating
The key to the success of any plan for healthy eating is to eat what you like, but to exercise moderation when it comes to the less healthy foods. Improving your level of health and fitness does not mean forgoing that piece of chocolate cake, for instance. It does mean, however, limiting yourself to one piece. A healthy diet contains all types of foods, including carbohydrates, proteins, and even fats. The key is choosing foods that provide the best combination of taste and nutrition. After all, if your diet consists of foods you hate, you will not stick with it.

The revised USDA food pyramid contains five major food groups – grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and dairy, and meat and beans. When choosing foods from these groups, it is important to eat a wide variety of foods from every food group. Doing so will not only give you a great deal of variety and keep boredom from setting in, but it will provide the best nutritional balance as well. In addition the widely known macronutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin C, etc. all foods contain a variety of micronutrients. Though present in extremely tiny amounts, they are vitally important to good health. That is why a healthy, varied diet is so important.

In addition, when choosing foods from within the various food groups, some choices are naturally better and healthier than others. For instance, choosing skim or 2% milk instead of full fat whole milk is a good way to cut down on both fat and calories. And choosing poultry or lean meat is a great way to get the protein you need every day without extra fat, cholesterol and calories.

Likewise cereals and breads that carry the whole grain label are healthier than those who do not. Even in the world of fruits and vegetables some choices are better than others. For instance, peaches packed in heavy syrup add unnecessary sugar to the diet, while those packed in water or juice provide only good nutrition.

There has been a trend lately to add vitamin fortification to food, and this can sometimes be a good way to maximize nutrition. It is important to remember, however, that proper nutrition comes from a healthy diet, not from vitamin supplements. It is fine to buy calcium fortified cereal, but the bulk of your calcium intake should still come from milk, dairy products and green leafy veggies.

Choosing the best foods
Knowing the five major food groups and how much of each to eat every day is only part of the picture. The other part is choosing the best foods from within those food groups. That means things like choosing the leanest cuts of meat, using egg substitutes instead of whole eggs, choosing the freshest fruits and vegetables, etc.

Even with fruits and vegetables, some choices are better than others. Some fruits, such as avocados, for instance, are packed with fat and calories. It is important to check the nutritional qualities of the fruits and vegetables you buy, and not simply assume that all fruits and vegetables are equally healthy.

One way to maximize nutrition while minimizing cost is to buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. Fruits and vegetables that are in season are usually quite a bit cheaper than those that must be shipped hundreds or even thousands of miles, and they are generally much fresher too. Of course, depending on where you live, there may be varieties of fruits and vegetables that are not available locally, so the northerner in search of citrus fruits will just have to watch the sales and buy accordingly.
About the Author

Zaak O’Conan discovers and presents useful information on how to enhance and/or repair your life, body and relationships. You’ll find his other articles on eating better and other ways how to improve your life at http://your-health-center.com

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