Believe it or not, the food we eat can have a massive impact on our skin and locs.
We love to look at locs from a holistic perspective. A perspective that includes healthy eating habits, a healthy mindset and skin and hair that shine with beauty. There is never only one way of doing things, especially since each of our bodies are unique and will react to what we eat differently than our neighbor, our mother or our best friend. The first step is observing how your body reacts to certain foods. If you feel uncomfortably bloated, or your skin breaks out, or your locs feel dry, aren’t growing fast enough and are prone to breakage, maybe it’s time to reassess your diet.
How Protein Affects Your Locs
Did you know that your hair is actually made up of keratin, which is a sort of hardened protein? This means, the more protein you provide your body, the stronger your hair will be, along with your bones and muscles. Protein is essential for living a healthy lifestyle, especially for living a life with sufficient energy. Some of the best sources of protein are lean meats, legumes, eggs and beans. So, if you’re looking to increase hair growth, the strength of your locs and higher-energy levels overall, try to eat protein in at least two meals a day.
Why You Always Want to Say Yes to A Side Salad...
We know you’ve heard it before. As soon as you look into healthier life patterns, diet, weight loss, clearer skin, or beautiful locs - leafy greens are always going to be stressed on that healthy-living list. They always make their grand appearance onto these lists because they are just so incredibly healthy. And we’re not just talking about day-to-day health here, but your skin, locs, mind and body will benefit long term from these greens on the side, or even as a main dish.
Kale and spinach are greens bursting with Vitamins! They have a solid amount of Vitamin C and A, Folate, and iron. These vitamins and minerals help aid in the production of sebum oil to your scalp and roots. They repair damage cells and help get that blood flowing for a clear mind, clear skin and sheen-looking locs. Plus, let’s not forget about all that fiber for healthy digestion!
How About Sweetening Up Your Day With More Fruit?
You just knew we were going there next didn’t you? Imagine how much you can change in your life by simply swapping out processed sugars with juicy and sweet fruits. These fruits can not only hit that sweet tooth craving, but will also make your body scream with joy (that feel-good joy, you know?)
Try adding bananas and berries to your sugar free yogurt breakfast, or smoothie. Or how about snacking on a bowl of blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries? Or crunching on apples and a little bit of nuts and dark chocolate to really take things to the next level? Berries and pomegranate seeds have an incredible amount of antioxidants and vitamin C. These sweet things are responsible for protecting your hair follicles, will promote hair growth and clean your blood pumping through your beautiful body!
Quick Suggestion: Have you tried eating by your blood type?
If you’ve never heard of the Blood Type Diet, It was a diet popularized - emphasis on the word ‘popularized’, not invented - by the book Eat Right for Your Type, written by naturopath Peter D'Adamo.The theory behind the diet is that the ABO blood type should match the dietary habits of our ancestors, and people with different blood types process food differently.
To take it one step further, hard-core advocates of the diet, believe that personality is influenced by blood type.
Here are some of the recommendations according to the “Eat Right for Your Type” diet:
- Those with type O blood should choose high-protein foods and eat lots of meat, vegetables, fish, and fruit but limit grains, beans, and legumes. To lose weight, seafood, kelp, red meat, broccoli, spinach, and olive oil are best; wheat, corn, and dairy are to be avoided.
- Those with type A blood should choose fruit, vegetables, tofu, seafood, turkey, and whole grains but avoid meat. For weight loss, seafood, vegetables, pineapple, olive oil, and soy are best; dairy, wheat, corn, and kidney beans should be avoided.
- Those with type B blood should pick a diverse diet including meat, fruit, dairy, seafood, and grains. To lose weight, type B individuals should choose green vegetables, eggs, liver, and licorice tea but avoid chicken, corn, peanuts, and wheat.
- Those with type AB blood should eat dairy, tofu, lamb, fish, grains, fruit, and vegetables. For weight loss, tofu, seafood, green vegetables, and kelp are best but chicken, corn, buckwheat, and kidney beans should be avoided.
The theory behind this diet is that blood type is closely tied to our ability to digest certain types of foods, so that the proper diet will improve digestion, help maintain ideal body weight, increase energy levels, and prevent disease, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. Nothing seems to be working for you? Try eating by your blood type and see if this helps.
Our Final Thoughts, Impressions, and Tips
We truly value the power and pleasure of food. Sometimes it’s just a matter of education to get yourself on a healthier and energizing path. The food we eat severely affects not only our skin and hair, but our daily lives. We recommend taking a break from fried foods, processed foods (you know, those products where you can’t really tell what they’re actually made of) and opt for healthier, more nutritious options. Especially if you suffer from thinning hair, or hair that easily breaks. Sticking to a diet with lean meats, grilled or baked fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts, or simply sticking to eating by your blood type, will make you feel beautiful both inside and out! And as we’ve stressed many times before, treat yourself to more water. Water is life!
Do you have delicious and healthy recipes to share with us? Let’s inspire each other to eat healthy and truly enjoy what we eat both in the moment and hours after!
