Hair Raising Foods

This is a subject close to many men’s hearts (and heads).  There can be any number of reasons for losing your hair, from environmental factors to genetics but good nutrition can play a vital part in hair growth.

Vitamins and lifestyle changes have been shown to encourage hair to grow and reduce hair loss.  Hair products, such as masks, shampoos and leave on conditioners can also prevent hair loss and restore healthy, vibrant hair.  This is a small number of essential elements and foods that can help you improve and even restore your hair.

Iron is an essential mineral, found in liver, beef, pork, fish, leafy greens, fortified cereal, beans, and pumpkin seeds.

Protein is absolutely essential for strong hair, but it's the protein from your food, not from shampoo!  A deficiency in protein can lead to hair loss whereas sufficient dietry protein can help to provide the amino acids that strengthen hair. Some good sources of protein include: seafood, white-meat poultry, milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, beans, pork tenderloin, soy, lean beef, and protein bars. For vegetarians, vegans and dairy-free consumers, good non-animal protein can be found in tempeh, tofu, wholewheat bread, peanut butter, brown rice, lentils, quinoa, nuts, seitan, beans, broccoli, potatoes.

 

Vitamin C is another essential in your diet, vitamin C foods help in the good absorption of iron. Good sources include: citrus fruit, green leafy vegetables, salad, baked potatoes, tomatoes.

Omega-3 fatty acids help to keep hair healthy and aid in preventing it from becoming dry and brittle. Good sources include: tuna, salmon, mackerel, flaxseeds, and walnuts.

Biotin is a B vitamin which is important in the structure of healthy hair too. Good sources of biotin include: brewer's yeast, bulgur wheat, lentils, sunflower seeds, soybeans, and walnuts.

Zinc is another important mineral in the makeup of the hair follicle and provides essential hair nourishment too. Good sources include: oysters, lean beef, peanut butter, turkey, and pumpkin seeds.

Did You Know?
And finally, onion juice could be a natural hair restorer of immense potency!  A study published in the Journal of Dermatology examined the results when onion juice was used in people with alopecia areata. Twenty-three people applied onion juice directly to the scalp twice daily for two months. Participants began to experience hair growth after just two weeks of treatment. At four weeks, hair regrowth was seen in 17 people and at six weeks, hair growth was apparent in 20 people.

Try Something Different - The Fiddlehead Fern

Here in the UK, we’d probably never think of eating a fern, we leave that to the woodland deer.  And yet all over the world, this seasonal delicacy is greatly revered and enjoyed.

Fiddleheads or Fiddlehead greens are the young tender tightly furled new-growth shoots of the ostrich fern, harvested for use as a vegetable.  There are many other ferns that resemble the Ostrich Fern, some of which are considered to be carcinogenic, like the Bracken Fern, so care must be taken when picking them.

Their flavor is mild, and perhaps most closely resembles asparagus or green beans and artichokes. They are pleasantly crunchy with a nutty, slightly bitter bite, which is why you’ll see so many fiddlehead recipes calling for butter and salt. Treat the fiddleheads like asparagus tips and you can’t go wrong.

Ostrich ferns, known locally as fiddlehead ferns, grow wild in wet areas of Northeastern North America in spring. Fiddleheads are a traditional dish of northern New England (especially Maine) in the United States, and of Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes in Canada. The Canadian village of Tide Head, New Brunswick, bills itself as the "Fiddlehead Capital of the World."

Fiddleheads have antioxidant activity, are a source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and are high in iron and fibre.  The fiddlehead resembles the curled ornamentation (called a scroll) on the end of a stringed instrument, such as a violin. It is also called a crozier, after the curved staff used by bishops, which has its origins in the shepherd's crook.

Fiddleheads have been part of traditional diets in much of Northern France since the beginning of the Middle Ages, Asia as well as among Native Americans for centuries.

In Indonesia, young fiddlehead ferns are cooked in a rich coconut sauce spiced with chili pepper, galangal, lemongrass, turmeric leaves and other spices. This dish is called "gulai pakis" or "gulai paku", and originated from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia.

A tip for the inexperienced: fiddlehead ferns contain a toxin that causes stomach pain in humans when ingested. The toxin is destroyed by the heat generated during cooking, so as a result, the fiddleheads must be cooked thoroughly before eating. Deer are the only mammals known to be able to eat the fiddleheads and not be affected by the toxin.

To prepare, wash the curled-up tips carefully and remove any brown chaff. The chaff is either furry or paper-like. Trim off the browned ends. We like them sautéed with some shallots in butter and lightly sprinkled with salt and pepper, or dipped in beer batter and fried in some olive oil.

Recipe

This simple sauté highlights the fresh flavor of fiddlehead ferns with a savory richness of browned garlic. Note that grapeseed or vegetable, not olive, oil is called for—you want a neutral, clean flavor that won't compete with the delicate fiddleheads. Similarly, if you choose to use the garlic or shallot, slice them rather than finely chop or mince them—the bigger pieces will keep their flavor from overwhelming the pretty ferns.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. salt, plus more to taste

1 pound fiddlehead ferns

2 tsp. grapeseed or vegetable oil

1 - 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or 1 small shallot, sliced (optional)

1/8 - 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (completely optional)

Preparation:

Trim and rinse fiddleheads, removing any brown ends or mushy parts.

In a large pot bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add salt and fiddleheads. Cook 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add fiddleheads. Cook, stirring, until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, if you like, and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant and just starting to color, about 1 minute. Salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Getting To Know - The Burdock Plant

Burdock root (Arctium lappa), is a large perennial thistle plant that grows throughout Europe and Asia and has been known for its healing properties for many centuries and was commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat many different illnesses.  It is rich in calcium, chlorogenic acid, flavonoids, iron, inulin, lactone, mucilage, polyacetylenes, potassium, resin, tannin, and taraxosterol.  In Asia, the taproot of young burdock plant is harvested and eaten as a root vegetable.  It has a gummy consistency and is sweet to the taste.

Traditional Uses for Burdock Root

As Burdock has many medicinal qualities all its parts are used in many herbal remedies: the leaves (mainly for tea), the burrs, the seed, the stem and the root.  Traditionally the burdock root was used as a diuretic, diaphoretic, and a blood purifying agent. But it wasn’t just the root that was used.  The compressed seeds of the burdock were used in folk medicine to make a tincture that provided relief for measles and arthritis, tonsillitis and throat pain, and viruses like the common cold. It can be used topically to treat skin conditions like ulcers, acne, eczema, and psoriasis.  By extracting oil from the roots or the burs, scalp treatments are produced which help treat dandruff and prevent hair loss.  Burdock oil is rich in phytosterols and essential fatty acids and this is said to improve hair strength, shine, and body.  The leaves of the burdock have even been used in pain management and to help speed up recovery time in burn patients.  And most encouraging of all, in Russia and India, burdock root is used in oncology for its cancer-curing properties.  It is believed by many herbalists that burdock root can stop cancer cells from metastasizing.

Essiac for Cancer

In the 1920s, nurse Rene Caisse marketed a cancer-fighting herbal preparation containing burdock that was based on a traditional Ojibwa medicine. The exact formula remains secret, but contains burdock, slippery elm, sheep sorrel and Turkish rhubarb. Taken in a tea, it continues to be used as an alternative anti-cancer remedy. The National Cancer Institute states that several reputable scientific studies have found no proof that Essiac is effective in slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells, and it has not been approved by the FDA as a drug. Consult your doctor before using Essiac or burdock for cancer.

Did You Know

Burdock is also known as Fox's Clote, Thorny Burr, Beggar's Buttons, Cockle Buttons, Love Leaves, Philanthropium, Personata, Happy Major and Clot-Bur.

Burdock is also consumed as a vegetable in Japan, where it's called Gobo.

Because burdock root suppress any sudden increase in blood sugar level, it is effective for high blood pressure and diabetes.  It also decreases inflammation, throat swelling, and aches.

The fibers in burdock root are very tough and do not digest when eaten, so act as a great digestive cleanser.

Further Reading:

http://www.chinese-herbs.org/burdock/

http://fasting.ws/cancer/burdock-cancer

http://www.gentle-stress-relief.com/benefits-of-burdock.html