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.

What Is Chia?

Watch out hemp and flax, coz there’s a new kid in town!  The lastest super food seed has arrived and it’s called Chia!

It comes from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family that grows abundantly in southern Mexico.  And its efficacy and potency was known by the Aztecs, who believed it provided supernatural powers.  We know that Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, even more than flax seeds. It’s also rich in antioxidants, and the seeds don't deteriorate and can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid. And, unlike flax or many other seeds, they do not have to be ground to make their nutrients available to the body. Oh, and Chia seeds also provide fiber (25 grams give you 6.9 grams of fiber) as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.  Pretty amazing!

Something pretty extraordinary, but also a little weird, is that when added to water and allowed to sit for half an hour, chia forms a gel. Research has found that this extraordinary reaction also takes place in the stomach, thereby slowing the process by which digestive enzymes break down carbohydrates and convert them into sugar.

Chia doesn’t have a strong overpowering taste and is sold as a nutty topping for yogurts and salads and is used in cereals and energy bars. This type of chia reportedly packs more alpha-linoleic acid, an omega-3 fat, than flaxseeds, and also provides fiber, antioxidants and even some calcium and iron.

Research has also shown that adding it to chicken feed increases the omega-3 levels in eggs and enriches chicken meat with omega-3s.  Fed to cattle, chia enriches milk with omega-3s.

That's pretty super food!