Top 7 Vitamins to Get Long and Black Hair Naturally

Vitamins play a vital role in promoting hair growth, and make your hair healthier and shinier. So, let us tell you about six most vital vitamins that you need for healthy and happy hair and the best natural sources to get them.

1. Vitamin B7

                         Vitamin B7, also known as Biotin, is one of the most important vitamins for hair. It is popularly also called vitamin H. Biotin helps in the production of the fatty acid that is responsible for cell growth. It not only repairs brittle hair, but also improves the texture of your hair. Biotin deficiency can lead to a dry, flaky and itchy scalp.

What to Eat?

Foods that are a great source of Vitamin B7:

• Cauliflower
• Almonds
• Walnut
• Oatmeal
• Bananas
• Raspberries
• Egg yolks
• Liver
• Meat
• Dairy products

2. Vitamin A

                         Vitamin A is another important vitamin that would help you to get long and shiny locks. It not only promotes hair growth, but also keeps your hair black. The antioxidants present in vitamin A keeps your scalp moisturised and prevents your hair from drying out. Vitamin A also helps in keeping your hair thick and strong.

What to Eat?

Foods that are a great source of Vitamin A:

• Mangoes
• Apricots
• Peaches
• Eggs
• Milk
• Spinach
• Sweet Potatoes
• Red peppers
• Paprika

3. Vitamin B3

Vitamin B3, or niacin, is helpful in making your hair thick. This water-soluble vitamin helps in nourishing the scalp and promoting hair growth. Deficiency of niacin can cause hair to become dull, brittle, and eventually lead to hair fall.

What to Eat?

Foods that are a great source of Vitamin B3:

• Carrots
• Mushrooms
• Celery
• Kidney beans
• Almonds
• Peanuts
• Avocado
• Passion fruit
• Rice (especially brown)
• Shrimps
• Lean red meat
• Beef
• Tuna
• Salmon
• Coffee

4. Vitamin C

Everyone is aware that vitamin C is vitally important for your immune system and is a great antioxidant. It helps in curing various hair problems like premature greying and dryness of scalp. A person deficient in vitamin C suffers from split ends, hair breakage and hair fall. So, to save yourself from all these problems indugle in vitamin C-rich foods.

What to Eat?

Foods that are a great source of Vitamin C:

• Guavas
• Strawberries
• Kiwi
• Citrus Fruit (oranges, grapefruit, lemon, etc.)
• Broccoli
• Peas
• Potatoes
• Peppers (especially yellow bell peppers)
• Thyme

5.Vitamin E

One of the most overlooked vitamins of all; vitamin E has the ability to cure roughness and dryness of hair. It promotes a healthy scalp that is a prerequisite for long and healthy hair. It locks in moisture in hair strands, keeps them shiny and protects them from drying out. It improves the texture and quality of your hair strands and discourages hair fall.

What to Eat?

Foods that are a great source of vitamin E:

• Cooked spinach
• Peanuts            
• Seeds (like Sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, etc.)
• Dried herbs (basil, Oregano, etc.)
• Tomatoes
• Asparagus
• Red bell pepper
• Chilli powder
• Hazelnut
• Almonds
• Olives

6.Vitamin D

Vitamin D is responsible for promoting healthy hair follicles. Lack of this vitamin can lead to hair fall problems. However, you do not require vitamin D in large quantities. Regular outings to soak in a little sunlight, are sufficient for the body to generate the required amount. 

What to Eat?

Though there is nothing better than letting the body generate vitamin D on its own by soaking in the sunlight.
Here are some foods that are a great source of Vitamin D:

• Fatty fishes (tuna, salmon, mackerel)
• Oysters
• Dairy products
• Soy milk
• Cereals
• Cheese
• Egg yolks

7. Vitamin B12

Cobalamin or vitamin B12, is a vitamin that plays a vital role in boosting metabolism. Vitamin B12 aids in production of red blood cells. At the base of hair follicles, there are numerous blood vessels, which are connected to the hair roots. The red blood cells carry oxygen to these blood vessels. Without adequate oxygen, hair cannot sustain healthy growth and will become dry and brittle. Vitamin B12 is also essential if you wish to keep problems like hair greying and falling at bay.

What to Eat?

Foods that are a great source of vitamin B12:

• Mackerel
• Cheese (swizz, feta, mozzarella)
• Oysters
• Mussels
• Whole-fat milk
• Non-fat yogurt
• Eggs
• Meat
• Shellfish

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8 Health Benefits of Pomegranate Seeds

Pomegranates are considered to be a superfood, and have been considered a treasure among fruits for centuries. In ancient times, the people of Babylon would chew pomegranate seeds before heading into battles as they believed that it would make them invincible.

Pomegranates from Kandahar in Afghanistan are supposed to be of the finest variety. Pomegranates get their name from the Latin language, the original term meaning ‘seeded apple’.

The seeds of the pomegranate are the edible part of the fruit, embedded inside the skin in a whitish part. On an average, there are around 600 seeds in a pomegranate, also known as arils.

Pomegranate seeds are juicy and rich in vitamins, fiber and phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are non-nutritive chemicals that help fight diseases, promote heart health. Furthermore, the seeds are low in calories. Thus, this makes the pomegranate a very healthy choice of fruit.

There are a multitude of benefits of pomegranate seeds. These benefits may have been known to people from various cultures before us, and researches in recent times have started showing results that point to the goodness of this wonder fruit.

To name a few, here are eight benefits of pomegranate seeds:

1. Pomegranate Seeds Antioxidants

              Pomegranate seeds are known to be filled with compounds rich in anti-oxidants, their amount exceeding the quantity of anti-oxidants found in red wine, green tea, blueberry and cranberry juices.

These antioxidants help prevent diseases, as they help fight against free radicals which can possibly cause cellular damage and harm the DNA too. By fighting the free radicals pomegranate may as well prevent cancer or at least slow down the progress.

2. Pomegranate Seeds For Heart
   

                Pomegranate seeds are a nutrient dense food source, rich in phytochemicals together with flavonoids and polyphenols, which combined together, prove to be a major disease fighting component.

These compounds help lower cholesterol and high blood pressure which, in turn, decreases the risk of strokes and heart attacks.

They increase the speed at which the blockages melt away from the heart. Therefore, they provide protection against heart disease.
3. Pomegranate For Weight

               As the seeds of the pomegranate are rich in fiber and low in calories, it makes for a good food choice for someone looking to lose weight and also helps in maintaining healthy weight at the same time.

4. Pomegranate Seeds Vitamin C
                              
             Almost 40 percent of the suggested daily value (DV) of Vitamin C can be found in a serving of 100g of pomegranate seeds, which will amount to 10.2mg.

Vitamin C helps build up the immune system, aids in quick healing up of wounds and enhances iron absorption in the body.

Vitamin K is required by the human body to facilitate proper blood clotting and to maintain strong, healthy bones. In 100g of pomegranate seeds there are about 16mcg of Vitamin K which adds up to 20 percent of the DV.

5. Pomegranate For Osteo
                             

        A study conducted in the year 2005, showed that a certain enzyme present in pomegranate seeds might aid in slowing down the deterioration of the cartilage that leads to osteoarthritis. Pomegranate is also known to possess anti-inflammatory properties, which helps in treating this condition even after it is ongoing.

6. Pomegranate For Cancer

          Studies have shown that pomegranate seeds consist of hormonal combinations that could assist in the treatment and prevention of breast cancer.

At the same time, pomegranates possess estrogenic qualities that enable the replacement of estrogen required in postmenopausal women to ward off heart disease and osteoporosis, and are also capable of selectively destroying cancer cells that are selectively dependent on estrogen.

7. Pomegranate For Skin
                   

         Pomegranates can be good protectors against sunburn. A study showed that consuming the fruit protected the subjects from sunburn, improved the complexion and thus, increased one’s ability to stay in the sun long enough to absorb sufficient amounts of Vitamin D.

8.Pomegranate Iron
           

                        Iron is a major component of the blood and to increase the hemoglobin in the blood stream all you have do is eat pomegranate seeds.

A healthy amount of iron will enable the blood to carry more oxygen which will provide more energy and help the different body parts in functioning properly.

A medium serving of pomegranate seeds can contain up to 2 percent of the DV of iron. Iron deficiency is the leading cause of anemia, among other things.

There are many more known benefits of pomegranate seeds, like it aids in the digestive process, acts as an anti-aging instrument, an appetite stimulant and anti-inflammatory agent.

Although studies and research are still in progress to find out more about the goodness of this hexagon shaped fruit, the benefits of this fruit on the overall health is what is making it gain popularity at a rapidly growing pace.

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