My Hair is falling out more lately! I need some ideas.

Chan

Can anyone offer suggestions? Are there nutrients in foods that help with this? Is the cause of hair falling out multifaceted? I have higher LDL cholesterol and some insulin resistance more likely. I've been off of sugar and sweets for years. I keep carbs way down. Just 2 fruits a day. Nothing crazy. But I just ate carrots and it started falling out. But maybe it was the carbs in the carrots with no fats or proteins along with the carrots. Does anyone have this experience?

comanchesue

do the nutritional reports show any deficiencies?

Chan

Thanks! I looked at that yesterday. I'm still trying to figure out how to maximize all the info. At this point I see lots of nutrients that are on the low side. I've only been at it a short span of time. I am going to see the nutritionist who recommended this and maybe she can fill in gaps. How do you use the nutritional reports? What do you do with that info?
Thanks!
Chantelle

Chan

In addition, I am understanding that I am probably a bit insulin resistant. So any carb I eat, be it half a red grapefruit, I need to eat with a little fat and protein. Over time I am hoping that helps.

Susan_RD_101

@Chan

There are a few reasons why someone may experience hair loss. The first is over-restricting your calories and not meeting protein needs. Low intakes of iron, zinc, and biotin could also contribute to hair loss.

My recommendation is to spend a few weeks tracking your diet closely and generate a report (on your computer, click on "trends", then "nutrition report") to see if there are any nutrients that are consistently low in your diet. You may wish to supplement with a quality multivitamin to see if this makes a difference.

Keep in mind that hair loss can also be due to hormonal issues, genetics, or stress.

Also insulin resistance is often caused when our cells have too much fat tissue inside of them. Losing weight (if needed) and engaging in both resistance and cardio activity can really help to improve insulin sensitivity.

Best of luck!

Chan

Oh thanks Susan! I have lots t o work with there

Chantelle

TexanInNorway

Hi Chantelle -

If you are having other symptoms (in addition to thinning hair) and want to investigate the possibility of hormones as the culprit, you should check out the book "The Hormone Cure" by Dr. Sara Gottfried. The book opens with a short quiz, so that you can identify which hormones might be off balance (often a result of lifestyle or diet - it is all interrelated). The remainder of the book explains in detail what the hormones do for the body, how they interact with each other, what might set them off balance, and what to do to bring them back. It is a bit intense on the science, and I definitely do not remember all the details - but it is very informative!

The quiz is also available online here for free: http://thehormonecurebook.com/quiz/
This is very similar to what was in the book, if not the same. The results you get from this online quiz will not be as comprehensive as the explanations in the book itself... This link is, of course, just a teaser in an attempt to get people to buy the book. You know how that goes!

And of course involve a health care professional in your investigation... However, this quiz/book might help you to understand if it is worth investigating your hormones further and if so, which questions to ask. That is how I used it for myself!

Good luck -

K

butterfly

Is you selenium level low? You need to have enough selenium to make your thyroid work properly and if it's not it can affect your hair, and lots of other things. I know shrimp & brazil nuts have selenium. There are other things. If you are seeing a nutritionist take a copy of your cronometer report. Or show them on a device or something. Whatever you are low in google "foods that have selenium" or whatever the nutrient is you are low. It's REALLY important to get enough of all of these. I know because I've been low in some and then not been well for awhile. This is the book I like by Natasha Turner
https://www.amazon.com/Hormone-Diet-Program-Strength-Younger-ebook/dp/B0046A8SD6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511007778&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hormone+diet

butterfly

Also consider using natural products only on your hair and not shampoos and stuff with tons of chemicals. But you all over health can affect stuff like you hair too. And possibly vitamin D though I'm not sure about that. Try to exercise and get outside frequently to get fresh air and sunshine and sleep well. If you're not sleeping well try to make your sleeping experience better. Get a nice sleep mask, keep the room dark, and keep the lights low before you go to sleep. That's all general health stuff but I really think it all works together on every part of your body. Stress can hurt you physically so don't let it.

Susan_RD_101

@butterfly

Thanks for bringing up selenium! You are right in that too little can interfere with thyroid function (as can too little iodine), but too much selenium can also cause hair loss.

It's very important to stay in the safe ranges for selenium and iodine (you can see what these are by clicking on the nutrient in your diary). Having too much selenium can actually cause hair loss.

If you eat Brazil nuts, it's important to limit yourself to 5 per day. In fact, just one Brazil nut will meet 100% of the RDA for selenium. I take my Brazil nut with my nightly B12 and vitamin D.

Kind regards,

butterfly

Susan, yes definitely you need to stay in the safe range for both of those, selenium and iodine. And yes just one brazil nut is 100%. That's why it's really good to check on Cronometer to see how much you are getting and you can see where you are getting it from. If you get 100% already then no need to add things like brazil nuts. But I found out myself that selenium is a building block for your thyroid to function and make the thyroid serum, and why I just starting having more awareness about it. I personally stay away from artificial iodine for exactly the reason you say about going over the limit. You have to also be careful about seaweeds as they can be mega high in iodine. Not good. For the shrimp, which I can't eat now, I would have maybe a few a week. So I'm not suggesting eating more than what would give you the normal daily recommended amounts.

alyr

Carbs are not the enemy. See: Drs. Furhman, McDougall. (they have slight differences in the starch components). Both ways of eating are based on mostly raw foods.

Also Dr. Cousens who can dramatically improve type 1 diabetes and heal type 2 diabetes with a CARB (vegetarian/greens based) diet low in fats.

YOU NEED CARBS and low fat, NOT NO FAT. Carrots did not make your hair fall out!

The bad oils and fats and processed foods you've eaten all your life are blocking your cells from processing those carbs most effectively. Also the bad ratio of huge omega 6 and low omega 3 in the Standard American Diet. Avoiding those carbs is only manipulating your blood glucose testing but not addressing the problem.

Healing your arteries with real food, especially greens and vegetables will allow you to eat a normal healthy diet.

Your ratio should be mostly carbs, lower fat, lower protein. Like, around 75-80% carb, 10% fat (under 15%), 10 -15% protein.

Overview - your main source of food is vegetables/greens:

• Eat 1 lb raw and 1 lb cooked per day (at the same meals): dark leafy greens and vegetables. The enzymes you release chewing the raw activate the cooked.
• 3 fruits per day.
• 1 cup of beans/legumes.
• Limit 1 cup starchy carb veg like sweet potato if you're trying to lose weight.
• 1 oz of seed/nuts per day. Preferably flax meal high in Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio.

NO ADDED OILS WHATSOEVER. No animal products, including no dairy. No grains is optimal but a 1/2 cup per day of oatmeal is ok.

And obviously no junk food "carbs" or processed foods.

Also advisable to not eat constantly and let your body work with an overnight fast for about 12 hours.