This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through links. Learn more on my Private Policy page.
Starting a new diet plan is not an easy task. Among many other challenges, when you decide to switch to keto, one of the major side effects is hair loss. As the body adapts to a low-carbohydrate diet, the hair growth cycle may be altered. Therefore, you need to be mindful of how to do keto without losing hair. In this blog post, we will discuss some methods on how to do keto without losing hair.
Method 1: Keep Your Protein Levels High
One of the key ways to counteract hair loss on keto is to ensure you consume sufficient protein. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, protein is essential for healthy hair growth. Without it, your hair may become thin and brittle.
Maintaining a consistent and high protein intake is crucial to counteracting hair loss while on keto. A good suggestion to attain the necessary amount of protein for the diet could be consuming foods such as meat, fish, eggs, and tofu. For men, around 56 grams of protein and 46 grams of protein for women per day is the ideal amount.
Method 2: Keep Your Diet Balanced with Vitamins and Minerals
Your diet must be balanced with minerals and vitamins that enhance hair growth. Iron, in particular, is important to keep your hair healthy. Without enough iron, your hair may grow thin due to a lack of oxygen supply in the hair-making follicles. That said, it’s important to keep your diet balanced with nutrients and minerals.
A simple way to equip your diet with iron to strengthen hair follicles would be consuming red meat, poultry, fish, beans, and leafy greens. In addition to iron, taking vitamins or vitamin-rich supplements, especially biotin, will help improve hair growth. For example, biotin promotes hair, skin and nail health as it contains essential B vitamins. It can be found in foods such as nuts or through supplements.
Method 3: Avoid Intense Calorie Restriction
It’s important to be mindful of calorie intake while on a keto diet. But, it’s even more crucial to avoid an intense calorie restriction as it can have negative effects on your hair health. Intense calorie restriction slows down your metabolism, leading your body to rely on protein utilization, which harms your hair’s strength.
To avoid hair loss from reducing calories on keto, you could adjust your caloric intake slowly as your body adapts to the diet. Typically, a 500-calorie reduction is recommended when trying to maintain weight, and 1,000 calories per day when trying to lose weight. This approach allows your body to adapt to the diet’s parameters without causing adverse effects on hair health.
Conclusion
Keto diet is possibly one of the most effective weight loss plans, if not the most successful of all the available diets. While it does hold several advantages, hair loss stays one of its main disadvantages. However, there are ways to counteract the hair loss that comes with the diet.
To recap:
– Maintain a high protein intake using food such as meat, fish, eggs and tofu.
– Focus on consuming iron-rich foods like leafy greens and beans to facilitate the oxygen supply to hair follicles.
– Avoid intense calorie restriction to avoid losing hair.
In summary, Keto can be a desirable plan for anyone wishing to lose weight. However, apprehending it wholly, including ways to prevent hair loss on keto, is very important. By keeping your body nourished with vital nutrients, a balanced diet, and by avoiding intense calorie restriction, you can enjoy the many benefits of keto staying guaranteed with little or no hair loss.