It’s a diet, a lifestyle and it’s becoming increasingly popular every year. If you have embraced a vegan diet or if you’re considering adopting a vegan lifestyle, you may be doing it for a variety of reasons. You could be doing it to avoid eating animal products for ethical reasons. Or you may simply want to live a healthier lifestyle. Eschewing animal products can also help the environment because of the resources used to raise animals.
Whatever the reason, you might have heard about one potential drawback to adopting a vegan diet. It can lead to hair loss. RHRLI wants our patients to know about any possible cause of hair loss, so we want to tell you about how a vegan diet affects your hair.
The Basics of Veganism & Diet Plans
According to Healthline, a vegan diet is devoid of animal products of all kinds including meat, eggs and dairy. There are several types of vegan diet plans such as a whole-food vegan diet, which includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. A raw food vegan diet has those foods cooked below 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Other plans limit fat-rich plants or boost carbs through cooked starches like potatoes, rice or corn.
Hair Loss Associated with Veganism
There are cases of hair loss related to veganism, but according to the American Hair Loss Council, most of the factors that can cause it are preventable. Among the things that can lead to hair loss are:
- Low Protein—Diets that cut back on meat tend to lower your protein intake. Low protein levels can lead to hair loss.
- Nutrient Deficiency—There are some nutrients that are commonly found in meat that are difficult to replace a vegan diet. These include iron deficiency and certain vitamin deficiencies that can lead to hair loss.
- Thyroid Problems—thyroid problems can be triggered by having excess soy in your diet and people who switch to vegan diets often boost their soy intake. There are certain thread conditions that trigger hair loss.
- Rapid Weight Loss—Weight loss is a positive condition associated with dieting. But elimination of fat in a vegan diet can sometimes cause that weight to come off too quickly. That can be stressful and stress can lead to more hair loss.
As we mentioned, the conditions associated with hair loss related to a vegan diet are usually preventable. Even on a vegan diet, there are foods you can eat with the nutrients you are missing. Leafy greens can give you iron, carrots can replenish your vitamin C. If you want to boost your protein, quinoa, black beans, and lentils will do the job. Supplements can help as well. Also, monitor your caloric intake to avoid rapid weight loss.
RHRLI Can Help with Your Hair Loss
If you have hair loss that requires a permanent solution, you need RHRLI. We have a revolutionary hair loss treatment called the ARTAS® System, which uses FDA-cleared robotic technology to find healthy donor hair. Then, we’ll use our robotic arm to transfer them with precision. It’s unlike any other hair transplant procedure on the market. Come experience the RHRLI Edge! Contact us today.