10 Foods that Makes Your Hair Healthier

1. Salmon for Shine

Fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel are packed with healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Your body can't make these healthy fats, so you have to get them from food or supplements. They help protect you from disease, but your body also needs them to grow hair and keep it shiny and full.

2. Grow With Greek Yogurt

It’s packed with protein, the building block of your locks. Greek yogurt also has an ingredient that helps with blood flow to your scalp and hair growth. It’s called vitamin B5 (known as pantothenic acid) and may even help against hair thinning and loss. You may recognize pantothenic acid as an ingredient on your hair and skincare product labels.

3. Spinach to Battle Brittle Hair

Like so many dark green leafy vegetables, spinach is full of amazing nutrients. It has tons of vitamin A, plus iron, beta carotene, folate, and vitamin C. These work together for a healthy scalp and mane. They keep your hair moisturized so it doesn't break. Want to mix it up a little? Kale is another great green choice.

4. Guava to Prevent Breakage

This tropical fruit brims with vitamin C. It protects your hair from breaking. One cup of guava has 377 milligrams of vitamin C. That's more than four times the minimum daily recommended amount. Bonus!

5. Iron-Fortified Cereal to Prevent Loss

Getting too little iron can lead to hair loss. But you can find this important nutrient in fortified cereal, grains, and pastas, and in soybeans and lentils. Beef, especially organ meats like liver, have lots of it. Shellfish and dark leafy greens do too.

6. Lean Poultry for Thickness

When you don't get enough protein, hair growth "rests." Since it stops and older hairs fall out, you can have hair loss. To get protein from meat, pick lean options like chicken or turkey, which have less saturated fat than sources like beef and pork.

7. Sweet Potatoes to Fight Dull Locks

Have dry hair that's lost its shine? Sweet potatoes are filled with a good-for-you antioxidant called beta carotene. Your body turns beta carotene into vitamin A. That helps protect against dry, dull hair. It also encourages the glands in your scalp to make an oily fluid called sebum that keeps hair from drying out. You can also find beta carotene in other orange vegetables like carrots, pumpkin, cantaloupe, and mangoes.

8. Cinnamon for Circulation

Sprinkle this spice on your oatmeal, toast, and in your coffee. It helps with blood flow, also called circulation. That's what brings oxygen and nutrients to your hair follicles.

9. Eggs for Growth

Your protein and iron bases are covered when you eat eggs. They're rich in a B vitamin called biotin that helps hair grow. Not having enough of this vitamin can lead to hair loss. Biotin also helps strengthen brittle fingernails.

10. Oysters for Fullness

These are rich in zinc. When you don't have enough of this mineral in your diet, you can have hair loss even in your eyelashes. Cells that build hair rely on zinc to help them work their hardest. You can also find this mineral in beef, crab, lobster, and fortified cereal.

Recipe: Sticky Chicken With Apricot Jam

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast

1/2 jar apricot jam

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, (can use black, white, or both)

2 scallions, cleaned and sliced for garnish

salt and pepper, to taste.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray cooking spray on a baking dish.

2. Spray cooking spray, salt and pepper on chicken breast. Grill on each side until cooked through.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine apricot jam and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Pour apricot mixture evenly over chicken breasts. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

5. Garnish with sliced scallion.

Nutritional Facts

*Nutritional Guidelines based on the USDA's MyPlate Standards.

The Sources of Omega-3s Is Not Only Egg !

We often hear about what we should be cutting out of our diets – like saturated fats, sodium, and sugar. But if you want to better your health, it’s not enough to just avoid the bad – you also need to make sure you’re getting enough of the good. And some of the most important nutrients, such as omega-3 fats, are lacking in the typical American diet.

What makes omega-3 fats special? These essential fatty acids play a vital role in our bodies and have also been linked with many health benefits, such as protection against heart disease, some types of cancer, and even age-related memory loss.

While there’s no Dietary Reference Intake for omega-3s, the National Institutes of Health has recommended that people eat at least 2% of their total daily calories as omega-3 fats (that’s about 2 grams for a 2,000-calorie/day diet). Fatty fish like salmon, tuna and halibut are among the best sources of omega-3s. However there are other food sources that can boost your omega-3 intake.

Here are five surprising foods to help you get more beneficial omega-3s in your diet:

Beans – Not only are beans an excellent source of protein, an eight-ounce serving of tofu (derived from soybeans) has about 1.2 grams of omega’s, while a cup of kidney beans packs in nearly 1 gram (about half of what you need for the day). What’s more, beans are easy on your wallet, especially compared to fresh fish.

Winter Squash – Fantastic for roasting, acorn, pumpkin, and butternut squash are best known for their beta-carotene content, but they also contain omega-3s. One cup of butternut squash has about 50 mg of omega-3s.

Eggs – Once demonized as artery-clogging culprits, eggs are now known to be nutritional all-stars: one egg has 13 vitamins and minerals and high-quality protein, all for 70 calories. And some specialty eggs, like Eggland’s Best, have double the amount of omega-3s (and four times more vitamin D and 25% less sat fat!) compared to ordinary eggs.

Flax Seeds – Two tablespoons of ground flax seeds have about 3.4 grams of omega-3s. (Make sure you grind the seeds or they will pass through the body mostly undigested!) In addition to their omega-3s, flax seeds are an excellent source of fiber. They have a rich, nutty taste and are a perfect topping for salads, cereal, yogurt, or as a healthy addition to smoothies.

Walnuts – Just one ounce (about ¼ cup shelled walnut pieces) has 2.5 grams of omega-3s, making them the richest nut-source of this essential nutrient. In addition, an ounce of walnuts provides a convenient source of protein (4 grams) and fiber (2 grams).  Pump up the nutrition of your oatmeal, salads, snacks, main dishes and even desserts with this nutty nutritional powerhouse.

The research is still unclear as to whether plant-based or fish omega-3 fatty acids are equally beneficial. Most Americans do not get enough of either type, so you should aim to get at least one rich source (plant or fish) of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet every day.

Small changes can lead to big results. What healthy step can you take today?

Recipe: Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Strawberries and dark chocolate supply disease-busting phytonutrients.

Ingredients (4 Servings)

2 ounces 60% bittersweet chocolate

1 pint strawberries

Instructions

1. Rinse fruit well. Do not remove stems. Blot dry with a paper towel and set aside.

2. Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler, stirring constantly. When chocolate has melted, remove top portion of the double boiler.

3. Hold one strawberry at a time by the top and dip into chocolate to coat it. Coat completely except for stem area.
4. Let cool.

Nutrition Facts

*Nutritional Guidelines based on the USDA's MyPlate Standards.

Recipe: Asian Halibut & Brown Rice Packets

Rice on the grill ? Absolutely, and by the time it’s cooked it’s scented with the exotic flavors of plums and Asian sauce. If halibut isn’t available, striped bass, sole or even thick cod fillets will work just fine.

Ingredients (4 Servings, 30min)

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons orange juice

2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 cups instant brown rice

4 scallions, sliced, whites and greens separated

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 pound halibut fillet, skin removed, cut into 4 portions

1 large ripe plum, cut into 12 wedges

Instructions

1. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill.

2. Heat 3/4 cup water, 1 cup orange juice and soy sauce in a small saucepan until just simmering. Pour into a medium bowl; stir in rice and scallion whites and set aside, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Whisk hoisin sauce, ginger, sesame oil and the remaining 2 tablespoons each of water and orange juice in a small bowl.

3. Stack two 20-inch sheets of foil (the double layers will help protect the ingredients on the bottom from burning). Coat the center of the top layer with cooking spray. Place one-fourth of the rice mixture in the center. Set a piece of fish on the rice. Arrange 3 wedges of plum on the fish. Top with one-fourth of the hoisin mixture and sprinkle with one-fourth of the scallion greens. Bring the short ends of the foil together, leaving enough room in the packet for steam to gather and cook the food. Fold the foil over and pinch to seal. Pinch seams together along the sides. Make sure all the seams are tightly sealed to keep steam from escaping. Make 3 more packets with the remaining ingredients.
4. Place the packets on a gas grill over medium heat or on a charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches from medium coals. Cover the grill and cook until the fish is opaque in the center, 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness. (When opening a packet to check for doneness, be careful of steam.) Use a spatula to slide the contents of the packet onto a plate.

Detailed Nutritional Information

*Nutritional Guidelines based on the USDA's MyPlate Standards.

Delicious Foods That Help You Diet

No doubt: Weight loss comes down to simple math. You have to eat fewer calories than you burn. Some even kick up your metabolism. So take this list when you go to the supermarket: Dark chocolate, sausage, nuts, and eggs? They're all on the list. It's about feeling full and satisfied. Here are 9 delicious foods that help us diet.

1. Beans

Inexpensive, filling, and versatile, beans are a great source of protein. Beans are also high in fiber and slow to digest. That means you feel full longer, which may stop you from eating more.

2. Soup

Start a meal with a cup of soup, and you may end up eating less. It doesn’t matter if the soup is chunky or pureed, as long as it's broth-based. You want to keep the soup to 100 to 150 calories a serving. So skip the dollops of cream and butter.

3. Dark Chocolate

Want to enjoy chocolate between meals? Pick a square or two of dark over the milky version. In one study, chocolate lovers who were given dark chocolate ate 15% less pizza a few hours later than those who had eaten milk chocolate.

4. Pureed Vegetables

You can add more veggies to your diet, enjoy your "cheat" foods, and cut back on the calories you’re eating, all at the same time. When Penn State researchers added pureed cauliflower and zucchini to mac and cheese, people seemed to like the dish just as much. But they ate 200 to 350 fewer calories. Those healthy vegetables added low-calorie bulk to the tasty dish.

5. Eggs and Sausage

A protein-rich breakfast may help you resist snack attacks throughout the day.

In a study of a group of obese young women, those who started the day with 35 grams of protein -- that’s probably way more than you’re eating -- felt fuller right away. The women ate a 350 calories breakfast that included eggs and a beef sausage patty. The effect of the high-protein breakfast seemed to last into the evening, when the women munched less on fatty, sugary goods than the women who had cereal for breakfast.

6. Nuts

For a great snack on the run, take a small handful of almonds, peanuts, walnuts, or pecans. Research shows that when people munch on nuts, they automatically eat less at later meals.

7. Apples

Skip the apple juice and the applesauce and opt instead for a crunchy apple. Whole fruit blunts appetite in a way that fruit juices and sauces don’t. One reason is that raw fruit has more fiber. Plus, chewing sends signals to your brain that you’ve eaten something substantial.

8. Yogurt

Whether you prefer Greek or traditional, yogurt can be good for your waistline.

A Harvard study followed more than 120,000 people for a decade or longer. Yogurt, of all the foods that were tracked, was most closely linked to weight loss. That doesn't prove that yogurt caused weight loss, but it stood out among other foods.

9. Grapefruit

Yes, grapefruit really can help you shed pounds, especially if you are at risk for diabetes.

Researchers at Scripps Clinic in San Diego found that when obese people ate half a grapefruit before each meal, they dropped an average of 3 ½ pounds over 12 weeks. Drinking grapefruit juice had the same results. But grapefruit juice doesn't have any proven "fat-burning" properties -- it may just have helped people feel full. Be careful: You cannot have grapefruit or grapefruit juice if you are on certain medications, so check the label on all your prescriptions, or ask your pharmacist or doctor.