Increasing calorie intake for growth. 🍽🥗

[MissHair]

Im interested in finding out how many calories in avarage you eat to grow healthy long hair. I read somewhere that a minimum 1300 cal is required to keep hair from not entering telogen effluvium and shed. I struggle to keep a high intake due to cost of living expenses and often opt for "cheaper" foods such as white toast ect to survive and get by. I know it's not good for me but even staple vegetables are hell'a expensive these days so I don't get them. Im interested in finding out if any of you eat a high calorie or very high calorie diet and have thicker hair growth. Not talking specifically of the micronutritional value of vitamins and minerals but the overall calorie energy input and if that has a significance.

[Ylva]

A food can be high in calories, yet useless when it comes to nutrition. Think most fast food, for example.

I have no idea how many calories I eat - and I'm NOT one who can eat anything and not gain weight!! Most of what I eat consists of animal protein and fat. I eat a lot of high-fat foods. My diet has played a part in optimising my hair health, but I never noticed an out-of-this-world difference.

Instead of focusing on how many calories you consume, I'd recommend being more conscious over the quality of the calories you do consume, and then just eat your fill. If you're eating real food when you're hungry and not snacking or spiking insulin, you will most likely be just fine.

[Rainbouu]

Eating a variety of foods is the most important thing for nutrition. Fast food and top ramen is fine, it's honestly just that those foods lack a lot of fiber and vitamins, so eating nothing else can be rough on the body. I know it upsets my stomach terribly if I'm eating a lot of that stuff and skipping the fruits and vegetables. Or I know when money is tight. I've eaten a lot of just eggs, beans, and rice, and eventually I won't feel so good either.

Getting your nutrients and calories is obviously really important, there are a lot of people who don't eat enough calories. I think its good to be concerned about eating more in our diet obsessed culture. Rather than count cslories, I'd focus on eating intuitively to satiety for hair growth.

Avocados are a 98 cents each at my grocery store. A little expensive maybe, but I get a few each week to eat. They are full of potassium and healthy fats. I also buy nutritional yeast in bulk...it lasts forever , so you'll just be shelling out a few dollars twice a year. It tastes kind of cheesy and can be sprinkled on anything for a bit extra calcium and protein. Canned diced tomatoes with chiles are 50 cents here...you can cook them with beans and rice, add them to omelets and burritos, or cook Shakshuka with them and any other left over vegetables you have. You can even puree them and make amazing Indian food with them. Bulk dried peas are also a favorite of mine as I can get pounds of them for a few cents. Frozen Brussel sprouts and strawberries are also not terribly expensive compared to their fresh organic counterparts.

If you have even just 10 dollars to put aside every grocery trip for more vegetables, and eat a variety of foods, you'll notice a difference in overall health. I'd also recommend drinking enough water, that makes a bigger differenceto skin and hair health than most ever know. It's easier if you always drink a glass of water with a meal. At my hair removal job, I can always tell if people drink enough water or not. Every time, even when they fib, because it shows in their skin and the health of their body hair.

[LittleQuill]

Eating a variety of foods is the most important thing for nutrition.

^ This. To me, your caloric intake shouldn't matter too much for growth as it should for what you choose to consume. I'm in the same boat as you in regards to limited funds, and the increased cost of groceries hasn't helped, but when choosing what to eat for breakfast and dinners (I don't eat lunch. Not because of the 'fasting' fad, but because my body doesn't need huge amounts of calories, so I find that lunch is perfectly skippable. Saves on the weekly groceries in the end, too. Woo!), I always try to go for things with plenty of grain (like multigrain bread for example), things with healthy fats (like healthier oils like olive, or nut or seed spreads - Almond spreads and Tahini), and dinners with lots of vegetables (or sauces with vegetables already in them, and plenty of salads. For meats, I gravitate toward the cheaper kinds like chicken, minces, rissoles and sausages. When choosing fruits and vegetables, I'll always opt for the frozen kinds rather than the fresh. They last longer and they're cheaper, too. And, when making salads, I'll always opt for ingredients that are on special, or buy a pre-packed salad. Those are only ever a few dollars where I live, and there's a decent variety around, too.

[MissHair]

Thank you all for your great advice. I appreciate it! ⚘️

[shelomit]

I'll be a bit of a dissenting voice here and say that, for me, increasing my caloric intake made a world of difference in my overall health. I have no sense of hunger (genetic disorder, less fun than it might sound) and didn't realize until getting referred to a dietician a couple of years ago how severely I had been undereating. I was eating well in the sense of eating a wide variety of foods and gardening for fresh produce, but it added up to about 1/3 as much as I should have been getting. It had never occurred to me that that I could be undereating that badly since I am a big fat fatty, LOL. I can't claim to have noticed a difference in my hair specifically, but I have much more energy since I started eating more, no longer wanting to sleep all day. My mind feels less confused, inflammation markers have gone down, fewer aches and pains overall.

The cheapest and easiest way I found to eat more, by the way, was to add starch to my meals. Rice, potatoes, and flour are all cheap and calorie-dense. Now I eat the same kinds of things I used to, just with the addition of some kind of starch (vegetables over rice instead of plain vegetables, e.g.).

[Rainbouu]

Shelomit, I actually totally agree with you, and I'm glad you're getting those good starches! I have to try and eat more too for gut and bowel health. It's important.

I think many people, especially women, undereat, and that really worsens the quality of life. I merely meant that for most, there isn't a need to count calories, but that they should just eat freely without worry, as in my experience calorie monitoring causes many to undereat. The 1200 calories recommended for women daily where I live is more of a minimum number. I don't see how the average person can be happy and energetic with ONLY those calories; one should eat more.

I'm not exactly the skinniest, but I'm almost underweight for my height too, so dropping weight would actually be really unhealthy for me. The truth is, having fat is good for our bodies. It gives us energy and cushions our bones and organs.

However, I'm not a dietician, and so I cannot tell people when they ought to be eating 500 or 800 or 2000 more calories, so I shied away from giving specific numbers or advice. What you said is valuable advice that I didn't give, so appreciate your input. :)

[MissHair]

Thank you Shelomit and Rainbouu for both your inputs! 💐