Rapunzel’s Tower Diet
Though we don’t know much about Rapunzel’s daily tower routine, we can assume that she must have been eating pretty well up there. You can’t have strong, healthy hair without a regimen complemented by proper nutrition.
A diet that nourishes skin and nails must contain 3 key nutrients: biotin, silica and L-Cysteine. These nutrients work together to create robust hair follicles and grow thicker, fuller hair. When there is a deficiency in any one of these three, our hair eventually suffers.
Biotin
Often recommended as a main dietary supplement to rejuvenate hair and nails, biotin is a water soluble B-vitamin. It is responsible for cellular growth and occurs naturally in a wide range of foods.
Including foods like salmon, chicken, egg yolks, peanuts and leafy green vegetables in her menu would have helped give Rapunzel’s hair the length, strength, and flexibility needed to support her agile, climbing visitors.
Silica
Fortunately for Rapunzel and her hair, she still had her youth. While we are born with an abundant quantity of the mineral silica, it starts to deplete as we age. The clear skin and shiny locks that are so evident in our youth begin to diminish as our silica stocks deplete.
Adding silica to our diet can revitalize hair by aiding in the transport of vital nutrients and vitamins to the hair follicles.
Plant-derived foods are much higher in silica than meat or dairy products, since plants take up silica from the soil as they grow. Oat bran is one of the best sources because it contains the husk of the oat, which is the richest source of silica. Bananas, pineapples, and mangoes are other good sources, as are green beans, spinach, coriander (cilantro), lentils and soy products like tofu.
L-Cysteine
Without L-Cysteine, Rapunzel would not have had hair for anyone to climb. L-Cysteine is an amino acid that plays an integral role in the production of keratin. Keratin is the major component in skin, hair, and nails.
High-protein foods are among the best sources of L-Cysteine: turkey breast and other poultry; lean beef; pork; fish and seafood; and eggs. It is also present in some plant sources, including roasted, unsalted soybeans, brazil nuts, and spirulina.
Other Factors
While Rapunzel would have had to deal with the stress of being locked in a tower for years, she would not have had to experience many of today’s hair challenges. Blow drying, sulfate damage, chlorine, and air pollution represent only a few of today’s more common issues.
Unlike Rapunzel, who would have been lucky to receive surreptitious visits from her hair dresser to trim her ends, we can benefit from the advice of our local salon and hair technicians.
Complement that advice with a nutrient rich diet and you could find yourself “letting down your hair” with a little more confidence.