Any vegetarians on the board? Can you chime in re: impact on hair growth, please?

[aileendq]

I'm a pescatarian now, but I'm seriously thinking of giving up all meat in favor of healthier alternatives.

Can some of you vegetarians please chime in on how this affected you hair growth (and overall health, of course) and any changes you made to keep your hair growth in track?

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

 

[Ms.Christ3n]

I love being vegetarian! It's great for overall health, low cholesterol, low blood pressure. I've been a vegetarian for about 4 years now and my hair always grew pretty fast even before I was one but I think my hair has gotten shinier from all the veggies and water.

ETA: Just make sure to take a daily vitamin. I eat 3 vitamin gummi bears because the pills make me feel horrible when I take them in the morning.

 

[redecouvert]

I've been vegetarian for a year now. I really feel great about my eating habits as I need to control my insulin. We have diabetes in the family and I have severe PCOS which interferes with my insulin level too. Being a vegetarian was the best decision I made for my overall health. In terms of hair, I can't tell yet because this year I couldn't make up my mind between locs and loose hair so I would loc my hair for 3 months, miss my loose hair, take them down, rock my loose hair, miss locs, lock up for 2 months, miss my loose hair, bla bla bla

 

[brianna-alyssa]

I'm a vegan & it has not affected my hair in a negative way at all. I love being a vegan & wouldn't have it any other way

 

[SweetTea]

I've been vegetarian for a little under a year now and have seen no negative impact in my hair growth. In fact, my hair might actually be growing faster now due to my better diet. I get more protein now than I ever did eating meat and I contribute most of my hair growth to that. I also lost ten pounds.

 

[DMJ's Mom]

I've been a vegetarian for 12-13 years now and I haven't seen any negative impact on my hair but I'd be lying if I said that I noticed a huge positive difference. As long as your diet is still pretty balanced you should be ok. Health wise I've never had high cholestorel (sp?) or high blood pressure (except when pregnant). I take a multi vitamin and an iron pill and my docs and nutritionalists have said that my diet is good but low in protein (I cant remember to drink protein shakes lately).

 

[Ms.Christ3n]

I've been a vegetarian for 12-13 years now and I haven't seen any negative impact on my hair but I'd be lying if I said that I noticed a huge positive difference. As long as your diet is still pretty balanced you should be ok. Health wise I've never had high cholestorel (sp?) or high blood pressure (except when pregnant). I take a multi vitamin and an iron pill and my docs and nutritionalists have said that my diet is good but low in protein (I cant remember to drink protein shakes lately).

I buy the Publix brand of Ensure ( which is waaay too expensive). It's great for breakfast and can be used as a meal substitute. It really does fill you up!

 

[Nasdaq_Diva]

Wow, didn't know so many of you were in here. Anyway, I'm not yet a vegetarian. I see myself as a meat eater with strong vegetarian tendencies. I have eaten chicken 3x in the last 1.5 months, and I have fish 3-4x a week. I plan to slowly drop the numbers down to 0 by the end of summer (fingers crossed for sooner than that)

 

[Tiye]

Vegetarian for 6 years. Faster growth - no. But overall hair health - yes it has improved tremendously. Before I became veg my hair tended to be dry and rough and on the brittle side (and yes I tried just about every product you see recommended on hair boards to no avail). I don't have these problems at all now and I use minimal product and even less oil. There are several things I credit for this - vegetarian diet, henna, and good water. I think diet is the most important factor though. I see many 4b and 4b+ types complaining about dryness and unmanageable hair, etc., ... and I definitely recommend a change in diet. By vegetarian now we're not talking about fries and a diet coke, skip the hamburger way of eating. I mean a completely balanced diet with whole grains, phyto nutrients, and appropriate nutritional supplements as needed. You will definitely see a difference overall - inside and out.

 

[fitnessmommy]

I have been a lacto ovo vegetarian for the last 16 years. That means that I eat NO meat or seafood but I will eat food with egg and dairy products. To be honest... my hair tended to be rough, brittle, and dry. I realized though that I was a carbohydrate addict and did not properly feed myself and give myself the minerals, vitamins and nutrients that I needed. I was in need of PROTEIN! When I began my fitness journey (which began a couple of years prior to my hair journey) I began drinking whey & soy protein supplemental drinks and increasing my protein intake with foods such as lentils, quinoa, and other vegetable proteins. It is NECESSITY to have protein in your diet to have vibrant, shiny and healthy hair.

 

[Artemis]

Lacto-ovo vegetarian checking in...been one since Nov 2002. My overall health improved tremendously once I removed meat, poultry, and seafood from my diet. I was able to weight train more efficiently and bounce back faster from injury and sickness. My skin has never been so clear. Allergies are rare (save for stressful situations). Upon developing a vitamin regimen to supplement my diet, my hair and nails changed dramatically for the better. I see no negative impacts from a meatless diet.

Also, I think that anyone who ensures that they are getting all the nutrients they can regardless of their source will have the optimal foundation for healthy hair, skin, and nails. All that will be left for the person to do is to preserve what their body produces naturally and minimizing damage over time.

 

[arosieworld]

I was a vegetarian and then vegan for years and my nails and hair never grew, I was also sick all the time. Now I follow the book 'eating by your blood type' and everything is stronger and growing like crazy. Everything would break and I would need a nap in the middle of the day. I even worked with a doctor and a nutionalist to make sure I was getting what I needed in my diet but nothing helped. I was raised on a pretty veggie diet we only at meat on friday (fish) saturday (Chicken/pork) and sunday (red meat) and I was a sickly kid.
Eta I am also anemic I don't know if that makes a difference.

 

[locabouthair]

Vegetarian for 6 years. Faster growth - no. But overall hair health - yes it has improved tremendously. Before I became veg my hair tended to be dry and rough and on the brittle side (and yes I tried just about every product you see recommended on hair boards to no avail). I don't have these problems at all now and I use minimal product and even less oil. There are several things I credit for this - vegetarian diet, henna, and good water. I think diet is the most important factor though. I see many 4b and 4b+ types complaining about dryness and unmanageable hair, etc., ... and I definitely recommend a change in diet. By vegetarian now we're not talking about fries and a diet coke, skip the hamburger way of eating. I mean a completely balanced diet with whole grains, phyto nutrients, and appropriate nutritional supplements as needed. You will definitely see a difference overall - inside and out.

I have tried so many products and my hair doesnt respond to anything. most of the time it's very dry. I thought that maybe I had hard water but my skin isn't dry. It's probably my diet.

I'm not vegetarian but I am considering limiting the amount of meat I eat.

 

[DivaMommy]

I am a vegetarian and have not had any adverse effects on my hair and skin. Make sure you get your proteins (soy milk, tofu, and yogurt are good sources). Try making your own proteins. There are many good recipes at vegweb.com and http://vegandad.blogspot.com/. Although we are not vegan, I use some vegan recipes b/c we are cutting back on dairy and eggs due to allergies. Some of our favorite proteins are vegan.

 

[Amber_moon]

I went Vegan for about 5 months last year and I didnt notice any difference AT ALL in my body, not energy wise, not hair, not skin, not weight... Nothing. No differences at all.

 

[FlowerHair]

I eat 99% lacto ovo vegetarian foods since over 10 years and I haven't noticed any negative effects on my hair.

I'm also very diligent with getting enough of the right carbs, fat, protein and 500 grammes of vegetables/fruits daily.