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17 Biotin-rich Foods for Hair Growth: How They Help
Stuck with hair that won't grow and lacks strength and shine? Incorporate biotin-rich foods for hair growth in your diet and get yourself long and luscious locks.
Growing your hair longer isn't easy for many of us. However, biotin-rich foods for hair growth are surprisingly effective. Owing to the multiple factors that can slow down or prevent our hair from growing, hair problems continue to ghost people. The factors that affect hair health include genes that you’ve got from your parents, age, stress and the environment you’re living in. But, do you know what is the primary obstacle to growing your hair healthily? It is the lack of key nutrients including biotin deficiency. Foods rich in biotin promote hair growth and its daily intake can be effective if you’re eyeing healthy skin or want to get rid of brittle nails. Dermatologists recommend a balanced diet so that you can consume essential nutrients. If you want to maintain levels of biotin in your body, incorporating the wonder nutrient into your diet can help. But, given our poor lifestyle choices and unhealthy eating habits, we miss out on the food items needed to treat our hair health to biotin. Let’s delve into details to know more about foods rich in biotin for hair growth and how they can help.
What is Biotin and Why is it Essential for Hair?
First of all, let’s understand what biotin is. In its most basic form, it is vitamin B which is primarily responsible for converting food into energy. It has also got a few other names like vitamin H or vitamin B7. Biotin's importance extends beyond healthy hair growth. It also includes the health of the eyes and is needed for healthy skin and brain. Additionally, it helps the liver work more effectively (1), (2). In order to maintain optimal amounts of biotin in our body, we need to consume it through supplements or diet. It is because biotin is a B-Complex vitamin that dissolves into water and does not get retained by human bodies (3).
Although biotin levels can be maintained through dietary supplements, obtaining it through the daily diet is better advised. Having enough biotin can contribute to various bodily functions and the maintenance of healthy hair. However, vitamin deficiencies might cause you to lose your hair and become discolored.
Here’s how biotin-rich foods for hair growth work:
- Biotin is a key nutrient in the production of proteins. The production of keratin is the result of the protein synthesis by biotin. This signifies its claimed beneficial properties for hair growth and further healthy hair. (4).
- In addition to reducing hair loss, the highly nutritious vitamin also boosts hair regrowth through a natural cycle of hair growth (1).
- In recent years, various brands and companies have begun incorporating biotin as an ingredient into their hair care products. Be it shampoos, hair creams, oils, and hair conditioners, most of the products have a biotin component which enhances hair quality, and provides the required shine. Moreover, the addition of biotin also makes the product efficient in increasing hair thickness.
- Biotin aids the production of amino acids. Keratin, the basic hair protein needed to strengthen your hair, also requires amino acids (4).
The necessary nutrients and oxygen are delivered to the hair follicles through foods high in biotin only. This prevents our hair from being damaged. Additionally, the nutrient also contributes to boosting nourishment (5).
????17 Biotin-rich Foods for Hair Growth
Given the modern lifestyle and reliability of artificial products, it has become a human tendency to choose easily available options rather than approaching a traditional way. Following the same approach, people are utilizing biotin supplements that are being sold in pharmacies. However, biotin intake through our daily diet outshines any other alternative. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods have been found to contain biotin and all you need to do is gobble your preferred type of food for intake of a good amount of biotin. Excellent sources of biotin include organ meats, green vegetables, active yeast, and raw egg whites among many others. Enlisted below are some suggestions for biotin-rich foods to incorporate into the daily diet for those luscious locks:
1. Nuts and Seeds
Various nuts and seeds come with fiber, unsaturated fat, and protein making them the ideal source of biotin. You can rely on these tiny food products to increase the biotin level in your body. However, the amount of biotin varies from type to type (6). 40 grams of roasted sunflower seeds boasts 5.2 mcg of biotin. Want to know how much biotin almonds have to offer? You can get 3 mcg of protein from 1/2 cup (60 grams) of almonds (7).
2. Legumes
When it comes to sources of biotin, legumes—more specifically, peanuts and soybeans, are just as beneficial as nuts and seeds. In addition to being rich in fiber and a few other minerals, legumes come with high protein content. 56 grams of roasted peanuts can boost the biotin level by 10 mcg (8). Meanwhile, a study found that 50 grams of whole soybeans comes with 9.2 mcg of biotin (9).
3. Liver
Although the liver is the highest source of biotin, it is not often consumed by individuals and it does not really excel in popularity. The biotin level can be increased by 50 mcg or more if you indulge yourself in a regular serving of chicken and beef liver.
Biologically, it makes sense. Biotin is stored in the liver, an organ of the body. Consuming the organ, thus, comes with a lot of biotin. Just 3 ounces of cooked beef liver can provide you with enough biotin. It comes with 31 mcg of the wonder nutrient (7).
Cooked chicken liver, on the other hand, is an even richer source providing 138 mcg per 3-ounce serving (8).
4. Egg Yolks
Next, making it to the list is Egg, which people often consume for its countless benefits. But, little does everyone know that it also comes with biotin content. Eggs have all the necessary nutrients, be it B vitamins, protein, iron, and phosphorus. However, its yolk, precisely, is one of the richest sources of biotin (9). A full egg, if completely cooked, provides approximately 10 mcg of biotin (7). Ensure that the eggs are cooked fully before eating them. Consuming raw or half-cooked eggs can have a negative impact on the absorption of biotin (10). This is due to the presence of a protein in egg whites which is called avidin.
5. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are well known for their positive impact on overall health. They contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, and carotenoid antioxidants among various other nutrients. 125 grams of sweet potatoes which have been cooked before eating can feed you 2.4 mcg of the nutrient, making it the best vegetable source of biotin (7), (8). Sweet potatoes can be peeled, and boiled, and you can also mash them depending on the type of food you are eating.
6. Avocados
Avocados are packed with unsaturated fats and folate. Guess what, they are also rich in biotin (11). A minimum of 1.85 micrograms of biotin is typically found in a medium avocado (8). Although with less biotin content, it's a great choice if you want to eat something healthy.
7. Yeast
Biotin can be found in both yeast for brewing and nutritional yeast. However, amounts vary depending on the brand and the type of yeast. A typical 2 teaspoons of dry yeast has 1.2 mcg of biotin, but the yeast meant for nutrition provides 21 mcg per 2 tablespoons (8), (12).
8. Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a fungus that has ample nutrients including biotin. This one-of-a-kind veggie offers a number of health benefits and contributes to hair health as well (13), (14). 120 grams of canned button mushrooms contain 2.6 mcg of biotin. On the other hand, fresh button mushrooms which you have diced also can give more biotin nutrients. 70 grams of mushroom is filled with 5.6 mcg of biotin (8).
9 . Broccoli
You may rely on broccoli as a nutrient-rich, nutritious vegetable alternative to meet your needs for fiber, calcium, and vitamins A and C (15). Of course, it comes with ample biotin too, and is a good source for the same. A mere serving of 45 grams of broccoli contains 0.4 mcg of biotin (8). Broccoli can be eaten in various forms as per your taste and preference. You can have it raw, and you can also try steamed and roasted.
10. Bananas
Bananas, the most popular fruits, continue to be on the top of the list which includes favorite fruits of many. This fruit also comes with a lot of fiber and some carbs for you along with other micronutrients like vitamins B, copper, and potassium (16). One small banana provides nearly 0.2 mcg of biotin (7), (8).
11. Salmon
If you’re a fan of seafood, you can have salmon for the highest biotin content. Salmon boasts omega-3 fatty acids which can be beneficial for people who wish to grow their hair faster and thicker (17). It may help prevent hair loss and also contribute to supplying healthy fats to the hair. 170 grams of cooked salmon have 10 mcg of biotin in them
35. Tuna
Another seafood with a high biotin concentration is tuna. Like any other seafood and salmon to be specific, it also has an important role to play in hair growth. Apparently, the contribution is effective as the biotin present in 85 g of cooked tuna is 0.6 mcg.
13. Spinach
Spinach forms a vital part of green vegetables. The leafy vegetable contains a decent amount of biotin. 64 grams of boiled spinach is packed with 0.5 mcg of biotin. Meanwhile, the presence of other beneficial nutrients makes it a must-include in our daily diet (18). The vegetable boasts nutrients like fiber, calcium, iron, folic acid, and vitamins.
14. Dairy
Although in small quantities, dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese, too come with biotin content (19). A 1-ounce serving of milk has 0.3 mcg of biotin whereas 1 cup of plain yogurt boasts just 0.2 micrograms of the nutrient. What adds to its wonderful qualities are calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and protein.
15. Whole Wheat Bread
A slice of whole wheat bread gives 1-6 mcg of biotin (20). As far as white bread is considered, it contains very little amount of biotin. Therefore, it is not largely recommended. You can skip the food item but even a little biotin intake does no harm, especially with a breakfast that has whole wheat bread in it.
16. Meats
Certain meats are considered a good source of biotin. These meats include pork dishes, beef livers, and whole eggs (21). Therefore, consuming it for nutrient intake will definitely work.
17. Cauliflower
Cauliflower is delicious as well as nutritious and its single serving contains about 17 mcg of biotin. However, the way you cook it really matters. Boiling cauliflower may not be healthy enough. It does not yield the results we expect. This is because it is soluble in water. The biotin content gets washed away or removed once you boil the vegetable (22).
People nowadays are turning towards biotin supplements to ensure healthy hair growth and prevent hair loss. However, with the plenty of food items available around us that can provide a sufficient amount of biotin, the idea of taking supplements is not appreciated at all. A little effort to shift towards biotin-rich foods for hair growth can make beauty enthusiasts fall in love with the results. Due to the impact of foods rich in biotin on hair growth, it is necessary to encourage yourself to have sufficient biotin intake. For those dealing with hair problems, biotin may serve as a boon. Therefore, without any further delay, plan a new balanced diet for yourself, and don't forget to incorporate biotin-rich foods. Simply, just brace yourself for shiny, long, and healthy hair.
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