Stop and Reverse Hair Loss from Eating Too Few Calories

People who eat too few calories may find themselves suffering from:

• Premature greying or whitening of hair
• Thinning hair
• Patchy hair loss
• Total hair loss

These symptoms could be permanent depending on the severity of your calorie deprivation. The longer you are malnourished, the more at risk you are for permanent hair loss.

Malnourished individuals will eventually begin to go permanantly bald.

Aside from hair loss you might also experience the following symptoms:

• Extreme weight loss
• Dizziness
• Foggy thinking
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia, a condition where you body does not have enough fuel to run itself so it shuts down unnecessary functions such as growing hair
• Lowered body temperature
• Anemia, which is low iron levels in the blood, in itself a cause of hair loss
• Low blood pressure, which shuts off circulation to the hair follicles on the scalp
• Damage to the digestive system that impairs nutrient absorption thus starving hair follicles of nutrients
• Impaired immune function leaving the scalp open to fungal and bacterial infections that can cause hair loss

Lethargy is a symptom of low calorie intake.

The causes of hair loss due to eating too few calories are:

• Fad dieting
• Eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia that involve starving yourself or regurgitating eating food
• Addiction to a recreational drug that cuts appetite such as heroin, meth, oxycodone and other pain killers
• Addiction to diet drugs that contain stimulants, caffeine and appetite suppressants
• Smoking cigarettes, which reduces appetite
• An addiction to working out and lean body-building
• Weight loss surgery, including the implanting of a gastric band around the neck of the stomach to reduce appetite
• An inability to eat due to a medical issue such as having to go through chemotherapy
• Malnourishment due to a natural or man-made disaster during which food is not available

Opiate addicts such as heroin addicts often suffer from hair loss due to a lack of sufficient calorie intake.

1. 1
   Ask your doctor or a qualified dietitian to help you calculate the number of calories you should eat a day

   .

   If you want to regrow your hair then you will switch your focus from losing weight to regrowing your hair and eat at least the number of calories needed to sustain your hair growth.

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2. 2
   Stop dieting and throw away all diet aids

   .

   Fad dieting, yoyo dieting and taking pills that reduce your caloric intake are causing the caloric deficit that is causing you to lose your hair. This includes caffeine pills that suppress the appetite, codeine based pain-killers and starch and carb blockers like PGX and Metamucil.

   

   Stop taking weight loss pills that put your hair follicles in a state of dormancy due to malnourishment.

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3. 3
   If you drink alcohol, stop

   .

   Drinking shrinks blood vessels and causes issues with the liver that prevent your hormones from doing their job of triggering your scalp to grow hair.

   

   Stop drinking alcohol as it stunts hair growth even further.

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4. 4
   If you smoke, stop

   .

   Many people, especially women, use smoking cigarettes as a weight loss tool, but unfortunately, along with the caloric restriction, the toxins in cigarette smoke cause hair loss as well.

   

   Smoking leads to permanent hair loss.

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5. 5
   Stop taking recreational drugs

   .

   Recreational drugs that inhibit the appetite and therefore cause hair to fall out due to malnutrition include cocaine, MDMA Ketamine, GHB, LSD, Heroin and Marijuana.

   

   Doing drugs causes issues with metabolism and hair loss.

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6. 6
   Exercise less and walk more

   .

   If you want to regrow hair you need to keep your cortisol levels low. This means working out hard less and taking nice long slower walks instead. When cortisol levels rise, as the do during a hard workout, your body produces the hormone DHT which causes hair loss.

   

   A stroll in the park can help a malnourished scalp grow hair.

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Protein provides former dieters and sufferers of malnutrition with the amino acids needed to regrow hair. These foods will give you all that you need to rebuild hair follicles and replace hair that is lost from low caloric intake.

1. 1
   Eat grass fed beef

   .

   Grass fed beef is very rich in protein, all of the B vitamins and the iron needed to grow great hair.

   

   Eating grass fed beef can provide you with the protein you need to grow great hair.

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2. 2
   Eat eggs

   .

   Egg yolks are rich in the B vitamins, sculpture and protein that hair needs to repair itself. Eggs contain biotin, which feeds hair follicles and help grow thicker strands of hair.

   

   Eating egg yolks can help restore hair lost because of malnutrition.

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3. 3
   Eat Greek yogurt

   .

   Greek yogurt contains pantothenic acid, which nourishes hair follicles and helps prevent hair thinning. It also helps the new hair that grows in to have more volume.

   

   Eating Greek yogurt contains pantothenic acid that help your new hair have more body and volume.

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4. 4
   Eat Kiwi fruit

   .

   Kiwi fruit has about three times the Vitamin C of an orange, a bit of protein and it full of beneficial enzymes and antioxidants that fight scalp infection and support hair growth.

   

   Kiwi fruits are a rich source of Vitamin C that heal scalps that are damaged or infected because of malnutrition.

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5. 5
   Eat oysters

   .

   Oysters are rich in protein, iodine and zinc. All three are needed to inspire dormant hair follicles to grow thicker strands of hair.

   

   The zinc in oysters help repair damaged hair follicles.

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6. 6
   Eat salmon

   .

   Salmon is a good source of protein, high in B vitamins and contains omega-3 fatty acids that help protect the scalp from inflammation.

   

   Salmon is one of the richest sources of the essential fatty acids needed for hair follicles to produce sebum.

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7. 7
   Eat spinach

   .

   Spinach contains iron, folate, Vitamin A and Vitamin C, which helps nourish starved hair follicles and helps grow hair that is strong and glossy.

   

   Cooked spinach is one of the richest sources of bioavailable iron that can help follicles grow new hair.

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8. 8
   Eat sweet potatoes

   .

   Sweet potatoes contain beta-carotene and constituents that help your hair produce more sebum, which is the oil that a hair follicle produces to nourish new hair strands.

   

   Sweet potato fries help keep your hair follicles nourished with sebum.

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• At My Fitness Pal there is a free online tool that can help you calculate your BMI and daily calorie needs, so that you never need to be risking hair loss because you have been eating less calories than you should be
• If you are anorexic or bulimic avoid counting calories as it is a habit that may trigger a desire not to eat; follow the advice of your health providers for best results

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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