My first gray hairs appeared when I was 24-years-old. I was standing in a checkout line with a good friend, buying my baby boy a gift for his first birthday. My friend shrieked when she saw my first two gray hairs, and she automatically reached to pluck them out. I grabbed her hand and emphatically declared that I had earned them with my first year of motherhood. They were staying on my head! Now I know my early shift to gray was not a badge of honor or achievement, it was a vitamin or mineral deficiency.
Your hair will naturally turn gray or white with age, but if premature graying occurs, your diet may be lacking in nutrients or other health issues may indicate.Health Issues That May be Indicated by Prematurely Gray Hair
- Celiac disease. (Within weeks, a gluten-free diet may result in hair darkening years after going gray.)
- Endocrine imbalance. (Balancing hormones may result in hair darkening within months.)
- Pernicious anemia.
Supplements That May Help Halt or Reverse Graying Hair
- B-12
- Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) (from folic acid)
- Copper
How to Correct a Vitamin or Mineral Deficiency
When addressing nutritional deficiencies, there are 3 things to consider:- Diet
- Toxic load
- Ability to assimilate nutrients (gut health)
A Healthy Diet – A Healthy Body
The foundation of all health is a truly healthy diet – a whole food diet that consists of 80% or more fresh, organic produce, more vegetables than fruits. One large salad per day filled with a variety of vegetables can change your health. You will be giving your body the nutrients it needs to fuel and repair itself and the prebiotic foods to ensure gut health and on-going detoxification if you include the right foods. To learn more, check out the 80% Raw Food Diet.A truly healthy diet eliminates processed foods along with all artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, MSG, GMOs, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, and refined sugar. It limits caffeine. It includes healthy fats rich in omega 3s and plenty of pure water.