Seaweed & Healthy Hair

A little history first.

Back in 1986 I went on an extreme diet which actually triggered a bout with an eating disorder.  For one year I basically lived on Optifast (got the idea from Oprah), Diet Coke, coffee (this was before Starbucks) and lots and lots of salads.  I got very very thin.  Not quite Mary Kate or Lindsay Lohan thin, but for me it was tiny, tiny.

Meanwhile, my hair, which had grown to below my bra strap, fell out in handfuls and chunks.  I was trailing hair everywhere. It literally popped out of my scalp as I walked.

I went to the doctor that gave me the Optifast and he said....would you rather be thin or have lots of hair?  I said...have lots of hair.

At that time (it was pre-HairBoutique.com) I had nowhere to turn to stop my hair loss.  The doctor could care less because he wanted to sell lots of Optifast & Medifast.

I did go to a 12 step to recover from my eating disorder phase (which has been in solid remission since 1988) and did go to a nutritional expert to help with my hair problems.  He (a D.C with a nutrition degree) told me that I had to eat foods that would support my hair regrown and he recommended as the #1 food - seaweed.  I was appalled but willing to try anything at that point.

I spent days at the local health food stores looking at all the different seaweed and the sheets that are used for California rolls.  I finally bought some Nori sheets and starting eating them.  They didn't taste bad at all.  After awhile, I started to really enjoy them. 

Seaweed is very high in all the sea nutrients.  I was not surprised when Viviscal was introduced some years later and it had a lot of the same nutrients as the seaweed I was eating every day.  I started carrying Nori around in my handbag.  And yes, it made a big difference with my hair.  I use it as a snack to prevent reaching for no-no foods like Snickers (which I love but try not to eat).

I did several things to get the hair loss to stop including making my own secret hair oil formula (essentials hair growth oils) and of course working on my own version of hair vitamins which ultimately led to the creation of HairTopia.  But at the time I was focusing on eating better and stopping the hair loss.

In the early days the nutritionist had me eating, besides seaweed, the following foods every day:

1.  Avocado
2.  Cashew Butter
3.  Sprouts
4.  ONLY Ezckiel bread
5.  Bananas
6.  Lemons
7.  Beans
8.  Eggs

Yes....I did gain back some weight (not as much as I thought) but I also grew back my hair. 

To this day I eat avocados and munch on seaweed almost every day.  I don't really like Sushi but I love California rolls which are wrapped in Nori sheets, just like I have been eating for years. 

I do notice a difference in my hair when I stop eating seaweed for any extended period of time because I don't have time to get to the store or just forget to pack them in my bag for work.  Right now I have several packs in my desk.  :-)

There's a seaweed called "fueru wakame" which means "increase wakame". It's a japanese food, and it's dried and kind of curly looking. When it's wet, it "increases", hence it's name.

I used to add it to already cooked ramen noodle soup (japanese style) and you can hardly taste it.

That would be an easy way to start adding seaweed to your diet. Or just take kelp pills.

I would love to eat avocado, but I can't stand guacamole, so I can't imagine I'd like plain avocado.

Hi Malibu,

My apologies for the delay is getting back to you.  I have been traveling a lot.

I actually eat the sheets like long licorice whips.  I rip off pieces...usually long strips and just munch on them.  I like the taste although it took me time to get used to it.  I buy the Nori sheets at Whole Foods and they are my favorite. 

You can actually grind up the Nori and sprinkle the pieces on salad but I eat them as a snack.  In fact, when I travel, I take a package and if I get hungry they make a great good-for-you easy to eat snack. 

OK.  Some people look at me a little crazy but not for long. 

It really works for me.  I can sometimes feel my scalp tingling after I eat a lot. 

[QUOTE=malibu]Thanks for the information.
Bty,
I love avocados and I don't like guacamole.  [/QUOTE]

I hear you about the avocados. One of my favorite sandwiches is turkey with avocado and sprouts.  Yummy and great for you.  Very healthy.

*goes off to her room to get some. . . slightly stale, but still edible. . . nori snacks*

Where can you get nori sheets or nori snacks?  Do you think they would sell them at a regular superstore like walmart?  I have been eating a really balanced diet and I am trying to add things in that would make my hair healthier as well.  I saw a recipie for california sushi rolls that I really want to try; Im just not sure if I can find the sushi rice or nori sheets.

~Summer~

Are ther specific kinds of seaweed or is it a general term. Also how much do you eat a day because Miri is trying to be nice to her hair after torturing it for a while.