5 foods that prevent greying of hair

Chicken

Low levels of vitamin B12 can lead to fatigue, shortness of breath, and yes, dry, thinning and prematurely grey hair. You can keep your B12 levels topped up by consuming lots of eggs, cheese, milk and chicken.

Recipe: Prepare chicken fried and hot pepper sauce.

Chickpeas

Chickpeas contain some of the highest concentrations of vitamin B9. A cup of them packs a whopping 1,114 micrograms of B-9, nearly three times the RDA of 400 micrograms.

Recipe: Prepare Ghanaian Jollof and chickpea salad.

Liver

The liver is your one-stop shop when it comes to Vitamin B12, a lack of which (also known as pernicious anaemia) is associated with early greying.

The liver is also rich in copper, a deficiency of which can increase the chances of premature greying, according to a 2012 study published in Biological Trace Element Research. You can get all the copper and iron you’ll need by eating one 4 oz serving of either lamb, beef or veal liver. Beef liver is also a great source of vitamin B9, also called folate or folic acid; low levels have been associated with melanin deficiency. One 4 oz serving contains around 80% of the RDA.

Recipe: Prepare beef and liver light soup with plantain fufu

Broccoli

The need for folic acid is commonly linked to pregnant women, but it can also be linked to better hair health – lack of it can cause premature greying. Get yourself stocked up and eat lots of broccoli, asparagus, beans, peas and lentils.

Recipe: Add broccoli to your stir-fry recipes.

Prawns

Experts also say high levels of zinc are important in keeping colour in your hair, which means including zinc-rich foods like prawns, other shellfish, seeds and cheese.

That miraculous Omega 3 isn’t just good for your heart, it’s important to keep your hair strong too.

Recipe: Garlic prawns, fried yam and chilli sauce.