7-Day Juice/Smoothie Challenge

7-Day Juice/Smoothie Challenge

2016 DATES:

January 3-9, February 7-13, March 6-12, April 3-9, May 1-7, June 5-11, July 3-9,

August 7-13, September 4-10, October 2-8, November 6-12, December 4-10

Calendar Events: Facebook, Google+

GUIDELINES

• If you don't have a good blender or juice, click here for options.
• Take a picture of yourself before the challenge and at the end of the challenge. It's up to you if you want to share those pictures with the group. It's also optional if you want to take additional pictures during the challenge.
• If you're not used to eating a good amount of fruits and vegetables each day, then prepare your body 1-3 days prior to starting this challenge
• During the challenge (and forever if possible) drink 8-10 cups of water each day. Minimum amount of water depends on your weight.
• 
• Replace at least one meal a day with your detox juice
• DO NOT drink alcohol
• NO drugs unless prescribed by your doctor
• If eating solid foods, DO NOT eat animal products
• If eating solid foods, DO NOT eat processed foods
• NO dairy products
• NO caffeine (however, if you're addicted to coffee and this will prevent you from doing the cleanse, then continue drinking coffee, since, like a drug, it's hard to quit.)
• NO carbonated drinks (caffeine or not)
• Your only sweeteners are maple, agave, or real fruits

WATER

Start each morning with at least 8 ounces (1 cup) glass of warm water with lemon (optional: you can make tea with it) right after you wake up and on an empty stomach to start your day. This will flush toxins from your body and maintain your body's pH balance. It will also increase your metabolic rate (helps with losing weight), help your gastrointestinal and kidneys to function even better, repair skin cells to increase elasticity (look younger), etc. You can use a straw with your warm lemon water to bypass your teeth and/or rinse with plain water afterwards. Do not eat for 30 minutes after you drink your warm lemon water.

BEST TIMES TO DRINK WATER

• Drink one glass of water after waking up to activate your internal organs and to remove toxins before your first meal
• Drink one glass of water 30 minutes before you eat a meal. However, if you want to drink water after your meal, wait an hour to ensure your body absorbs the nutrients
• Drink one glass of water before taking a shower to lower your blood pressure
• Drink one glass of water an hour before you go to bed to replenish fluid loss during the night

EXERCISE

Lots of options here. Do as little or as much as you can. If possible (also depends on the type of exercise), try to exercise after you drink your warm lemon water in the mornings. You can use your smart phone or a step/activity/pedometer tracker to track your steps throughout the day. If you're tracking your steps, at minimum, try to do 8,000 to 10,000 each day. Here are some exercise ideas:

• Planks (Plank Challenge)
• Squats (Squats Challenge)

Ideas Taken From http://q.equinox.com

• Running/Cycling
• Strength-Training/Conditioning Classes
• Swimming/Pilates
• Yoga
• Low-Intensity Cardio (Walking/Cycling)

HEALTHY BENEFITS OF EXERCISING

From mayoclinic.org

• Controls weight
• Combats health conditions and diseases
• Improves mood
• Boosts energy
• Promotes better sleep
• Puts the spark back into your sex life
• Can be fun

From greatist.com

• Reduce stress
• Boost happy chemicals
• Improve self-confidence
• Enjoy the great outdoors
• Prevent cognitive decline
• Alleviate anxiety
• Boost brainpower
• Sharpen memory
• Help control addiction
• Increase relaxation
• Etc

BENEFITS OF JUICING

From Huffington Post

• Rest the stomach
• Rest and repair the gut
• Rest the liver
• Reduce your appetite
• Ease food decision-making
• Eliminate harmful foods
• Floods our body with super nutrition
• Lose weight
• Improve energy
• Re-hydrate the body
• Reduce physical problems
• Allow maximum detoxification
• Heal our cells

JUICE RECIPE IDEAS (5 Websites)

• http://www.justonjuice.com/7-day-juice-fast-plan
• http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/drink_recipes/how_to_start_juicing_7_day_juice_plan_to_add_more_fruits_vegetables_to_your_diet
• http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/meal-ideas/clean-green-food-drink-cleanse
• http://www.avegangoddess.com/2012/03/recipes-for-seven-day-cleanse.html
• http://www.vegancooking.com/juicing/3-day-juice-cleanse

Vegan Dining Out: McDonalds

Vegan Dining Out

What Can I Eat At McDonald's?

2015

In this segment, we're going to talk about various fast-foods and dining out facilities to see what we can eat there as a vegan. We cannot eat any foods coming from an animal, which includes dairy products and meat (this also includes eggs). Today we're going to talk about McDonald's. (Update: this post is based in the US and it is NOT satire)

Breakfast:

• Fruit & Maple Oatmeal (minus the cream, if allowed)

Lunch and Dinner:

• Burger with vinaigrette dressing and veggies (minus meat, cheese, and other dressings)*
• Salads with vinaigrette dressing (minus meat, cheese, and other dressings)
• Premium McWrap (minus meat, cheese, and the sauce it comes with)*

Sides:

• Apples
• Side Salad
• Snack Wrap (minus meat, cheese, and sauce)*

Desserts:

• N/A

Beverages:

• Apple Juice
• Fountain Drinks
• McCafe Coffee (black or with a sweetener: sugar, Splenda, or Equal)
• Orange Juice (overpriced; can buy a container at the grocery store for the same price)
• Water

Note: You can only use sweet n' sour sauce, barbeque sauce, marinara sauce, ketchup, or mustard. In addition, vinaigrette is the only dressing you can use. If you're trying to eat healthier, then vinaigrette and mustard are your best first options; the next in line is the marinara sauce. Sweet n' sour sauce and barbeque sauce would be last on the list.

So you're wondering what about fries and hash browns? Well, fries and hash browns are NOT vegan. They are both made with milk and beef flavoring. Don't make the mistake (like I did once) of believing someone working there or the manager when they say, "It's just regular fries that we cook in vegetable oil." McDonald's baked apple pie is also NOT vegan. It is made with L-Cysteine which comes from animal hair and feather. As you can see from this list, McDonald's have limited options for those of us on a vegan diet. It's not vegan friendly.

Comment below if you have any questions or comments...

*Some places will not allow this option

Vegan Biscuits

VEGAN BISCUITS

Ingredients:

This recipe is simple -- no matter what experience you have or haven't had -- it comes out sweet and fluffy. It's a vegan alternative to store bought biscuits. All you need are three main ingredients:

• 2 cups, Self-Rising Flour (I use unbleached self-rising flour)
• 1/4 cup, Vegan Butter (I use Earth Balance; make sure the butter is hard and not melting)
• 3/4 cup, unsweetened Cashew Milk
• Optional: 3/4 tsp, Salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

While the oven is heating, (if using salt, mix it with the flour first) use a fork or your fingers or a pastry blender to blend the flour and hard/cold butter together. 

After the first two ingredients are blended, add 1/4 cup of your cashew milk at time until you get to 3/4 cups all together while mixing everything with a spoon. It will be sticky.

Knead the dough and roll it into a ball. Use a roller to roll the dough about 1/2 inch thick.

Use a biscuit cutter (or empty can) to cut the biscuits out.

Transfer the cutouts to a cookie sheet.

Bake for least 15 minutes. Enjoy!

<Video Coming Soon>

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Is Keratin Good For Our Natural Hair?

A Keratin Hair Story

(originally written February 4, 2015 on shared blog)

The other day I was at a friend's house helping her with her natural hair. Her husband is very supportive about her natural hair journey and wants to learn as much about it as she does. Right now, her hair is unhealthy and as a new friend and someone that knows a lot about natural hair, I wanted to help her. They have two daughters--one is transitioning from the relaxer and one is completely chemical free. The girls like their hair straight, so it is flat ironed straight every 3 weeks and wrapped and covered up at nights to keep it straight. My friend's husband ensures that they use a straightening keratin shampoo and conditioner as their only cleanser and conditioner.

A few days ago when my friend washed and conditioned her hair with their keratin straightening shampoo and conditioner set, she called me over to help her because she wasn't seeing any curls. Because she wasn't seeing any curls, she bought a hair jelly and it did nothing for her hair. I told her to stop using the straightening set and that curl jelly's are more for type 3 hair types, not her type 4 hair. I also explained to her that she has to look at ingredients before she buys her products from now on.

My friend's low porosity hair needs more moisture enriched products. She should do a protein treatment only when needed. The hair cuticles on low porosity hair is already tightly closed, which prevents moisture from getting in; therefore, adding too much protein, especially large proteins like animal protein for instance, will make it worse. (Click here to learn how to test your hair to see if it needs more moisture or protein.) In the case of her straightening shampoo and conditioner, it was ingredients that were preventing her from seeing her curl pattern. Please note, not all straightening treatments or products are made equal.

What is Keratin?

To simplify, it is the protein in which 90% of our hair is made up of. It is the main structural constituent of our hair, skin, and nails. Also, in feathers, hoofs, claws, horns, wool, etc. 

Functional vs. Hydrolyzed Keratin

The difference between functional and hydrolyzed keratin is the process by which it was extracted. Hydrolyzed keratin is extracted from animal horns and hooves using acid and extreme heat, which degrades the protein. Functional keratin is extracted from sheep's wool using techniques that do not use acid or heat. Therefore, making functional keratin more true to its original form. Most hair-care and skincare products use hydrolyzed keratin. Hydrolyzed keratin can easily absorb into the skin and penetrate low porosity hair, which makes it ideal for skincare products that requires absorption into the skin and naturals with low porosity hair. For naturals with high porosity hair and/or anyone with chemically treated hair, functional keratin is required to protect/repair your hair.

When shopping for keratin products, look at the ingredients on the back of the bottle or container to see which type is used in that product. Replicine Functional Keratin protein is the only functional keratin protein on the market. Products with Replicine Functional keratin will have the words, 'keratin', 'functional keratin' or 'oxidized keratin' on the ingredients label.

Is Keratin A Hair Straightener?

While keratin is a major component of keratin straightening treatment, it is not a hair straightener. As stated previously, it is a protein found in your hair, skin, and nails. It's only an ingredient in the hair straightening process and products. The word 'keratin' is popular, so a title of "Keratin Straightening Treatment" is better than "Formaldehyde Straightening Treatment". This also makes it difficult for some naturals to tell which keratin product is a straightening treatment and which is an actual a protein treatment. In any case, keratin plays a positive role in the treatment because it conditions and strengthens the hair after the actual treatment damages it to get it straight. If your goal is to keep your hair straight, then Keratin Straightening Treatments are for you. In addition, if you're going to the salon, ask to see the ingredients on their bottle/container. For the sake of your health, make sure the product is formaldehyde-free. 

Keep in mind that products with formaldehyde help keep the hair straighter for longer, so products without it won't have that long lasting effect. Which is it going to be? Also, if you stop doing keratin straightening treatments, it may leave your hair damaged because of the long term usage.

Is Keratin Good For Our Natural Hair?

Keratin protein is a great protein treatment (not talking about the straightening treatment). The problem with Keratin straightening treatments are the harsh ingredients that are added, not the keratin protein in the products. Functional keratin is more true to its original form; whereas, hydrolyzed keratin is a lighter/broken version. Light proteins, like silk protein, are good for low porosity hair. Heavier proteins, like vegetable protein, are better for high porosity hair. So yes, keratin protein, is good for our hair--strengthens it, less frizz, etc.


If you have any questions or comments about this article, please post a comment below. Have a great day!

Creating Hair Regimens From Our Hair's Porosity

Creating Hair Regimens From Our Hair's Porosity

(re-posted from my shared blog)

Porosity is our hair's ability, or inability, to absorb moisture/water. There are three categories: low, normal/medium, and high.

"Black hair tends to have low porosity naturally and is usually less porous than Caucasian or Asian hair types unless it has been chemically processed."

-- Audrey Davis-Sivasothy, The Science of Black Hair

Porosity Test

Do a porosity test on a clean strand of hair (no products). Place the strand into a glass of room temperature water and let it sit for about 3 minutes.

• High Porosity Hair -- hair sinks to the bottom. Normally, this hair soaks up moisture then becomes dry because hair cuticles are wide open and/or damaged. This category is due to damage from heat styling tools, chemical relaxers or color, the sun, and/or sulfate rich shampoo. Maybe genetics like some have suggested. Needs protein treatments to fill-in the holes/gaps.
• Low Porosity Hair -- hair floats at the top and takes a long time to sink. Normally, this hair takes forever to get wet and/or to dry. Products sit on the hair and won't penetrate. This category is due to genetics. Needs moisture and steam.
• Medium/Normal Porosity Hair -- hair is in the middle of the glass. Continue to do what you're doing. Your hair is normal porosity because of genetics or proper hair care.

Porosity Levels

There are different levels of each category--our hair strand sinking all the way to the bottom means we have extremely high porosity and our hair floating at the very top means we have extremely low porosity hair. The closer the strand is to the middle, the easier it will be to take care of it. Also, when we are transitioning or if we treat one section of our hair differently, we can have more than one porosity type on the same hair strand or in different sections of our head.

Basic Regimen Based On Hair Porosity While Using the LOC Method

When using the LOC Method to moisturize our hair, the product we use should depend on our hair's porosity. The LOC Method is the order in which we use products on our hair. We may have to use the LCO instead at certain periods of our hair journey/length or if our porosity prefers the switch, but that's another post/topic. LOC:

• L-liquid or leave-ins. High porosity should use cool/cold water or aloe vera juice, creamy leave-ins, anti-humectants products during heat or high humidity, etc. Low porosity should use warm water or liquid leave-ins, products with humectants (honey, glycerin , etc) products during heat or high humidity, etc.
• O-oil. High porosity hair should use heavy oils. Low porosity should use light oils.
• C-cream or butter. High porosity should use heavy cream or butter like shea butter. Low porosity should use light creams like hair milk.

How To Get Rid of Scab Hair

How To Get Rid of Scab Hair!

(Re-post from shared natural hair blog: Naturally Naturals)

What Is Scab Hair?

Scab hair is newly grown hair that is dry, wiry and crinkly. The hair follicle may have been damaged previously from using the relaxer. Scab hair can also be caused by mineral buildup from hard water. Scab hair does not represent the actual texture of our natural hair. It can take from 6 months to 2 years after our last relaxer for non scab hair to grow in.

How To Prevent Scab Hair!

To prevent scab hair from hard-water, buy a water filter for the shower-head or the whole house. A filter will prevent hard-water buildup on the hair cuticles and scalp. Another option is to wash hair with distilled bottled water.

How To Get Rid of Scab Hair!

It is recommended to try a clarifying shampoo first to clean the surface of the hair cuticles; however, if that doesn't fix the problem, then use a chelating shampoo followed by a moisturizing deep conditioner.

"Clarifying and chelating (pronounced kee-lating) shampoos are two types of cleansers that are often confused.

...Although many clarifying shampoo are quite stripping, remember that they are surface-acting and simply remove oil and product buildup that is superficially covering the cuticle.

...Chelators bind to dulling mineral deposits on the hair shaft and remove them in the lather. The ingredient EDTA (ethylenediaminetetra acetic acid) is a common chelating ingredient that latches on to minerals and removes them as the hair is rinsed. Sodium citrate and trisodium phosphate are other common ingredients in chelating shampoo formulas."

--Audrey Davis-Sivasothy, The Science of Black Hair

When Should I Chelate? And How Do I Use It?

Scab hair is caused by previous relaxing and hard-water. One of the signs of hard-water problem is uncontrollable breakage--no matter what you do, your hair just keeps breaking. Also, your hair does not respond to anything, but it needs everything. It's dull, limp, coarse, and lifeless. Because chelating shampoos are extremely drying, use it in moderation. Follow-up with a moisturizing deep conditioner.

Common Chelating Ingredients

Disodium EDTA, EDTA, HEDTA, Oxalic acid, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Oxalate, TEA-EDTA, Tetrasodium EDTA, Trisodium EDTA, and Trisodium HEDTA (Source: The Science of Black Hair) 

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The Power Of A Vegan Diet: Annette Larkins

The Power of A Vegan Diet

Annette Larkins

Annette Larkins was 70 years old in this video. She will be 74 in January 2016. Although some people dismiss this with "black don't crack" (or genetics), that didn't work for her husband. Her mother and her aunts died young from breast cancer; she changed her eating habits to vegetarian at the age of 21. As far as race and youthfulness, I do realize that blacks in general do look younger than their white counterparts, but not to this extent. You are what you eat and what you eat can age you as well as make you sick.

Like Annette, I didn't want to eat flesh anymore; it wasn't because I was trying to be healthy. I stopped eating red meat (that's called a pollotarian, but I didn't know that at the time) when I was 20 and had every intentions of going vegetarian, but I got married at 22 and between my husband and everyone else convincing me that it's not healthy, I decided to stay pollotarian. However, occasionally I would go vegetarian or vegan. I really didn't care for beef so there was no convincing me about eating it; I did occasionally at family or friends houses to be nice; after a while I stopped doing that.

One day, without anyone's permission, I got up and just became a vegetarian. Before that I had stopped drinking cow's milk (never liked it anyway) and started drinking almond milk because I felt like cow's milk was too heavy and route of why my face was breaking out. I did however, continue to use cow's milk as an ingredient when a recipe calls for it. Months after becoming a vegetarian, I decided to become a vegan. Once again, it had nothing to do with longevity or health or animal rights; I just didn't want to eat any flesh or anything from an animal anymore. Like Annette, I cook separate meals for my family.

Now, after seeing Annette, it does make me feel good about my decision. I do wonder about the health of her real hair though and I would be interested in seeing it. As I age, I want my face, body, and hair to look healthy. I want a balance. Time will tell.

How To Make Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk

How To Make Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk

(updated)

Ingredients:

This recipe is simple. It's a vegan alternative to condensed milk. Condensed milk, which you can find at any grocery store, is made with cow's milk. Well, since I don't drink cow's milk and I need some condensed milk for my Jamaican cornmeal porridge, an alternative was needed, lol. For this recipe, all you need is two ingredients:

• 1 can of Organic Coconut Milk (read the ingredients label to make sure the only ingredient is organic coconut milk). If you can't find the organic kind, you can use the regular one.

• 1/4 cup of Coconut Sugar (read the ingredients label to make sure the only ingredient is coconut sugar). Alternatives to coconut sugar: 1/4 - 1/3 cups of maple syrup or agave.

Directions:

Using a small sauce pot, heat up the coconut milk on high for 5 minutes.

After about 5 minutes, lower the heat, and stir in the coconut sugar slowly (don't burn the sugar). If you want it sweeter, you can add more sugar.

Simmer for about 1 hour and 15 minutes while stirring as needed. Stir more frequently as it gets thicker (towards the end of the time).

Cool, place it in a glass jar with lid, and refrigerate overnight. That's it!


Note: the color of the condensed coconut milk depends on the sweetener--coconut sugar will give it a light caramel looking color. Also, you can use other alternative milk and even the coconut milk that's not in a can; however, the process will take longer.

<Video Coming Soon>

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Henna On Fine Hair Strands

Is Henna Good For Fine Natural Hair Strands?

(This is a re-post from my shared blog: http://naturallynaturals.blogspot.com)

What is henna?

Henna (Lawsonia Inermis) is a plant. The leaves of the henna plant contains a natural coloring pigment. Lawsonia bonds to protein, which is what our hair is made of. Henna does not penetrate our hair; it coats our hair cuticles. Each time henna is applied, it adds another coat of color to our hair. It naturally, but permanently, colors our hair. The color results depends on the hair color it was applied to. Henna does not lighten your hair. If we want to see the henna color on our dark hair, look at it in the sunlight. :)

Henna and Fine Hair:

Fine/fragile strands are prone to breakage. Coating our fine strands with henna overtime will result in thicker, denser, and stronger hair. Because henna coats our hair strands, our hair cuticles lay flat which gives us smoother, shinier, and less tangled hair. It is almost like a protein treatment because it makes the hair stronger and less prone to breakage. However, henna is not a protein treatment and should not be used as a replacement for a protein treatment if we need one. Henna may cause our hair to have less shrinkage and hang more (if used often) in contrast to sticking up.

Application and Ingredients:

Not all henna is made the same so make sure you have pure henna. If you experienced an allergic reaction to henna, it's probably because it's not pure henna. Henna application can be messy, so keep that in mind. Follow the directions on the container--one cup henna to one cup hot water (add more water as needed to make it creamy looking and not dry). Add other ingredients that your hair may benefit from.

Henna may be applied to shampooed hair or dry hair before being shampooed. Clean hair helps the henna bond more easily. The longer the henna is our hair, the richer the color. Cover the hair with a plastic cap and sit under the dryer for about 45 minutes. Or cling wrap the hair before bed and rinse out in the morning. You can use henna every 4-6 weeks.

Special Recipes (updated/added - March 4, 2015 & December 15, 2015)

Add brewed, hot, black coffee in place of water to henna mix to tone down red tones, deepen brown-red tones, or cover gray. You can also deepen red tones by adding a darker shade of henna.

After allowing tea to steep for 20-30 minutes, bring to a boil, and add it to your henna mix in place of water. Black Tea prevents shedding. Ceylon or Black China Tea will add gold highlights to Light Brown Henna. Red Zinger Tea enriches red tones henna. Chamomile Tea brightens and adds highlights to neutral and blonde henna tones.

Add 2 tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar per mixture to help henna bond to gray hair.

Add 2 tbsp of lemon juice to henna mix to lighten blonde tones.

When applying henna to dry hair, add 1 egg (use a vegan substitute here), 2-4 tbsp of olive oil, or 2-4 tbsp plain yogurt (vegan yogurt will work for this step) to henna mix to condition the hair and to help with the application and rinse process.

Warning:

Do not use henna over chemical dyes or use those dyes right after you henna'd your hair. However, you can add semi-permanent color, which may or may not fix the color you're trying to correct.

Questions:

Do you dye your hair? If yes, have you tried pure henna? What were your results?

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TOP 7 VEGAN FOODS FOR HEALTHIER, LONGER HAIR

TOP 7 VEGAN FOODS FOR HEALTHIER, LONGER HAIR

Hi Guys! So, a blogger on CurlyNikki made a post about the top 7 foods for healthier, longer hair. Yes, it's true, you are what you eat. Your hair is not only a reflection of you, it's a part of you. Here's the top 7 vegan foods for healthier, longer hair:

1. Water
The number one, although it's not a food, is the same as their list. Drinking water keeps our body and our hair hydrated. This is the hardest thing for me personally, so I've been working on it. In fact, I've created water challenges to help myself as well as others that either forget to drink water or just don't like it. Check out my Facebook Events or Google Plus Events if you're interested in doing a water challenge with me. We can do a gallon water challenge or drinking the right amount of water for your weight. Telling someone to drink 8 cups a day is not sufficient because it might be too little or too much. You have to calculate the proper amount for your body. If you don't know the right amount for your weight, you can do a simple calculation: 

Divide your weight in half to get the minimum amount of ounces of water to drink each day. Take the amount of ounces you are supposed to drink each day and divide it by 8 to get the amount of cups to drink in a day.

2. Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Iron, Vitamin D

Their answer is Salmon for healthy scalp. However, for those of us on a vegan-diet, I would recommend tofu, flaxseed oil, and mushrooms for this category. Tofu has a lower calorie count than salmon; in fact, it has 1/4 of the calories of salmon. A serving size of Tofu is 128 g, whereas a serving size of salmon is 178 g. Tofu has significantly less omega-3 fatty acids than salmon; however, it has way more omega-6 fatty acids than salmon. Tofu also has significantly more iron than salmon.

Flaxseed oil beats both salmon and tofu significantly in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 and -6 helps keep your hair strong. The omega-3 and -6 is in flaxseed oil is different than salmon; however, inside the body, it changes to the same as found in salmon. Try sprinkling ground flaxseed oil in your smoothie, drink mixes, oatmeal, etc. Also, there are no cholesterol in tofu or flaxseed oil, whereas salmon is high in cholesterol (112 mg per serving). Flaxseed oil has no sodium, tofu has 15 mg per serving of sodium, and salmon has 109 mg of sodium per serving. By the way, a serving size of salmon is 1/2 a fillet. Other sources of omega-3 includes nuts.

Green leafy vegetables, seaweeds, and wheatgrass are rich in iron... Oh, always try to eat iron-rich foods with foods that are high in vitamin C because C helps your body absorb the iron. 

As far as vitamin D, besides natural sunlight or various fortified foods you can buy or certain fish or supplements, the vegan natural alternative food source for vitamin D are certain mushrooms like Portobellos and soy milk. Please also note this study on African Americans and vitamin D:

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/11/20/246393329/how-a-vitamin-d-test-misdiagnosed-african-americans. 

3. Biotin, Vitamin B, Protein

Their answer was Chicken and Eggs for all three; their main focus for vitamin B is B7 (Biotin) and B12 (Cobalamin or Panthenol) to help hair and nail growth since they are both composed of protein. Too little biotin can lead to hair loss. Once again, their food choices are high in cholesterol, sodium, and calories. Good vegan sources rich in biotin includes: wheatgrass, nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, etc), carrots, yeast and grains, walnuts, spinach, Swiss chard, whole wheat bread, soy beans, mushrooms, avocados, fruits and vegetables, etc. Since B7 is Biotin, let's move on to B12. Besides eating fortified foods or supplements, vegan sources for B12 includes soy products and nutritional yeast. Vegan foods sources for protein includes wheatgrass, soy, tofu, beans, lentils, and nuts. Seitan is really high in protein and it has a meat texture, as well.

4. Zinc, Vitamin C

Their answer is beef and Oysters. The benefit to zinc is that it helps prevents hair loss and dryness; it helps gives it that natural luster. The vitamin C helps the zinc absorb into your body. Once again, high cholesterol, sodium, and calories. Not to mention other health problems with eating red meat. Besides fortified foods, vegan sources for zinc includes wheatgrass, tofu, beans, nuts, seeds (sunflower, chia, etc), brocoli, and oatmeal. As far as vitamin C, I don't even know where to start because I get more than enough vitamin C within a day. Okay, if you eat lots of fruits and vegetables, you're good in this department. If you want me to break it down, here you go: wheatgrass, strawberries, acerola cherries, citrus fruits, papayas, kiwi, bell peppers, green leafy vegetables, etc, etc. You can even get vitamin C from certain herbs like cilantro, thyme, parsley, chives, basil, etc.

5. Biotin, Vitamin E, Zinc

Their answer is actually, eating nuts and I agree. Nuts are great sources for biotin, vitamin E, and zinc. I would also add foods like wheatgrass, wheat germ, leafy greens like spinach, etc. There are many benefits to vitamin E, which includes preventing hair thinning, stimulating hair growth, preventing premature graying, healthier scalp, etc. 

6. Folic Acid, Iron, Biotin

Their answer is lentils and I agree. Folic acid is essential for hair growth and cell renewal. Lentils is a good source for folic acid, iron, and biotin. Although lentils include all these beneficial nutrients like fiber, protein, minerals and vitamins, they are still low in calories and contain virtually no fat. You may also want to add wheatgrass.

7. Vitamin A

Their answer is carrots and sweet potatoes. I have to say, without eating either carrots or sweet potatoes, my vitamin A intake is always on point just by eating my green leafy vegetables alone. A really good source is wheatgrass. Vitamin A prevents dangerous free radicals from damaging our hair. While it's protecting our hair from damage, it also helps your hair produce sebum (your natural hair oil) for healthy shiny hair.

Bonus: Silicon

I would also like to add silicon (silica) to the list. Silicon is NOT SILICONE. Silicon is used for hair loss; it improves hair and nail quality.

---------------------------

Questions/Comments

Comment below with your plant-base food recommendations to add to this list or if you have any questions about my recommendations.

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Vegan Coconut Biscuits

VEGAN COCONUT BISCUITS

Ingredients:

This recipe is simple -- no matter what experience you have or haven't had -- it comes out sweet and fluffy. It's a vegan alternative to store bought biscuits. All you need are three main ingredients:

• 2 cups, Self-Rising Flour (I use unbleached self-rising flour)
• 1/4 cup, unrefined Organic Coconut Oil (solid/hard state). When buying coconut oil, read the label to make sure no extra ingredients were added.
• 3/4 cup, unsweetened Coconut Milk (NOT the one in a can)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

While the oven is heating, use use a fork or your fingers or a pastry blender to blend the flour and solid coconut oil together. 

After the first two ingredients are blended, add 1/4 cup of your coconut milk at time until you get to 3/4 cups all together while mixing everything with a spoon. It will be sticky.

Knead the dough and roll it into a ball. Use a roller to roll the dough about 1/2 inch thick.

Use a biscuit cutter (or empty can) to cut the biscuits out.

Transfer the cutouts to a cookie sheet.

Bake for least 10 minutes. Enjoy!

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My 2014 Natural Hairstyles

My 2014 Natural Hairstyles

Hi! I'm Naturally Dee. Follow me on my natural hair journey on my blog, Facebook page, Google Plus, and YouTube channel. Along the way, learn about my vegan diet and my home improvements.