Are you dealing with itchy or flaky scalp every time you comb or wash your hair? If yes, then probably you must have tried a gazillion ways and remedies to get those flakes off your head. However, if these remedies have tried your patience and still don’t work, then the problem probably lies on your plate.

A wise man had once said, ‘You are what you eat, perhaps you need to consider the fact there are some foods that cause dandruff and you probably didn’t know about that. However, before we begin talking about the litany of the culprit foods which produce flakes on your hair, let’s understand the fundamentals of dandruff first.

What is Dandruff?

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Dandruff is generally caused by a fungus called Malassezia globosa which is commonly found on the heads of people. This fungus is often caused by the natural oils of your scalp and lives on it to produce the by-product called oleic acid.

This acid can often irritate the skin of our scalp. To fight this off, your body will start shedding the irritated skin, hence those cursed dandruff flakes. Apart from dandruff flakes, you also experience itchy and irritated skin.

If you consult a doctor about this, he will probably recommend a dandruff shampoo and certain other medications, with a side note to follow a proper and healthy diet. So what is this healthy proper diet which can help you bid your adieus to those sneaky yellow flakes?

6 Common Foods That Cause Dandruff

Some common theories are revolving around diet and dandruff, one of them is related to yeast. Now, the yeast you intake and the yeast found on your scalp are two completely different things. 

Therefore, this myth is completely wrong, so if you want to eat yeast, you are free to do so. The yeast you eat can be easily digested and it will certainly not aggravate whatever scene is going on in your head.

Now that we are clear of all the myths and misconceptions, let us understand the dietary elements which should NOT be put on our plate if we want to get rid of the flakes soon. A complete restriction on the foods is not what we are implying, but a strict cut down on it would work wonders.

1. Refined sugar

Refined sugar is dangerous for your body. This is not an exaggeration or an overstatement; it is a fact. The more sugar you eat, the lager will be the insulin production which will stimulate the production of oil on your scalp. This will lead to a dry, itchy, and flaky scalp, resulting in dandruff.

It is better to cut down on some sugar from your diet to curb the inflammation which causes a majority of problems in your body.

2. Cheese

Who doesn’t like cheese? We all like cheese especially when it is toppled on our binge-watching companions such as pizzas and sandwiches. However, we are extremely sorry to say this, but cheese causes dandruff on your hair, no matter how palatable and enticing it is.

Researchers are still struggling to unravel a primary reason to establish the relationship between cheese and dandruff, but they feel one of the possible reasons behind this could be that cheese is difficult to digest, which increases the inflammation inside your body. As mentioned earlier, inflammation causes those yellow flakes to appear on your head.

3. Dairy products

Dairy products like cream contain a lot of unhealthy fats which results in dandruff. Unhealthy fats cause inflammation because they are not easy to digest and could also lead to some serious problems if one is lactose intolerant.

4. White wine

White wine is a storehouse of sweetness that is propagated by sugar. Due to excessive sugar, there is a spike in the sugar levels of your blood which leads to flakes on your head. Although white wine seems like a perfect choice to end an endless day, the choice is yours; white wine or a clean scalp?

5. Champagne

It would seem that we are compelling you to bid adieu to all good things in life. But when things are too good to be true, they probably are. So, like white wine, champagne is also extremely sweet due to the high content of sugar which spikes your insulin production. This, in turn, leads to the growth of dandruff in your body. 

6. Caffeine

Caffeine is one of the best ways to lift your mood and also to keep you awake at all times. However, the more caffeine you intake, the more your dandruff will be aggravated as caffeine is a diuretic.

This means that the excretion of water from your body is one of the major after-effects of caffeine. This explains why you always feel dehydrated after drinking a coffee or tea. As the water slowly dries out from your body, it will result in dry skin.

Dry skin will certainly aggravate your itchy scalp and can cause serious dandruff. You also might want to cut down on your aerated drinks and sodas because it also contains caffeine.

Now, that we are clear about which foods we need to avoid, let’s talk about the foods that we need to eat to treat dandruff.

Which diet for dandruff do we need to follow?

To treat dandruff, make sure your diet includes protein, biotin, and vitamin B which will help these flakes to slowly disappear not only from your head but also from your life. 

In addition to these foods, do include healthy fatty acids, which are generally omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These acids help in treating the flakes and itchy scalp due to the anti-inflammatory faculties.

Foods that have a high content of omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, tuna fish, peanut butter, walnuts, coconut oil, avocado, canola oil, olive oil, and flaxseeds. Apart from these, do not forget to include eggs, fish, poultry, and meats as they are rich in protein. These work wonders on your hair and makes them shiny and lustrous.

Now that you know the foods that cause dandruff and the foods that help you treat it, make the following changes which will help you to achieve the result within no time.

Also Read: Apple Cider Vinegar For Dandruff