Just like your body, your hair needs a balanced, nutritious diet to stay healthy. That's why this food plan contains a rainbow of fruits and vegetables that are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, whole grains for minerals, nuts and seeds for minerals and vitamins, and lean protein for iron.

Breakfast cereal will help your body get all of the other good stuff it needs.

• Water not only hydrates your body, but helps keep your hair silky and shiny. This diet includes eight to 10 glasses of water and juices a day for maximum hydration.

• The fiber from fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes is good for your body and your hair. This meal plan features lots of fiber-containing food as an option at each meal.

• Soy products contain phytoestrogens -- estrogens from plants -- that may boost your health, so this diet offers soymilk as a beverage choice and soy nuts as a snack option.

Try the hair-enhancing diet

BREAKFAST
option one
Total breakfast cereal with skim milk and blueberries
orange juice

option two
Cereal with low-fat soymilk and strawberries
grapefruit juice

option three
All Bran cereal with skim milk and mixed berries
orange juice

LUNCH
option one
sandwich on whole-grain bread with dark green lettuce and tomato
tossed salad with green and red peppers and tomatoes
soymilk

option two
split pea
brown bread
broccoli and carrots with low-fat dip
nectarine
skim milk

option three
garden vegetable
tossed salad with broccoli, green and red peppers
skim milk

DINNER
option one
mashed sweet potatoes
steamed green beans
mixed berries drizzled with honey or maple syrup
low-fat soymilk

option two
brown rice
mixed orange and grapefruit sections
low-fat soymilk

option three
brussels sprouts
tossed salad with citrus dressing
baked potato with low-fat sour cream
strawberry shortcake
low-fat soymilk

SNACKS
These delicious snacks will boost your energy levels at the same time that they nourish your hair. Be sure to choose at least one snack with nuts and one with soy every day.
• ¼ cup mixed nuts
• ½ cup mixed nuts, seeds and dried fruit
• yogurt topped with wheat germ, nuts, and berries
• roasted soy nuts
• Shredded Wheat and low-fat soymilk topped with ground flax seed and fresh fruit