New Year’s resolutions: it’s that time of the year. A better diet is always at the top of the list, but this year, why not tweak the goal a little bit? Instead of just saying “I will eat better this year,” make it more specific. Our recommendation: “I will eat foods for thicker hair this year.”

Make this the year that you reach your hair growth goals. After you decide what products you’re going to use, take a look at your nutrient intake to make sure your hair follicles have all the vitamins and minerals that they need. Here are six of the best foods to eat for thicker hair.

The 6 Best Foods to Eat for Thicker Hair

1. Lean Red Meat

A nice juicy steak is of loaded with protein, which you knew. The protein helps with overall cell growth, including your hair follicles. But what it also has in large amounts, and what you absolutely need for nail health, is iron. Iron deficiency and hair loss generally go hand in hand. When your iron levels are healthy, your blood is better at carrying oxygen to your hair follicles to help them grow.

We’re not saying to eat red meat everyday. Too much can increase your risk for other health problems like heart disease and diabetes, but a lean, healthy cut of beef once or twice a week should go into your diet for thicker, fuller hair.

2. Beans and Lentils

Beans and lentils are a great way to get some important hair growth nutrients into your system like zinc, protein, iron and biotin. This is an especially important part of what to eat for thicker hair if you’re a vegetarian or if you don’t eat meat very often. They have some of the highest levels of protein and iron of all vegetables. Plus, they’re very easy to cook! You can throw them into a few dishes a week as part your diet to improve hair growth and thickness.

3. Dark Green Leafy Vegetables

Everyone could use some more leafy greens in their life. Vegetables like spinach and broccoli are extremely rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and zinc — all essential nutrients for thicker hair as well as your overall health.

We especially like spinach because of its high levels folate, beta-carotene and vitamin C which, together, help circulate the natural oils on your scalp. A consistent diet of any mix of leafy greens will help regulate your sebum production for natural hair conditioning. Better conditioned hair is happy hair.

4. Green Tea

A little green tea will help you relax. But you should be really excited about the antioxidant properties that can help your hair growth. Green tea naturally helps get rid of impurities in your body that are blocking nutrients from getting where they need to be. Specifically, green tea can help improve the circulation of blood to your scalp.

Instead of opting for coffee each morning, try to swap it with a green tea. It will give you a healthier kick of caffeine while also creating a better growth environment for your hair follicles.

5. Fish (Salmon, Oysters)

A fully effective diet for thicker, fuller hair should definitely include seafood marine protein. Fatty fish like salmon are an amazing source of protein, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are known scalp rejuvenators — they’re great at moisturizing your scalp and encouraging your follicles to grow.

Oysters are one of the best available food sources of zinc. Zinc deficiencies have been linked to hair loss as well as dry, flaky scalp. Zinc also helps regulate your androgen production to prevent slowing hair growth and prevent scalp conditions like dandruff.

6. Beer

Yup, you heard right. Beer makes the diet for thicker, fuller hair because it is one of the richest sources of silicon. You may have heard of silicon, but probably not about what it can do for thick hair growth. Silicon is a trace mineral that has been shown to increase scalp circulation. This isn’t an excuse to go overboard! A single serving of beer contains more than 10 mg. of silicon, which is about all you need per day.

And there you have it: six foods that you can make a point to eat more of. We love these foods for thicker hair because they’re all readily available and can be added to almost anyone’s diet plan. Always remember that growing thicker hair starts from the inside out. As long as your diet to improve hair growth and thickness is consistent, you will start to see results overtime.