Recently, as the weather grows colder, the spicy and numbing hotpot has become a favorite at the dining table. Just as described in Bai Juyi's "Inviting a Friend to Drink": "Green ants on new-brewed wine, a red clay stove for a small fire. As evening comes and snow is about to fall, can you come for a cup?" Indeed, sitting around the stove with a few close friends in the biting cold, sharing stories over drinks, is a true pleasure in life. However, while enjoying life, one must not overlook the impact of diet and lifestyle on health.
Many people feel that they are more prone to hair loss when under excessive stress or after staying up late. In fact, a balanced diet, the supply of vitamins and minerals, and the intake of spicy, fatty, and sugary foods all have direct and significant effects on hair. Frequent consumption of spicy and greasy hotpot (including Malatang) and heavily seasoned dishes have been proven to be detrimental to hair growth and can even directly cause hair loss.
Of course, not everyone will experience hair loss from eating these foods; it mainly affects those with "deficient heat in the spleen and stomach." According to traditional Chinese medicine, the growth, loss, moisture, and dryness of hair depend on the nourishment from the kidney's vital energy and the liver's blood, hence the saying, "Hair is the surplus of blood." If the vital energy and blood in the liver and kidneys are insufficient, a condition known in TCM as "liver and kidney yin deficiency," it can easily lead to hair loss. For those with excessive "stomach fire," frequently consuming spicy foods like hotpot or Malatang can deplete yin and harm the blood, leading to a deficiency of vital energy and blood in the liver and kidneys. This is like "pouring oil on a fire," making hair loss more likely.
In addition, foods that are too salty or spicy can reduce the intake of vitamins, leading to follicle shrinkage and dry hair. A large amount of greasy food can cause excessive sebum secretion, clogging the hair follicles. These are all contributing factors to hair loss. Therefore, if you want to have healthy and beautiful hair, it is best to eat less or limit your intake of spicy foods like hotpot and Malatang.