Nailene

How you look and feel on the outside is most often an indicator of what’s going on inside.  If you’ve been frustrated with owning thin, brittle nails, and are looking to have strong, healthy nails, the first thing you may want to do is look at (and possibly, change) your diet.

Healthy nails are indicative of how your nutritional choices are affecting your general health.  If you have weak nails that crack or break easily, have white spots or strong ridges, these can all indicate that you’re lacking the right kinds of nutrients.  Here are a few solutions, if:

My nails are brittle. If this is your biggest complaint, your body may be craving for iron. Increase your intake of iron-rich foods like eggs, whole grain breads and cereals, liver, raisins, pumpkin seeds, avocados, molasses, and green leafy vegetables like kale.

My nails continuously crack or break. This is an indication that you are lacking protein.  Obviously meat and cheese are the most traditional protein sources, but if you’re a vegetarian, beans and legumes are also rich in protein.  Easily broken nails can also be a sign of a calcium deficiency.  Calcium-rich foods include all dairy foods, especially yogurt, dark green leafy vegetables, almonds, beans, and sardines.

I can’t grow my nails. For brittle or poor growing nails, eggs are a good source of sulfur-containing amino acids, which are excellent for providing nail growth.

I have white spots under my nails. If you have white spots under your nails, eat foods with vitamin B and zinc.  You can get B-vitamin nourishment from organ meats, like liver and kidneys, as well as fish, yogurt, cheese, yogurt, milk, mushrooms, chickpeas, avocados, bananas, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.  Sources of zinc include beef, lamb, pork, crabmeat, turkey, chicken, lobster, clams and salmon.  Dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt also have zinc.

It’s also good to eat foods rich in Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that can help slow down the aging process and helps form and maintain collagen. Great sources include red peppers, broccoli, dark greens, citrus fruit, kiwis, and strawberries.

Here’s to good health and healthy nails!