How Can I Have The Best Nails On The Block?
Healthy, beautiful nails are an important part of how we present ourselves – and more than that, they’re often indicative of our level of overall health, so we should always take note of what they’re telling us, and tweak our behaviour accordingly.[1]
There are several things we can do to improve the appearance and the structure of our nails. One is to avoid strong chemicals for washing and cleaning, which can adversely affect the integrity of nails. Always opt for natural cleaning products, and make sure you also choose natural beauty products which are kind and nourishing instead of harmful and damaging. Collagen is important too, and if your body isn’t producing enough naturally, it may be worth investigating taking it in supplement or powder form.
If you’re looking after yourself and eating a healthy diet packed with nutrition, though, you shouldn’t need to rely on supplements. So let’s look at the best things you can eat to have the best nails on the block….
Fruit – especially berries – is absolutely packed with antioxidants, which make our bodies glow with health by stopping oxidative damage occurring to our cells and tissues. The best examples – and among the very tastiest – are blueberries and strawberries, although most berries are excellent. They contain high levels of Vitamin C, which are excellent at encouraging our bodies to produce more collagen, a natural way of strengthening and protecting our nails. Other good choices are apricots, which are high in Vitamin A, which hydrates and regenerates growth in thin and brittle nails, and bananas, which contain plenty of Vitamin B7, otherwise known as biotin, which helps in the metabolism of protein-building amino acids that are essential for nail growth.
Nuts such as almonds are full of protein, which is essential for boosting the production of keratin, which helps form the tissues of nails, hair and the outer layers of the skin. Ensuring we eat enough protein is a key way we can ensure we have strong nails and avoid the weak, brittle nails associated with low protein intake. Almond oil painted on to your nails will make them shine. It contains Omega 6 and 9 fatty acids and vitamins E, A, B1, B2, and B6, Almond oil coats nails with an amazing, healthful array of nutrients that will fix cuticles and prevent nails from drying out and breaking.
Green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach and kale are packed with iron, which boosts the amount of oxygen carried by your blood, leading to improved health at the tips of your fingers and toes. Anaemia, caused by lack of iron, can make your nails brittle or cave inward, a condition known as koilonychia or ‘spoon nails'[2] Leafy greens are also a superb source of folate, also known as Vitamin B9. This is important for nail growth as it contributes to the development of new cells. A lack of folate can cause your nails to change colour and become brittle. There’s also lots of calcium in these veggies, a key mineral for maintaining the hardness and structure of nails, and for ensuring the tissues of the nail bed are healthy.
Mushrooms are delicious, but as well as making your taste buds tingle, they’re also a brilliant food to eat if you want strong, healthy nails. This is due mainly to their healthy levels of three B-complex vitamins: Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (niacin) and Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). Riboflavin maintains collagen in your body in amounts that are beneficial for maintaining the optimum health of your nails, while niacin increases the synthesis of keratin, which is essential for strong nails.[3] The pantothenic acid is understood to act as a humectant, which reduces the loss of moisture, and improves the flexibility and strength of our nails.
Sunflower seeds are eminently munchable, and pack a real punch in terms of taste. More importantly, they have the highest biotin content of any seed, with one cup of the roasted seeds giving us a whopping 2.6 micrograms of biotin. They’re also a rich source of plenty of the essential trace minerals which can help us to have stronger, healthier nails. The manganese and copper they contain are important for the synthesis and production of the tissue in our nails, while the magnesium is superb for nail growth. Vertical ridges in your nails can be a sign of a magnesium deficiency.[4]
Sea buckthorn is a deciduous shrub which commonly grows on river banks and around coastal areas. It’s one of the very richest plant sources of essential Omega-7 fatty acids. These lock moisture in to our nails at a cellular level, making them strong and healthy. Sea buckthorn oil is very rich in Vitamin E, which is a soluble nutrient that increases moisture in the nail bed as well as the skin around the nails. This rejuvenates and restores dry cuticles and boosts nutrients to the nails.
