THE INIMITABLE STYLE OF GLORIA MIZZI - MaltaRightNow.com
THE INIMITABLE STYLE OF GLORIA MIZZI - MaltaRightNow.com
THE INIMITABLE STYLE OF GLORIA MIZZI - MaltaRightNow.com
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| NAILS |<br />
FOOD<br />
FOR<br />
NAILS<br />
[ BY ANGÈLE STAFRACE BABTAC, ITEC, IFHB, MABT REGIONAL OPI EDUCATION ]<br />
Nails can reveal a lot about the body’s internal<br />
health. They not only reflect the state of<br />
your well-being, but also what you have<br />
been eating and what your diet lacks!<br />
Fingernails may be considered as<br />
another type of skin. They are a<br />
substructure of the outer layer of<br />
the skin and are <strong>com</strong>posed mainly<br />
of keratin, a type of protein. The<br />
nail bed is the skin on top of<br />
which the nail grows. Healthy<br />
nails grow at the rate of about<br />
0.05 to 1.2 millimetres per week<br />
and have pink to dark pink nail beds<br />
which show a rich blood supply.<br />
Avoid taking supplements to improve nail health<br />
as too much of any single vitamin could also lead<br />
to brittle and fragile nails. Get your vitamins from<br />
food. A high protein diet can also help<br />
your nails grow stronger and healthier.<br />
When you nourish your whole body with a<br />
balanced diet, nails<br />
will automatically<br />
begin to look<br />
healthier. .<br />
DEFICIENCY COMMON NAIL PROBLEMS INCREASE INTAKE <strong>OF</strong>:<br />
Vitamin A Spoon-shaped or fluted nails Fish and liver. Green and orange fruits and<br />
Dry & Brittle Nails<br />
vegetables. This includes sprouts, green beans, kiwi,<br />
carrots, melon, pumpkin, etc.<br />
Vitamin B Fragile nails, ridges Spinach, brown rice, melon, walnuts<br />
Vitamin B12 Very rounded & curved nails Beef, blue cheese, cheese, clams, crab, fish, eggs,<br />
Excessive dryness<br />
herring, kidney, liver, mackerel, milk and milk<br />
Darkening of nails<br />
products, pork, seafood<br />
Vitamin C Hangnails Citrus fruit and all green vegetables<br />
Pitted, red-brown spots<br />
Vitamin H (Biotin) Brittle nails Yeast, mushrooms, grapefruit, watermelon, banana<br />
and strawberry<br />
Calcium Dry & Brittle Nails Dairy foods, seafood and green leafy vegetables,<br />
molasses, nuts, almonds, oats, asparagus, broccoli,<br />
carob, prunes, cheese, shellfish, cabbage, parsley,<br />
yoghurt<br />
Protein Hangnails Vegetables, fruit, milk, cheese, eggs, meat, fish, and<br />
White bands across the nails poultry<br />
Pitted, red-brown spots<br />
Dry, brittle and very thin<br />
Slow nail growth<br />
Iron Brittle nails Red meat, greens, carrots<br />
Spoon-shaped or fluted nails<br />
Horizontal or vertical ridges<br />
Pale or bluish nail beds<br />
Folic Acid Hangnails Barley, bran, legumes, carrots, yeast, liver, melon,<br />
apricots, green leafy vegetables<br />
Magnesium Soft or brittle nails Dairy products, fish, meat and seafood. Apples,<br />
Nails that break<br />
apricots, bananas, brown rice, figs, garlic, lima beans,<br />
peaches, salmon, green leafy vegetables, sesame<br />
seeds, wheat and whole grains<br />
Zinc Slow nail growth Legumes, beans, mushrooms, brewer’s yeast and<br />
Thin, peeling nails<br />
whole grains<br />
White spots on nails, ridges<br />
Brittle nails<br />
L&S | SEPTEMBER ’06 29