THE INIMITABLE STYLE OF GLORIA MIZZI - MaltaRightNow.com

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