Though it may not be a major wellness issue, having weak nails can really get irritating. How many times have you spent ages perfecting that file, buff and polish, only to have a nail break the next day, and make you start over? Some women have just hit the genetic jackpot with nail strength and don’t need to do a thing to improve it. However, if you’re one of the rest of us, there’s always something you can do to enhance your wellbeing, even if it’s just the wellbeing of your nails!
The fact is, a diet that is lacking in certain vitamins and minerals can take its toll on your nails, so if yours are weak, brittle, flaky or cracked, you might not be getting enough of these four vitamins:
Vitamin A – This vitamin is essential in helping your body to process protein, and this affects the keratin production in your nails. Therefore, if you have brittle, soft and flaky nails, you may benefit from eating more vitamin A-rich foods such as cheese, eggs, oily fish, milk, yoghurt, dark green vegetables and orange and yellow fruits.
Vitamin B – Think of this vitamin like nail fertilizer: it helps your nails to grow and keeps them strong in the process. Vitamin B12 is particularly important for preventing dry, dark nails that are curved at the ends, so try to consume more B12-boosting foods like meat, salmon, cod, milk, cheese, eggs and some fortified breakfast cereals.
Vitamin C – There’s nothing more annoying than a hangnail, and these can also be quite painful as hangnails can cause the nail tissue to swell, and to even become infected. If this is a personal affliction for you, you may need more vitamin C in your diet from such food sources as red and green peppers, strawberries and, of course, good old-fashioned oranges juice.
Vitamin D – Without vitamin D, your body has a hard time absorbing calcium and will take it out on your nails. You can tell if you have a vitamin D deficiency if your nails are brittle and dry, but, unfortunately, you can’t easily find this vitamin in many foods. You produce vitamin D when you get sunlight on your skin, so try to get outside for a few minutes every day, and up your calcium intake through dairy products, broccoli and tofu.