Brittle nails? We reveal the five most important nutrients that make your nails stronger and healthier.
Because the good news is: it’s not just genetics that determines what kind of nails we end up living with. Our lifestyle and diet play a big role in this. So for nails that don’t grow well, have ridges, are weak and peeling, there is definitely a solution.
The bad news is that you’ll have to be a little patient. Because nails grow about 2 to 3 mm per month – so the complete replacement of a nail takes about 6 to 9 months. And to succeed, it’s also important to be sure to follow these three “lifestyle tips.”
1. keep nails clean and short
2. wear gloves when doing housework
3. avoid nail polish remover with acetone
And importantly, changes or abnormalities in fingernails or toenails are likely nutritional, but they can also indicate serious health problems. So always involve a doctor if you have questions or concerns.
1. protein – the most important building block of nails
Create a healthy base: Nails are made of keratin, a protein. So it’s probably not surprising that a protein-rich diet is the most important key to healthy, beautiful nails, right? If you eat meat, eggs, or other protein-rich foods regularly, there’s no need to worry. But if you’re vegetarian or vegan, make sure you’re eating enough plant-based protein. These include quinoa, beans and meat substitutes such as tofu and seitan.
2. zinc against white spots on the nails
The body of a woman needs about 10mg of zinc per day. A lack of zinc in the diet could be the reason why nails are weak or do not grow well. It is also often the lack of zinc that can lead to white spots. If you have any of these problems, it’s time to eat more of this important mineral. Oysters are rich in zinc, as well as lamb, beef, oats, sesame or pumpkin seeds. Roasted pumpkin seeds are also a great idea if you like snacking and want to do something good for your nails. Or you can support your diet with a good zinc-containing supplement, such as Beauty Base Skin, Hair, Nails Complex, which contains 100 percent of your daily requirement of natural zinc. Cool side effect: it strengthens the immune system and boosts cognitive performance.
3. iron – if it is missing, the nails often have grooves.
If your nails are thin and curved or have ridges, sometimes an iron deficiency is behind it. If you are not a vegetarian or vegan, you should include more red meat in your diet. Otherwise, you should eat plenty of dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and cabbage, which are also high in iron. The Iron Maid Plant-Based Iron with 14 mg iron from organic curry leaves is also a great supplement to optimize your iron supply. With Ogaenics, your daily dose of plant-based iron is also contained in all organic multivitamins.
4. biotin builds beautiful nails
The B vitamin biotin promotes healthy cell growth and helps the body metabolize protein-building amino acids – all good things when it comes to making nails stronger and healthier. Supplementation is the easiest way to get biotin through the diet. You can find 100 percent of the daily requirement of biotin in Beauty Base Skin, Hair, Nails Complex, for example. If you want to make your diet biotin-rich, you should favor Swiss chard (a top source), eggs, wheat germ, whole grains, and salmon.
5. silicon against brittle nails
Brittle nails may also indicate a lack of silicon. Because this trace element, known as a beauty mineral, strengthens not only connective tissue and bones, but also hair and nails. You should take at least 10 mg daily.
The main food sources of silicon are oats (delicious as overnight oats), barley, dried dates, green beans and bamboo shoots. The natural silicon for Ogænics® is also obtained from the latter. But if you don’t care much for Asian cuisine, you’ll find a daily dose in the Beauty Base Skin, Hair, Nails complex.
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