June 7, 2010 – Beautiful and elegant nails are every lady’s wish. They determine whether your hands will look charming or not. Yet it is not a dream to acquire those long, beautiful, graceful nails. You can. It just needs a little time, patience and sticking to the right diet. What you eat will reflect on the health of your nails too.

You may have at one time experienced some ‘unusual’ problems with your nails. Most of the time, this may be attributed to lack of a particular food component.

Below is a list of common problems that usually affect our nails:

*Lack of vitamin A and calcium which causes dryness and brittleness.

*Lack of protein, folic acid and vitamin C which causes hang nails.

*White bands across the nails caused by protein deficiency.

*Lack of sufficient hydrochloric acid which can cause splitting nails.

*Insufficient intake of vitamin B12 can lead to excessive dryness, very rounded, curved ends and darkening of nails.

*Insufficient zinc can cause development of white spots on the nails.

*Cuts and cracks in the nails may indicate a need for more liquids

*Red skin around your cuticles can be caused by poor metabolism of essential fatty acids.

However, the most common nail wreckers are harsh detergents and water, which can stress nail fibres. So be sure to put on rubber gloves while cleaning or doing dishes.

Also, avoid using perfumed lotions which contain alcohol, if you have brittle nails. It will only make your nails worse.

Guidelines for improving the health of your nails:

*Eat a diet composed of 50% fruit and raw vegetables in order to supply necessary vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Eat foods rich in sulphur and silicon, such as broccoli, fish and onions. Include foods rich in biotin such as soy, brewers yeast and whole grains.

*Drink plenty of water and other liquids.

*You may supplement your diet with royal jelly, spirulina or kelp, which are rich in silica, zinc and B vitamins and help to strengthen your nails.

*Drink fresh carrot juice daily, this is high in calcium and phosphorus and is excellent for strengthening nails.

This might seem like an almost impossible diet to stick to especially if you are not a fan of organic food. Just have at least a small amount of vegetables in your food as these constantly replenish your body with vital vitamins and aid in better health and not just for your nails alone.

So, next time order your buggers with lettuce or try out an all vegetable pizza for a change, you just might become a loyal follower of healthy foods yourself!