What to eat for healthy nails

If you want your nails to be healthy, you don’t have to stick to a certain “nail-nourishing magic food”. The core is to ensure a balanced intake of protein, minerals, and essential fatty acids. Most of the collagen and specialized nail-nourishing supplements on the market that are so popular that there is no need to buy extra.

A while ago, in order to grow hard nails that are not easy to split, my best friend Xiao Zhou followed the trend and bought several hundred yuan of collagen peptides. After drinking it for more than three months, her nails were still layered, and even the white spots were not gone. Later, when I went to the nutrition department for a consultation, I found out that she had been eating boiled vegetables all year round in order to lose weight, and she barely touched meat, eggs, and milk. The main component of nails is keratin, and even the raw materials are not enough. No matter how much purified collagen she eats, it can't replenish her nails. Later, she adjusted her diet, adding a cup of full-fat milk and an egg every day, eating some lean beef or salmon every two days, and grabbing a handful of plain nuts as a snack in the afternoon. Within two months, her nails, which were originally so soft that they could break when bent, became much stiffer, and the scattered white spots on them disappeared.

Of course, not all nail problems can be solved by eating. There is actually a lot of controversy in the industry about the causes of nail abnormalities. For example, many elderly people say that white spots on nails are due to zinc and calcium deficiency. There are also clinical data showing that 90% of scattered white spots are caused by external forces such as bumps and polished nails. As long as there is no large area of ​​whitening or depression, there is no need to take supplements. As for the biotin supplements that are so popular on the Internet, there is currently no unified conclusion in the academic community. Some studies believe that it can indeed improve brittle nails, while others believe that it is only useful for people with biotin absorption disorders. The biotin in the whole grains and eggs that ordinary people eat daily is enough for their metabolic needs. If they take more supplements, they will be excreted in the urine, which is a waste of money.

I was addicted to getting my nails done in the past two years. Every time I removed my nails, my nails were as thin as a layer of translucent paper. I could cut into my flesh and hurt for a long time if I picked at it. I didn’t buy any expensive nail care products. I just took a few bites of lean meat with my meals, grabbed three or four almonds to chew on when I was fishing in the afternoon, and ate steamed seabass once a week. Within two months, my nails became much stronger, and now I can stay half a centimeter long without nail patches. Vegetarians don’t need to panic. Eat more foods with high iron and zinc content, such as spinach and chickpeas. Pair them with half an orange or kiwi fruit. Vitamin C can promote mineral absorption and can also develop healthy nails with good gloss.

Oh, by the way, if you already eat a balanced diet, including meat, eggs, milk, and nuts and whole grains, but your nails still frequently appear to be delaminated, uneven, and gray and yellow in color, don’t rush to search for supplements. First, go to the dermatology department to check. Maybe it’s a sign of onychomycosis or metabolic problems. Taking supplements indiscriminately can easily delay the real problem.