Your nails reflect your state of health
Your nails speak volumes about your state of health and what you eat affects nails health. Years of poor nutrition (whether you’ve been eating too much or too little) could leave your nails in a less than perfect shape. Most nail problems like split nails, brittle nails, white spot on nails, blue nails can be caused by malnutrition, low protein levels, thyroid disorders, anaemia or any illness.
Nails grow about 0.6 to 1.3 millimetres in a week. Insufficient amount of proteins or vitamin A can slow down the rate of nail growth.
Taking some allopathic medications can also do the same. A shortage of calcium can cause nails to become brittle and dry. A lack of the Bvitamins can cause vertical ridges to appear on the nails. A lack of proteins in your diet can cause opaque white bands to appear on nails. White spots on the nails reflect a zinc and vitamin B6 deficiency.
Smoking makes your nails discoloured and they tend to look yellowish. Frequent usage of nail paint also causes discolouration of the nails. Blue nails are a sign of breathing problems, pale white nails show that the person is anaemic.
BRITTLE NAILS
People with cold hands usually have brittle nails showing poor circulation. A common cause of poor circulation is an underactive thyroid or an iron deficiency. A low dose of the thyroid hormone under medical supervision could be useful in correcting brittle nails if they suffer from hypothyroidism.
VERTICAL RIDGES
Low levels of protein, zinc and iron cause this problem. If you have low thyroid levels supplementary with thyroxine would help. Consuming coriander juice regularly (made from 100gms of coriander leaves) and adding lime juice to all your vegetables and salads could help prevent an iron deficiency. Eggs, fish, most lentils and nuts such as almonds, walnuts, sprouts will give you sufficient protein and zinc. Sometimes you have dried skin tags at the sides of the nails called hangnails. This happens because the skin around the nails has dried out. It could be due to a vitamin C deficiency or an undersupply of folic acid and protein in your diet. You could supplement with green leafy vegetables, as they are rich in folates.
Sometimes one hears complains like ‘my nails just don’t grow’ or ‘my nails grow very slowly’. Remember that nails grow slowly in the cold season and faster when it gets warmer. Remember your nails, hair and skin are a reflection of what’s inside you. You must listen to it.
Anjali Mukerjee/Nutritionist
A LACK OF THE BVITAMINS CAN CAUSE VERTICAL RIDGES. WHILE SMOKING MAKES YOUR NAILS DISCOLOURED