We help you find which nutrients YOU need to get stronger, longer nails and healthy cuticles:
- What your nails and cuticles say about your health
- The top foods for healthy fingers and toes
- Stop the habits that ruin your beautiful nails
Chilly weather can mean more splitting, broken nails and cracked, peeling skin on your hands, so they definitely need some extra attention at this time of year!
As with skin and hair, nails give us a little window into our internal health. When we’re not optimally nourished, our nails are pretty much our body’s last priority for delivering nutrients, so they may end up looking dull, growing slowly and breaking more easily.
Like hair, nails are mostly made up of the protein keratin. Although you may think of them as dead tissue, they are constantly growing and replacing old cells with new ones at the nail bed, so of course it’s vital to treat them well if you want them to look amazing.
The nutrients your nails and cuticles need
|
Signs |
What Might Be Missing |
Eat More |
|
Fragile nails with ridges |
B Vitamins |
Tempeh (an authentic fermented soya bean food) Kale, chard, broccoli Brown rice, quinoa Chicken, turkey Organic Burst Spirulina and Chlorella – 1 tsp or 5 tablets twice a day, ideally morning and lunch time. Add to a smoothie, stir into cold water with lemon juice, or make some superfood bites! |
|
Spoon-shaped, brittle nails |
Iron |
Organic grass-fed red meat Spinach Sustainable seafood Pumpkin seeds Dark chocolate Dried apricots Organic Burst Chlorella - 2 tsp in lemon water, or 12 tablets every day. |
|
White spots – a sign that the nail bed isn’t healing well from everyday knocks. |
Zinc |
Sustainable seafood Organic grass-fed beef and lamb Pumpkin seeds Cashew nuts |
|
Sore cuticles |
Vitamin A |
Green leafy veggies Carrots, squash Liver – from healthy outdoor-bred organic livestock Organic Burst Wheatgrass is high in Vitamin A. Take 2 tsp in a glass of water, or added to a green juice. *Tip*: add 1 tsp to a salad dressing or sprinkle on veggies. |
|
Dry, curved ends, dark, thin, flat nails |
Vitamin B12 |
Tempeh (an authentic fermented soya bean food) Fish, seafood and organic meats Organic Burst Spirulina – 1 tsp or 5 tablets twice a day, ideally morning and lunch time. Add to a smoothie, juice or stir into cold water with lemon juice. |
|
Hangnails, split cuticles |
Vitamin C |
Organic berries Broccoli Tomatoes Red peppers Organic Burst Baobab powder. Take 1 tsp in a glass of water or sprinkle onto yoghurt, fruit or porridge. |
|
Slow growing nails |
Protein |
Eggs Nuts & seeds Sprouted beans & pulses Fish Meat Quinoa Organic Burst Spirulina – take 2 tsp or 12 tablets each day. *Tip*: Blend into an almond milk, spinach and banana smoothie. |
|
Dry cuticles |
Essential fatty acids |
Oily fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies Brazil nuts, almonds Olives and olive oil (not heated) Sunflower, flax and hemp seeds Organic Burst Acai Berry. Take 8 capsules with plenty of water with a meal for omegas-3-6 and 9. |
Tips to keep your nails healthy
- Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and foods rich in sulphur and silicon such as broccoli, fish, onions and seaweed.
- Ensure you have adequate protein as from yogurt, fish, lean meat, eggs, beans and pulses, nuts, seeds.
- If you tend to get indigestion or bloating after eating, drink the juice of half a lemon or some apple cider vinegar in a little water before eating each meal to aid digestion and help you use the nutrients in your food.
- Do not expose your nails to harsh chemicals like washing-up liquid and cleaning liquids – go for the eco-version or wear gloves when washing dishes.
- Avoid alcohol and caffeine since they can diminish nutrients in the body, especially Vitamin C and B Vitamins.
- Rub coconut oil on cuticles and nails for natural moisture. This fantastic oil is also anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, so very handy if you have any nail infections.
- Give your nails and cuticles a special treatment with Organic Burst Chlorella, which contains iron, manganese, Vitamin B6 and B12 that we need for cell renewal – mix a teaspoon of Organic Burst Chlorella powder with a teaspoon of almond oil and spread over your nails and cuticles. Relax for 20 minutes before rinsing off with warm water, or you could pop on some cotton gloves and leave on overnight!
A word about manicures
- Be careful of broken skin on your cuticles or hands that will mean you’re exposed to the toxic substances from nail varnishes and removers. Avoid going for your mani-pedi until your skin has healed.
- Try less harmful nail products - look out for polishes without formaldehyde, toulene, dibutyl phthalate (DBP). When it comes to remover go for water-based acetone free options.
- Now don’t hate us, but another option is to go without polish altogether...our nails are porous and we do absorb toxins from these very potent products, as well as breathing in the fumes during the process. Maybe just keep polish for special occasions.
The good news is the tips for nourishing your nails include so many of our favourite healthy wholefoods, that you’ll get some great knock-on benefits including more energy from the B Vitamins and a well-supported immune system from incorporating more zinc and Vitamin A! Get going on the changes today and we hope you see and feel the difference very soon!
