Eat your way to healthy nails

Get healthy nails with a good diet...

Sick of your dry, brittle nails breaking and flaking away? Here’s how to give them a powerful health makeover…

Boost your vitamin B intake

Take a vitamin B supplement daily or get your vitamin B hit through poultry, meat, eggs and fish. A U.S study of individuals with brittle nails found a dramatic increase in nail health after increasing vitamin B in the diet.

Banish white spots

White spots on your nails can sometimes indicate insufficient levels of zinc in your diet and poor nail health, so up your zinc by taking a daily zinc supplement or eating zinc-rich foods such as hard boiled eggs and milk.

Supersize your ‘s’ intake

The top two vitamins for your nails are both ‘s’ vitamins – sulphur and silicon. Increase your intake by eating more broccoli, onions, fish and sea vegetables.

Fantastic flaxseed

Flaxseed provides essential fatty acids for nail health so try sprinkling a little on your morning bowl of muesli or popping a scoop in your smoothie.

Oil up

Castor oil contains the nail nutrient vitamin E, so rub it into your cuticles for an instant remedy to dry nails.

Nail supplements

For especially dry or damaged nails, you can also try using nail vitamins like Silica capsules, which have been shown to lead to a reduction in split fingernails and brittleness.

18 Member Comments

Trish_D 19 Jan 2018 4:05 PM

I have found Q Silica capsules have helped me.

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itslinda 5 Apr 2016 10:26 AM

great article

Linda_Vesinger 25 Mar 2016 12:51 PM

Great ideas here, good nails definitely start with a good diet.

Yohanna 25 Mar 2016 12:13 PM

My sis was on the year course of nail, skin, hair vitamin supplements with silica. It did not work even a bit. 2 years ago she ditched meat and dairy/eggs from her diet (eats whole food plant based), now she her nails are finally growing and no need for fakes! They are long and her hair super shiny. Yep, before they did not even grow, they were extremely damaged from cuticles to the thickness.

Supplements vs diet? Proper diet for the win!

Yohanna 25 Mar 2016 12:08 PM

"hard boiled eggs and milk" "good" sources of Zinc? No, false claim. The proteins and fats they contain prevent absorption of Zn in human body- "Casein in milk has been shown to have a negative effect on zinc absorption" http://jn.nutrition.org/content/130/5/1378S.full

Fruit seeds like pumpkin, watermelon, flax, sesame (very rich in absorbable Zn), greens, beans and nuts (like cashew) also good sources, cacao bean quite high...most important these foods come with a pack of other nutrients that help absorption of Zn.

Blink182 6 Feb 2013 10:55 AM

Nice!

Sammieeb 29 Jul 2012 2:36 AM

Thanks for the tips - need something to help my nails stop peeling! :-(

crosses-n-kisses 26 Apr 2012 8:16 AM

i hope this helps my nails! when they are really weak after cleaning and whatever they always chip or break

Jasna91 17 Apr 2012 12:50 PM

LOVE it, my nails can get so weak sometimes :-(

Zenna.X 17 Apr 2012 4:28 AM

Castor oil :)

elmorules 9 Apr 2012 3:04 AM

Some awesome tips , Don't forget . **** YOUR NAILS ARE JEWS NOT TOOLS****

IndieAna 31 Mar 2012 6:30 AM

Wow, great tips! I'm going to try these for my weak, chipping nails.

Rabi 30 Mar 2012 12:12 AM

i m using biotin tablets for my nails and its working like magic.

Sarahds 28 Mar 2012 12:01 PM

I have superstrong nails, sometimes to their detriment. They can break when I'm careless..

s2pring 28 Mar 2012 11:37 AM

my nails always chipped after i use nail polish for awhile

sara elsamad 27 Mar 2012 9:38 AM

i never heard about castor oil but i heard about other tips

Jessessential 27 Mar 2012 8:27 AM

some good tips there .... but whats a sea vegetable ?? i can only think of seaweed.

Princess Fiona1 27 Mar 2012 3:05 AM

I have always been lucky to have strong nails.....I eat a lot of fresh fruit and veg, which I think help, but also a good handcreme used several times per day.

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