Nails

Keep your fingernails and toenails healthy with these ideas:

Tips

Nails keep splitting

If your nails split or chip easily, you could be low in calcium, magnesium, zinc, B vitamins or fatty acids.  Food that is high in calcium includes milk, cheese and yoghurt, you could try sesame seeds, spinach, baked beans, tinned salmon, almonds and rhubarb.  Food that is high in zinc includes lamb, pumpkin seeds and chickpeas.  Food that is high in vitamin B includes sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, avocados and baked beans. Food that is high in magnesium includes dark chocolate, kidney beans, avocados and oats.  Food that is high in fatty acids includes fish, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.  Have a look through these and try to see what your diet might be lacking.

White spots on nails

White spots on your nails are usually a sign of trauma to the base of your nail.  But, if you get white spots on your nails, and don’t do much manual work, they could also be a sign of zinc deficiency.  Make sure that you include lots of foods that are high in zinc in your diet (lamb, pumpkin seeds and chickpeas).

Fungal infections

Yellow coloured nails may be the result of too much nail varnish, so try leaving your nails bare for a month to see if their colour improves.  If your nails are yellow, thickened and brittle, then it may be a fungal infection.  A simple trick is to rub Vicks VapoRub onto the affected nail once a day.

Alternatively, try daily foot baths in a solution of equal parts vinegar and water.  White vinegar or apple cider vinegar are best, and the water can be either warm or cold, but you do need to soak your feet for at least 30 minutes, and repeat 3 times a day.

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