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Eating for healthy teeth and nails

If your hair and nails are looking like they need a holiday, try rethinking your diet and pampering them from the inside out. By Juliette Kellow.

Many of us have an array of lotions and potions in our bathrooms designed to keep hair and nails looking in tip-top shape, but most of the things we need for glossy, shiny hair and strong nails can be found in our kitchen.

Just like every other part of our body, our hair and nails are at their strongest and healthiest when we eat a balanced, healthy diet that contains an adequate amount of protein and plenty of vitamins and minerals. In fact, no amount of pampering will get hair and nails looking great if you don’t have a nourishing diet.

Believe it or not, the part of our hair and nails we actually see is dead tissue (this is why cutting them doesn’t hurt). But it also means they are the last parts of our body to receive nutrients when we are ill or have a poor diet – quite simply, nutrients are directed to parts of the body where they are essential for life. As a result, our hair and nails are extremely vulnerable to a poor diet and their condition can speak volumes about our health.

Eat plenty of protein-rich foods, such as l ean red meat, poultry, eggs, fish, such as salmon, low-fat dairy products, liver, pulses, nuts, seeds and soya. In Britain, this is not usually a problem, as protein intakes are more than adequate for most people.

Some faddy and extreme diets – such as very low calorie, detox, raw food or macrobiotic diets – can result in a lack of protein if followed in the long term. This can affect hair and nails, which are both made of a fibrous protein called keratin, one of the toughest tissues in the body. So diets deficient in protein can result in fine hair that is prone to breaking or split ends, and nails that are brittle and vulnerable.

Hair and nails are dead tissue, so they are the last part of our body to receive nutrients when we have a poor diet.

Poor dietary intakes of iron can also have a major impact on nails, causing them to become brittle, spoon-shaped (curved in the middle), and pale rather than pink in colour. As there is very little overlying tissue, the small blood vessels under the nail are more obvious than elsewhere in the body. As a result, iron in the red blood cells shows up as a pink tinge – or pale, if iron intake is poor.

Also, a loss of hair or thinning hair is one of the main symptoms of anaemia, a condition that results from a lack of iron. One of the best sources of iron is l ean red meat, but oily fish like mackerel, bread, green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, peas, lentils, beans, dried fruit, eggs and fortified breakfast cereals also contain some iron.

The type of iron in red meat and oily fish (haem iron) is more easily absorbed and used by the body than the iron in plant foods (non-haem iron), such as vegetables and bread. Vitamin C helps the body to absorb iron from plant foods, so eat vitamin C-rich foods such as citrus fruits and juices, berries, green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, kiwi fruit, tomatoes and peppers alongside iron-rich foods when you can.

Dehydration affects our hair and nails, so to prevent dry hair and cuticles, drink six to eight glasses of water a day and eat more fruit and vegetables.

It’s a common misconception that white spots on our nails are caused by a calcium deficiency. More often than not, they’re caused by damage to the nail itself and will grow out, but a poor intake of zinc may be the cause. This immune-boosting mineral – found in meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, cheese, nuts and seeds – is essential for healthy nails and hair, and its absence has been linked to dry and brittle hair, hair loss and even dandruff.

It’s also worth filling your shopping trolley with foods rich in the ‘beauty mineral’ – sulphur. Found in most protein-rich foods, such as eggs, meat, fish, cheese and nuts, sulphur helps regulate the body’s acid-alkali balance and is found in some amino acids (protein-building blocks). This makes it vital for healthy nails and glossy hair.

Foods rich in biotin (a B vitamin), such as nuts, fish, liver and eggs, are also essential for nail and hair health. As well as keeping nails strong, biotin may also help prevent unnatural loss of hair colour.

It is thought that a poor intake of copper may also contribute to premature greyness, as it is needed for the production of a pigment called melanin. Levels of this pigment gradually decline as part of the natural ageing process, but eating plenty of copper-rich foods such as liver, shellfish, nuts and seeds may help delay greyness.

Eating a weekly serving of oily fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines and fresh tuna may also be a good idea, as the omega-3 fats will improve blood flow. This will help to ensure plenty of nutrients and oxygen reach the nail bed and hair follicles, encouraging healthy growth. Omega-3 fats may also help to ease the itching and flaking linked to dandruff and even put the gloss back into dull, lifeless hair.

Dehydration affects our hair and nails, just as it does the rest of our body. So to prevent dry hair and cuticles, drink six to eight glasses of water a day and eat more juicy fruit and vegetables – many are at least 90 per cent water, so you can top up fluid and vitamin levels at the same time.