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Your nails protect the sensitive nerves at the tips of your fingers and toes. They are mostly made up of a protein called keratin. Your nails should be a pink color - due to the blood vessel below the nail. Any problems with the nails are usually a sign of a nutritional deficiency.
Your nails can tell you a lot about your general health.
Look at the following table for the nail condition and what underlying problem may be causing the condition.
| Nail Condition | Underlying Problem |
| White nails | Liver or kidney problems or anemia |
| Yellow nails | Liver, respiratory or lymphatic problems (not clearing the toxins from the body) |
| Dry and brittle nails | Vitamin A or calcium deficiency or both |
| Round or dark nail tips | Vitamin B12 deficiency |
| Thick nails | Poor circulation or thyroid disease |
| Wide square nails | Hormone imbalance |
| Splitting | Reduced hydrochloric production |
| White spots | Zinc deficiency |
| Concave or vertical ridges | Iron deficiency or poor general health |
| Inflamed around the nail bed | Arthritis or vitamin c deficiency |
| No moons at the base of the nail | An overactive thyroid |
| Brittle nails | Thyroid problems or iron deficiency or poor circulation and biotin, calcium, zinc deficiencies and too much selenium |
| Cut or cracked nails | Dehydration |
Look at the underlying problem with your nails, for example, if you have the white spots you will probably need to improve your zinc levels. The following foods are a good source of zinc:
If the underlying problem is a vitamin B12, iron, vitamin C or other deficiency, you will need to correct this. A good multivitamin and mineral supplement will go a long way to help.
If your liver or kidneys or circulation are not working as well as they might then correcting any nutritional problems will also be of assistance for you.
The following food can be of assistance for the general improvement of your nails:
These foods are both high in silicon and sulphur and carrot juice is high in calcium and phosphorus.
Bland, J. 1996, Contemporary Nutrition. J & B Associates.
Davies, S. and A. Stewart., 1997, Nutritional Medicine. Pan.
Holden, S., Hudson, K., Tilman, J. & D. Wolf, 2003, The Ultimate Guide to Health from Nature. Asrolog Publication.
Pressman, A. and S. Buff, 2000, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vitamins and Minerals. (2nd Ed.) Alpha Books.
Soothill, R. 1996, The Choice Guide to Vitamins and Minerals. A Choice Book Publication.
Sullivan, K. 2002, Vitamins and Minerals: A Practical Approach to a Health Diet and Safe Supplementation. Harper Collins.
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