Your toenails and fingernails are made up of a hardened protein called keratin. This murky coloured nail material helps to protect the delicate skin on your fingertips and toes against damage. If you start to notice changes in the strength, appearance, colour or texture of your nails, this can be a sign that you are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals. For example, if you don’t have enough calcium or iron in your blood, your nails may become brittle, and start to crack or split easily.
Nail Symptoms
- Deep vertical ridges that form from the top of the nail to the bottom
- Clubbed nails where the nail takes a larger more boxy appearance
- White spots or specks may appear on the nail plate
- The nails may spoon and form a little reservoir in the middle
- You may have horizontal ridges if you are deficient in B Vitamins Or if the skin beneath the nail may change colour all white, purple or blue.
Just to name a few of the different problems. Many people try to heal or harden their nails by using hardening gels, or topical treatments. However to truly strengthen your nails and make them smooth you need to have a healthy supply of blood to the nail matrix, a healthy balance of thyroid hormones and The right amount of minerals and vitamins in your diet.
In this article we will explore the top 6 vitamins that strengthen the nails by improving each of these areas.
1. Vitamin B12 & Iron
One of the main reasons people develop weaker, thinner or brittle nails is because there is not enough oxygen in their blood (anemia). Anemia can cause the nails to grow slowly or abnormally, which changes their shape and makes them weaker and more likely to crack. The best way to boost your Vitamin B12 and Iron intake is by eating high quality grass fed beef 3x per week. You can also get these from wild salmon, pasture raised eggs and shellfish.
If you wish to take a supplement, please avoid regular iron supplements which contain elemental iron, as this is poorly absorbed and can be toxic. To strengthen your blood, you need the type of iron that’s bound to a protein called heme-iron, found in animal based foods. You can get this from grass fed liver or spleen extract at a dosage of around 3000mg per day. if you wish to take B12, the best supplemental form is called methylcoblaamin or Adenosylcobalamin at around 1000mcg per day.
2. Nutritional Yeast
One of the best ways to strengthen your nails is by eating 2-3 tablespoon of unfortified nutritional yeast every single day. This deactivated yeast is has a nutty, cheesy flavour and can be sprinkled into your salad, vegetables, soups, stir fries or even yoghurt. This is the richest natural source of B-vitamins such as B1 (Thiamine), B9 (Folate) and B7 (Biotin). B-vitamins help promote healthy cell growth and help your body build protein-building amino acids that are needed to grow strong, healthy nails. Nutritional yeast also provides 18 amino acids, the raw material and building blocks needed to form keratin and new proteins in your body for the nails, hair, glands, and outer layer of your skin.
3. Apple Cider Vinegar
As you get older the digestive juices in your stomach (HCL) become weaker, which causes you to absorb less minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc which are needed for strong and healthy nails. Start drinking 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, mixed in a glass of water before each meal with a straw. This helps your digestive system to break down proteins and minerals from your food, and absorb them much better. This helps to support the cells at the root of the nail so that the nails grow strong, smooth and evenly. Alternatively you can mix this vinegar with extra virgin olive oil to made a healthy salad dressing, Or take you can take 2-3 capsules of powdered apple cider vinegar (1000mg) in the form of a supplement.
4. Bone Broth Powder
Consume 1-2 tablespoons of bone broth powder on a daily basis, to help supply the raw materials needed to build collagen and keratin for your nails, skin and hair. This tasteless powder can be mixed in a cup of warm water, added to soups, stews, drinks or any cooked meals. This is made from boiled animal bones and is rich in amino acids that build collagen and keratin in the body, for shinier healthier nails, smoother skin and strong hair strands. Make sure to choose a brand which uses organic grass fed chicken or beef bones for the best effects, as these will contain more nutrients.
5. Calcium & Vitamin D
Calcium is one of the most important minerals when it comes to strengthening the nail plate and preventing them from splitting, cracking in ingrowing. Most people get enough calcium in their diets from eating fruits, vegetables, milk and dairy products, however often it isn’t absorbed very well, because of a lack of Vitamin D. You can take 10,000iu (250mcg) of Vitamin D3 daily to help your body absorb calcium better by a factor of 20x from your food, to support the structural integrity of your nails. I also recommend taking 100mcg Vitamin K2 (Mk-7), as this will help to drive calcium into the bones and nail structure where it belongs.
Please avoid supplements that contain elemental calcium however (calcium carbonate), As this is the wrong form of calcium, and can stick to your artery walls causing heart problems over time. If you do decide to take a calcium supplement use either calcium citrate (1000mg) or calcium lactate (300mg) per day. But it is best to just get calcium from food such as sardines, parmesan cheese, nuts, leafy greens and kefir.
6. Trace Minerals
Trace minerals are minerals that your body uses need in very tiny amounts, but they have many essential roles. For example you need iodine and selenium to support the thyroid gland in your neck. This produces hormones that control how your nails grow. In addition to other essential nutrients, it’s crucial to incorporate zinc, chromium, and silica into your diet to provide the necessary support for the hormones responsible for stimulating nail tissue growth and keratinization. Unfortunately many of the soils we grow our food in have now been depleted of these minerals due to the use of pesticides and herbicides. We can put these minerals back into our bodies by using liquid trace mineral drops (20 drops per day in a glass of water), Or simply by eating seafood and sea vegetables. I recommend mussels, sea kelp, nori, clams, kombu, shrimp and Irish moss.
I also recommend eating 1 Brazil nut per day to load up on selenium. Selenium in particular helps the body produce active thyroid hormone (T3) which helps to prevent your nails from changing colour, detaching the nail bed, forming ridges or changing shape. Try to get as many of the nutrients I’ve talked about in this article by eating them from whole foods, and use supplements when you need to.
