Which foods are the best to keep nails healthy and hair strong and shiny? I used to take a vitamin called Biotin but it really didn't do much for me so I stopped taking it. What are your suggestions and recommendations concerning this?
Gelatin, like Jell-o, is supposed to be good food for nails and hair. I try to eat some of that on a regular basis. I also take a fish oil capsule every day or every other day, if I forget and that has seemed to really help my nails and hair. My hair has grown faster and my nails are stronger since I have been taking them. Instead of the fish oil capsules, cod liver oil capsules work good too. I've taken both (not at the same time).
I have honestly been trying to lay off the vitamins and supplements so hearing a food like jello be recommended it just astonishing to me! Thank you for informing me on this because I have always thought of this food as a snack or as something that just has too much food coloring so it can't be good..
Gelatin is good for the gut lining as well and it is lacking in our diet. A good natural source is from bone broth. Eat food in its natural form, meat, fish, eggs, offal, fat and vegetables in moderation. No grains, processed food, vegetable oils or sugar.
On a side note, gelatin is also great for your joints as it regenerates cartilage in the body. Gelatin is huge! I swear by it every time I talk to someone about diets and generally healthy eating.
I would tend to agree, it is a very important and overlooked part of nutrition. In Asia they consume lots of gelatine from broths and soups etc. In the West we don't eat hardly any gelatin because traditional cooking methods have died out.
I am going to agree with the statements about gelatin and fish oils, but I want to make an observation that seems overlooked. Both our hair and are nails are predominantly dead. Only a small fraction of both our nails and hair actually receive any nutrition or blood flow. When you consider that fact, you need to understand then nutritional changes you make today do not affect the bulk of your hair and nails. Those nutritional changes affect the living part of your hair and nails. What does this mean from your standpoint? It means your need to keep taking the supplements for months, or even years, in order to make significant changes in the quality of your hair and nails. The change in nutrition changes the hair and nails you see in the future, not what you see today. Even all the high-end shampoos and conditioners that promise to make your hair "alive", are basically covering up the fact that dead hair is dead hair. They can help the appearance of your hair, but they cannot "heal" your hair. You mentioned trying biotin, but how long did you give it to work? The changes in quality are going to happen gradually. Watch for changes at the bases of your nails and in that first inch or two of your hair. Proper nutrition will make a major difference, but you need to be patient, very patient.
