Brittle Nails!

I'm not a vegetarian and I've notice this on my fingernails too!!

I get lots of protein.. lots of fatty acids..

but still, my fingernails are flaking and breaking so easily. Normally I have nice long nails and now I have to keep them short

Did it just start when you started dieting? If so, then it is most likely related to a nutrtional deficiency. You can try taking biotin. I would talk to your physician if the symptoms do not begin to improve.

You might be low on biotin.

Over the last couple of weeks I've noticed my nails are super brittle. After first I thought it was because i was biting my nails or maybe using detergents that were hurting them, but today I noticed my toe nails are also splitting and cracking at the tips.

Possible nutritional issue? Anything I can do to try to help by adding certain foods to my diet?

Thank you!

Additional info: I'm vegetarian

Protein and Biotin are what you are lacking and needing!!!

As you've seen, people have mentioned biotin, protein, B's and others....

I would look at any number of things that maybe you've changed in the last few MONTHS that could be the culprit: have you had any medical or prescription changes? Has your water decreased or caffeine/alcohol increased? Is your hair being affected (be sure to check for that! hair and nails are often together!). What have you taken out of your diet that you used to consume alot of or regularly and see if you can pinpoint the nutrient that you've perhaps eliminated.

The problem with something as generic as hair and nails is that it could be any number of things including symptoms of something internal that has nothing to do with your nutrition; hormone fluxs can do this, for example. Unless you've had a full panel blood work-up by a medical professional, I wouldn't assume any of us really know what it is. You might be able to figure it out though by process of elimination.

Oh.. and I almost forgot to mention - a change in diet can cause a change in hormone production which could then affect skin, hair and nails. So, this could also be temporary while your body adjusts to the changes you've made. I'm not saying it *is* hormones.. I'm saying there's too many possibilities for any of us here to be able to tell you what you should do.

Good luck!

1. Buy some good quality vitamins. There's a huge variety of choices out there that you would benefit from, but a natural women's multi should do the trick.

2. Keep your nails moisturized. Rub cuticle cream of some type into them at night.

3. Essenital fatty acids. Evaluate your intake of them to make sure it is adequate. i.e nuts, seeds, legumes

4. Nails need vitamin D which is in short supply during winter months. I bet they will get healthier when the weather improves!

Gelatin, gelatin, gelatin.

You can make jello every day or just drink the hot/warm liquid before it sets. The small package of sugar free of 4 servings is 40 cals total and your hair and nails improve drastically after about three weeks. Also a yummy end of the meal treat or snack!!