Who doesn’t love a mane of glossy, thick hair, radiant skin, and healthy nails?
We go to lengths to achieve such aesthetic values, including regular appointments with beauticians and a bottle of chemical-ridden supplements. However, we usually miss that unhealthy hair, skin, and nails are an important indicator of our body's underlying problems.
An unbalanced diet lacking essential nutrients causes dull, thin hair, dry skin, and brittle nails. But don't fret! There is a natural way for you to improve the health of your hair, skin, and nails. You guessed it! It's through a balanced diet and vital nutrients!
You don’t need to juggle between multiple supplements and waste your hard-earned money on skin-care products and beauticians. Spend that money on groceries!
Natural food sources rich in biotin, zinc, and copper can do wonders for your hair, skin, and nails. Not only this, but they are essential for the healthy functioning of your body. Talk about taking down two birds with one stone!
Here is a fun fact for you: Hair, skin, and nails are made up of similar proteins, which is why they belong to the same biological system, the integumentary system. Therefore, the steps you will take to improve one of them will benefit all three.
Following is a look at three essential nutrients: biotin, zinc, and copper (to get healthy hair, skin, and nails).
Biotin
Science alert! Biotin happens to be a part of the Vitamin B family, vital for converting certain nutrients into energy and improving the body's keratin infrastructure. If you're wondering, keratin is the primary protein in your hair, skin, and nails.
It is rare for someone to have biotin deficiency because your daily biotin requirement is commonly fulfilled from the foods you eat. If you’re going for extra intake, the following is a list of biotin-rich foods:
- Organ meats (for example, liver or kidney)
- Egg yolk
- Nuts (for example, almonds, peanuts, and walnuts)
- Legumes (for example, soybeans)
- Whole grains (for example, oatmeal)
- Bananas
- Cauliflower
- Mushrooms
For maximum benefits, opt for unprocessed foods or raw dishes where possible because heat can reduce biotin's efficacy.
If you still think you need an extra boost, biotin supplements are also an option. However, seek guidance from a health professional first when interested in purchasing them. Here are some of the potential side effects from biotin.
Zinc
For those interested in knowing, zinc plays a crucial role in wound healing, immune system functioning, and metabolism.
If you're asking yourself how zinc helps with hair growth, here is your answer.
Zinc deficiency causes the proteins of the hair follicle to deteriorate, which causes hair loss. Dermatologists also prescribe zinc supplements for the treatment of acne, psoriasis, and dermatitis.
If you have zinc deficiency, you can increase the intake of the following foods rich in zinc:
- Oysters
- Nuts
- Eggs
- Chickpeas
- Sweet Potato
- Spinach
There are also a variety of zinc supplements available. The most commonly available and cheap form of supplement is zinc gluconate, which is an excellent option to help boost your intake without breaking your bank.
Copper
You might associate copper with wiring and electronics, but copper is also an indispensable nutrient that helps produce red blood cells, keeping nerve cells healthy, and making an essential protein called collagen (which is present in bones and tissues, and various functions).
It is not common for someone to have a copper deficiency. You can experience severe consequences if your body is too low on copper.
To keep copper levels in your body up, consume more of these:
- Seafood (for example, oysters and lobster)
- Organ meats (for example, cow liver, kidneys, or heart)
- Nuts (for example, cashews, filberts, almonds)
- Beans (for example, lentils)
- Unsweet or semisweet chocolate or cocoa
- Blackstrap molasses
- Black pepper
Bottom Line
Getting radiant hair, nails, and skin naturally is possible. You just need to know how to add biotin, copper, and zinc to diet to achieve what you want.
For the supplement option click here
