Boost your skin, hair and nail health
How to support your skin, hair and nails through diet
If you’ve ever wondered whether you can improve your skin health and strengthen your nails and hair through diet rather than supplements – yes, you can!
What are the main players?
Diet plays a major role in all these issues but there are other factors at play, too, especially when it comes to your hair. These include:
- Overall health
- Genetics
- Nutrition deficiencies
- Hormonal changes – particularly in adolescence, during menstrual cycle, pregnancy and postpartum, menopause and andropause (male menopause)
- Environmental factors
- Medications
- Stress
While you cannot do much about many of them, you can nourish your skin from within and help your nails and hair at the same time.
Skin food
Antioxidants for glowing skin
Your skin needs antioxidants that help protect its cells from damage and tone down inflammation. Brightly coloured foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables, turmeric, black beans, kidney beans, red lentils, pistachios, wild rice and black sesame are great for your skin as they supply a wealth of antioxidants along with many essential nutrients.
Vitamins for the win
Vitamin C is an antioxidant too but it has another important role in skin health – it’s vital for collagen formation. Collagen is the protein that helps your skin stay supple and if you have enough protein and vitamin C in your diet, you’ll help your body produce plenty of collagen. Citrus fruit, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, berries, kiwi fruit and even potatoes (with the skin left on) are great sources.
Vitamin E is also an antioxidant and helps your skin to heal and stay healthy and resilient. Why use a vitamin E cream when your diet can supply plenty throughout the day? The best sources are almonds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, avocado, tomatoes, wheat germ and butternut squash.
Vitamin A is yet another vitamin vital for healthy skin and helps to combat inflammation. Plenty of red, orange and yellow fruit and vegetables and dark green leafy veggies will do the trick as these contain beta-carotene that your body converts into vitamin A.
The last of the skin-boosting vitamins is the B group. If you are low in B vitamins, you may experience skin irritation, dry patches, cracked lips and mouth corners, breakouts and more. A healthy vegan diet supplies plenty of B vitamins so long as it contains wholegrains, pulses, nuts and seeds and leafy greens. For an extra boost, add wheatgerm and nutritional yeast!
Powerful protein
Having enough protein is vital for collagen and elastin, two types of protein that provide structure to your skin. Another is keratin, which provides outer layer protection. You also need protein for skin repair and healing so having a good source of protein at every meal is a good strategy. The best choices include pulses (peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas and soya), nuts and seeds and wholegrains (wholemeal bread, oats, wholewheat pasta, brown rice and quinoa). You can also include protein-rich plant-based meat alternatives made with seitan, Quorn, soya or pea protein to help increase your intake.
Zinc boost
Zinc is a mineral often added to skin treatments because it helps your skin to heal. It’s also needed for making new cells and for the immune system. The best sources include pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and tahini, tofu, tempeh, lentils and wholegrains.
Sweet enemies
Eating too much sugar makes your body produce more of the hormone insulin and stimulates inflammation. The combined effects make your skin prone to breakouts so reducing your sugar intake can make a big difference to your skin.
It’s not just sugar as such, it also applies to alcoholic drinks, sugar-laden cereals and white flour products (white bread, pastries or pies). On the other hand, natural sugars found in fruit are fine and wholegrain products can easily replace the white ones – think wholemeal bread, wholewheat pasta or oat cakes.
Strong nails and luscious hair
The same nutrients that are vital for your skin are also essential for your nails and hair but there are a few more specifics.
Biotin (vitamin B7) is indispensable because it boosts keratin production – keratin is the protein that forms nails and hair. There’s plenty of biotin in nuts and seeds, soya and other pulses, mushrooms, green leafy vegetables and nutritional yeast.
Low vitamin B12 and iron levels can cause brittle nails and hair loss – make sure you take a B12 supplement as there is none in your diet apart from fortified foods such as plant milks, and that you have enough iron in your diet. Luckily, many iron-rich foods are also good biotin sources – pulses, including tofu, nuts and seeds and green leafy vegetables.
Omega-3 fats are vital for good health and may also reduce hair loss in women. Try a tablespoon of chia seeds or ground flaxseed mixed in with your cereal, use rapeseed oil for cooking or buy an algae-based omega-3 supplement.
Lastly, there’s silicon – a trace mineral that supports keratin and collagen production and is an essential element in nails. Low silicon levels can cause brittle nails and hair loss, which is why you usually find silicon in supplements aimed at improving skin, nail and hair health. The good news is that the best silicon sources are plant-based foods such as wholegrains, vegetables, nuts and seeds, pulses and – drumroll please – beer.
Nail spots and ridges
White spots on nails may be just signs of minor injuries but if they appear frequently, they may signal a nutritional deficiency in the same way as deep vertical ridges. They are not caused by the lack one specific nutrient but may signal a number of deficiencies, for example protein, iron, zinc, calcium, biotin or B12.
Seven foods to eat daily
By now, you may think it’s too complicated to make your diet work wonders for your skin, nails and hair but it’s not! Eat these foods daily to ensure a plentiful intake of the nutrients you need and take a B12 supplement – that’s it! Easy.
- Nuts and seeds – raw, roasted or nut butters
- Green leafy vegetables – kale, broccoli, rocket, cabbage
- Pulses – tofu, edamame, chickpeas, beans, lentils
- Wholegrains – oats, wholemeal bread, brown rice
- Nutritional yeast – add to sauces, spreads and soups or sprinkle on top of meals
- Brightly coloured fruit and veggies – red, yellow, orange, purple and dark green
- Omega-3s – chia seeds, flaxseed, rapeseed oil or vegan supplements
About the author
Veronika Prošek Charvátová
Veronika Prošek Charvátová MSc is a biologist and Viva! Health researcher. Veronika has spent years uncovering the links between nutrition and good health and is an expert on plant-based diets.