Foods for Healthy Hair, Skin and Nails

 

Some vitamins, minerals, and diet types can help enhance hair, skin, and nail health. These include omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, C, and E, and high-protein, low-glycemic diets. 

Hair

Research shows that women who ate low-glycemic diets rich in complex carbohydrates, vitamins A, B and C, and minerals like zinc and magnesium might have less hair loss during menopause.

A 2019 review indicated micronutrient deficiencies such as diets lacking biotin, vitamins A and C, and zinc could affect hair health. 

In addition, protein is an essential part of a hair-healthy diet. 

“Our hair is made of a protein called keratin, so a diet insufficient in protein may make hair brittle,” Paula Doebrich, MPH, RDN of Happea Nutrition says.

People with vitamin A deficiency may note detrimental effects on their hair and skin.

Skin

People with micronutrient deficiencies, such as biotin, vitamins A and C, and zinc, are more likely to have less healthy skin and nails. Eating a plant-based diet could benefit skin barrier health and function.

Nails

Nails are keratin-rich, and nutrition may impact their health. Any nutritional deficiency, such as calcium or iron, could affect nail growth.

Thus we should eat foods like salmon, nuts, avocados, and fruits and vegetables. 

Fatty fish

 “Omega-3 fatty acids could help reduce inflammation and redness in the body and skin,” says Katie Tomaschko, a private practitioner in Buffalo, N.Y. 

“They’re also a rich source of protein, the powerful antioxidant vitamin E, and biotin, a nutrient that supports keratin production and can benefit the hair and skin.” 

Fish she recommends are salmon, herring and mackerel.

Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are rich in the carotenoid beta-carotene, which is a precursor for vitamin A.

“Vitamin A promotes keratin production and is essential for skin and nail health,” Tomaschko says. 

Anthocyanins in purple sweet potatoes have anti-oxidant properties that may improve skin inflammation. Antioxidants can also help protect against free radicals, which can trigger premature aging. 

Nuts and seeds

Nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, also boast the antioxidant vitamin E, which helps combat oxidative damage and has anti-inflammatory properties that may help absorb energy from UV light and protect against skin damage and visible aging signs, like fine lines and sun spots. 

Some seeds, particularly sunflower seeds, are good sources of biotin, protein and vitamin E.

Fruits and vegetables

Eating fruits and vegetables was linked to skin health and vitamin C could help with collagen production and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

Dark, leafy greens

Loading up on leafy greens provides the body with plenty of nutrients that can benefit the hair, skin, and nails. Examples of dark, leafy greens include spinach, kale, swiss chard, bok choy and collard greens.

Avocados

Avocados are rich in healthy fats and nutrients that promote skin and nail health, including vitamins C, A and E.

One cup of mashed or pureed avocado contains 23 milligrams of vitamin C, 16.1 micrograms of vitamin A and about 5 milligrams of vitamin E. 

Oysters

 “Oysters are an excellent source of zinc,” Doebrich says. “Zinc is needed for hair growth and tissue repair.”

One cup of oysters contains 97.5 milligrams of zinc and also loaded with protein — 14.2 grams per cup. 

On the other hand, some foods are better enjoyed occasionally, including ultra-processed and fried foods, sugary treats and beverages, and alcohol. These foods have been linked to issues like hair loss, skin aging, skin dehydration and atopic dermatitis.

Alcohol

 “Alcohol dehydrates you and preoccupies our bodies with filtering it out, thus preventing our bodies from doing their normal day-to-day maintenance, which includes working to sustain our skin and nail health,” Tomaschko says. 

Heavy drinking, defined as more than eight beverages per week, was associated with facial aging signs. These included: 

• ·         under-eye puffiness
• ·         midface volume loss
• ·         increased blood vessel visibility
• ·         upper facial lines

Processed foods

Steering clear of ultra-processed foods may decrease your risk of skin issues. 

“These foods can run the risk of causing inflammation in the body, which would be harmful for our skin and nail health,” Tomaschko says.

A 2021 study of more than 15,000 Chinese adults indicated that processed food intake may increase risk of atopic dermatitis while some studies linked food processing methods like frying and high-fat diets to skin aging.

Ultra-sweetened foods and drinks

Sugary diets can increase skin aging. 

Thus it is best to avoid ultra-processed, sweetened foods. You do not have to nix them all together, but limiting intake can decrease inflammation and skin dehydration, bettering hair, skin and nail health.

Diabetes Myths

 

Globally, diabetes is becoming increasingly prevalent, as are the myths and misconceptions that surround it:

1. Eating sugar causes diabetes

Eating sugar does not directly cause diabetes. However, consuming a sugary diet can lead to overweight and obesity, which are risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

This is a common myth, perhaps understandably — blood sugar levels play an essential role in diabetes. Sugar itself, though, is not a causal factor.

2. Diabetes is not serious

Perhaps because diabetes is so common, some people believe that it is not a serious disease. This is incorrect. There is no cure for diabetes, and there are a host of complications that can occur if a person does not manage the condition well. 

Complications include cardiovascular disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, blindness, skin conditions and hearing impairment. 

In 2018, diabetes was the underlying cause of 84,946 deaths in the U.S. The World Health Organization estimate that diabetes caused the death of 1.6 million people in 2016.

3. Diabetes only affects people with obesity

Overweight and obesity are risk factors for type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes, but the condition can occur in people of any weight. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Diabetes Statistic Report 2020, 11% of people with type 2 diabetes in the U.S. are neither overweight nor obese. 

Type 1 diabetes has no associations with body weight. 

4. Obesity always leads to diabetes

Although obesity increases the risk of diabetes, it does not inevitably lead to the disease. According to the CDC, an estimated 39.8% of adults in the U.S. have obesity, but 13% have diabetes. 

5. People with diabetes cannot eat sugar

People with diabetes certainly do need to manage their diets carefully: monitoring carbohydrate intake is important. However, they can still incorporate treats. 

The American Diabetes Association explain: 

“The key to sweets is to have a very small portion and save them for special occasions.” 

Individuals with diabetes need to carefully plan what and when they will eat to ensure that their blood sugar levels remain balanced. 

A related myth is that people with diabetes need to eat special “diabetes-friendly” foods. However, these products are often more expensive, and some can still raise glucose levels.

6. Diabetes always leads to blindness and amputation

While it is true that diabetes can lead to blindness and amputations in some cases, it is not inevitable. And for individuals who manage their condition carefully, these outcomes are rare. 

The CDC estimate that 11.7% of adults with diabetes have some level of vision impairment. Lower-extremity amputation occurs in around 0.56% of people with diabetes in the U.S. 

Experts have identified several risk factors that increase the likelihood of experiencing diabetes-related complications. These include obesity and overweight, smoking, physical inactivity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. 

7. People with diabetes should not drive

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation: 

“People with diabetes are able to drive unless they are limited by certain complications of diabetes. These include severely low blood glucose levels or vision problems.” 

8. Prediabetes always leads to diabetes

Lifestyle changes can turn the tide. Regular physical activity and a more healthful diet can stop diabetes in its tracks. 

9. People with diabetes cannot be active

Once again, this is untrue. In fact, exercise is an important component in the management of diabetes. Among other things, exercise helps drive weight loss and reduces blood pressure, both of which are risk factors for complications. It can also help the body use insulin better. 

However, exercise can impact blood sugar levels in various ways, sometimes increasing it and, at other times, decreasing it. 

10. You can ‘catch’ diabetes

This is a myth. Pathogens do not cause diabetes, so a person cannot pass it to someone else. Doctors classify it as a noncommunicable disease

Can diet and exercise reverse prediabetes?

 

Diabetes — specifically type 2 diabetes— is becoming one of the most challenging health problems of the 21st century. By 2025, 380 million people worldwide are expected to be diagnosed with diabetes. 

As diabetes is a risk factor for many other diseases and chronic health conditions — cardiovascular disease, renal disease, stroke and blindness to name a few — its management and treatment is ever more crucial. 

Before people go on to develop type 2 diabetes, many people are considered in a precursor stage called prediabetes. Prediabetes is a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not quite high enough to classify as diabetes. If left unchecked, prediabetes can develop into type 2 diabetes. Thus it is a warning sign that an individual is at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. If it goes unmanaged, prediabetes can lead to long-term damage, including to the heart and blood vessels.

Prediabetes usually does not present with symptoms. However, in some cases, people may experience frequent thirst, get up at night to pee, experience sugar spikes, or crashes in energy levels. 

Being overweight or having a high BMI, or having obesity are some of the most well-known risk factors for developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. 

“Also age — the older we get, the more at risk we become. And the reason for this is that, as we age, insulin becomes slightly less effective, and its receptors and the beta cells cannot function quite as well. So, the risk of developing prediabetes and diabetes increases as we get older,” said Dr. Thomas Barber, associate clinical professor at Warwick Medical School and consultant endocrinologist at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire.

Dr. Barber also said that stress and having a diet high in high glycemic foods and sugary drinks can also increase risk. While on the other hand, having a diet rich in fiber and low in simple carbohydrates can prevent the onset of dysglycemia. 

“[If] you’re sedentary and you sit or lie most of the day, and particularly watching TV—which is, I think, the worst activity in terms of sedentariness— that can impact on risk. [B]eing sedentary can worsen the risk of insulin resistance, which is a risk factor for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.”

Other factors to take into account are ethnic origin and genetics.

When there is a strong family history, patients will not necessarily fit the classic phenotype of type 2 diabetes — having obesity, being middle-aged, male and having a large abdomen.

Lifestyle changes to reverse prediabetes

 “We know that intensive lifestyle treatments [w]ith focus on diet, physical activity, weight loss, and so on, can really help in preventing, or at least delaying the onset of type two diabetes,” said Dr. Barber.

Increasing muscle mass via strength training can help with insulin resistance and improve insulin sensitivity. 

Dr. Barber said that the act of exercising and the release of myokines from muscles could mediate cardiometabolic benefits. 

Studies have shown that regular physical activity—and not only the high intensity kind—can help stabilize blood sugar and improve its management. 

“[W]hen we talk about exercise, most people think about going on a treadmill and doing a 5k run, [g]etting in a sweat, which you know, is good exercise, but actually the message should be avoidance of sedentariness,” said Dr. Barber. 

“[W]e know that when you’re standing, you burn more calories; it’s better for health. If you’re walking around, that’s even better,” he said. 

Vegan Diets Aren’t Automatically Healthy

 

With all the buzz about the benefits of eating more plants, it is easy to assume that going vegan automatically means eating well for health. But a new study reveals that sticking to only plant-based foods does not guarantee a reduced risk of conditions like cardiovascular disease or cancer—or even a lower risk of death overall.

Though the researchers did find that a certain type of vegan diet (one low in “unhealthful” foods like sugary drinks, refined grains, potatoes, desserts and fruit juices) was associated with reduced risk of chronic disease and overall mortality, diets with higher levels of these foods appeared to have the opposite effect. The higher the “unhealthful” score of a vegan diet, the more likely its adherents were to experience cardiovascular disease, cancer and death. 

In fact, those with the highest level of unhealthful vegan diets had a 23% higher risk of death from any health-related cause. 

Therefore, just because a food’s ingredients are derived from plants does not mean it is good for you. Oreos and high-voltage energy drinks are famously vegan, for example.

“Consuming ultra-processed foods can contribute to an unhealthy vegan diet,” vegan nutrition expert Haley Bishoff said. 

“Prepackaged foods such as cookies, chips, and even some vegan meat alternatives can be considered ultra-processed foods.” 

“It’s the overconsumption of these highly processed foods, vegan or not, that can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. As cliché as it sounds, balance and moderation are key.” 

“Prioritize eating fiber from fruits, vegetables and unrefined grains. Pay attention to sodium, saturated fat, and the number of ingredients and additives on the nutrition label,” Bonnie Newlin of Crave Nourishment recommended. “Be mindful of adding different colors of fruits and vegetables to your plate. Each color in these plant foods is associated with a slightly different nutritional benefit.” 

Besides containing high amounts of concerning nutrients like saturated fat and sodium, Newlin emphasized that many processed plant-based foods also come with a host of harmful additives. “Many consumers look at the nutrient information and forget to consider the harm that additives may be contributing to their overall health and waistline.”  

According to Newlin, one place to start is by looking for artificial sweeteners, often added to vegan yogurts, fruit desserts and even vegetable blends. “These sweeteners are harmful to the microbiome because they disrupt the balance of good gut bacteria when they are consumed often. They’re commonly listed under names like sucralose, aspartame, saccharin and neotame,” she explained. 

Other popular additives to be cautious of include potassium bromate, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), frequently found in plant-based foods like bread, noodles, cereals and grain snacks. 

These additives are linked to changes in immunity and a higher risk of cancer. By sticking as much as possible to whole foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains, you can avoid these additives. 

A healthy vegan diet includes plenty of whole, minimally processed plant foods. Foods like refined grains and sugar-sweetened beverages, though plant-based, could ultimately contribute to chronic disease.

The best way to identify a vegan food’s healthy status is to read the labels of the foods you are purchasing. “Highly processed plant-based foods are typically very high in sodium, saturated fat, added sugar, additives, and can have an ingredient list a mile long. It’s best to stick with foods that are minimally processed and have ingredients you can pronounce,” Newlin suggested.