Monday 13 October 2014

Foods For Hair, Skin & Nail Health

Vegetables and Fruits for hair, skin and nail health
In the news today is research from University College London that eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day is healthier than the five currently recommended and would prolong lives (source: BBC News).

I am a strong advocate of the all-round health benefits of a varied diet of vegetables and fruit, and I am not surprised that researchers have found that in the case of fruit and veg, “more is more”.  Intensive farming methods and long food miles mean that vegetables and fruits often contain far fewer nutrients now compared to 40-50 years ago. For example, iron in watercress is 80% lower, calcium in broccoli is 50% and the same for pineapples; the vitamin C in cauliflower is 40% less and sweet peppers are 30% lower.  So we now need to eat far more of these to achieve the same nutritional intake as previously.

As well as all round health benefits, perhaps you also have a particular concern about healthy hair, skin and nails?  In which case, think about trying to widen your diet and include the following fruit and vegetables regularly:
For Hair, Skin & Nail Health

Naturally found in these Vegetables and Fruit:
Biotin
Swiss Chard, Carrot, Cauliflower, Onion, Strawberries, Raspberries
Zinc
Palm Heart, Sun-dried Tomato, Peas, Sweetcorn
Iodine
Seaweed, Baked Potato Skin, Prune, Bananas
Riboflavin (B2)
Mushroom, Spinach, Asparagus
Niacin (B3)
Avocado, Pea, Sweet Potatoe, Parsnips
Vitamin C
Bell Pepper, Guava, Kale, Kiwi, Broccoli, Blueberries, Orange
Lycopene
Tomato, Papaya, Watermelon, Pink Grapefruit
Copper
Dried Apricot, Currant, Raisins
Selenium
Brazil Nut, Cashew, Mushrooms
Vitamin E
Spinach, Kale, Avocado, Butternut Squash, Pumpkin
Vitamin D
Mushroom (with a little fat)
Folic Acid (B9)
Pak Choi, Savoy Cabbage, Lettuce, Pomegranate, Kiwi, Orange
Magnesium
Kale, Swiss Chard, Banana, Dried Dates, Dried Figs
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)
Raw: Onion, Bell Peppers, Radish, Spinach
Co Q10
Spinach, Broccoli, Cauliflower,
Essential Fatty Acids
Seaweed, Winter Squash, Honeydew Melon,  Kale, Mango, Kumquat

Vegetables and Fruits 7 a dayVitamin B12 is also important but is not commonly found in fruit and vegetables.  Sources include dairy food, eggs and oily fish.

Personally, I love lots of vegetables in my meals, and fruit is just so easy to add as snack during the day.  What about you – do you get 7-a-day or even 5-a-day – apparently less than a third of us do!

2 comments:

  1. Interesting post Dips. thanks.

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  2. Thanks Phree, I don't struggle to achieve 5-a-day, as I love my veggies and always pack them in, but not sure that hand on heart I could say that I ate 0.5kg of fruit and veg a day (which is roughly the equivalent of 7 portions),

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