Healthy hair, skin and nails.
I am often asked about my skin and hair. Funnily enough not many people know but many years ago I was losing hair by the handful. My body was breaking down and I was medically diagnosed with LUPUS, IBS blah blah blah. I’d love for you to read on….
Hubby would find it in his cooking, all over the floor and it would be all over my clothes. Many people I meet think its normal to be dropping hair but let me tell you it is not.
This topic is very sensitive to me because women in particular think there’s a magic cream, pill or potion you can add daily to give you healthy hair, skin and strong nails. However, this is not the case!
In most cases and in mine personally it all came down to digestion and nutrition.
-What we consume
-How much or little
-Most important how we break it down
-Its absorption
Your hair is approximately 91 percent protein, and is made up of long chains of amino acids. These chains are found within the fibers of the cortex of the hair. The amino acids of these chains are made up of the elements carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulfur (are also the building blocks of the skin and nails) and are joined together by peptide bonds. Long chains of these peptide bonds are called polypeptide chains.
The polypeptide chains are in turn joined by side bonds. There are three types of side bonds: salt bonds, hydrogen bonds, and disulfide bonds. The salt and hydrogen bonds are most prevalent, but are weaker and are broken by heat and moisture. It is the action of salt and hydrogen bonds that allow the use of wet roller sets and curling or flat irons to change the amount of curl in the hair.
You may not think about your nails, unless you just painted them blue or it came time to trim them. But your nails have a job to do. The hard surface of your nails helps to protect the tips of your fingers and toes. And your fingernails make it easier to scratch an itch or remove a crust from your jumper.
Nails themselves are made of protein called keratin. This is the same substance your body uses to create hair and the top layer of your skin. We had fingernails and toenails before we were even born.
Protein is the body’s building block. All of our organs, including the skin, are built from proteins, as are the muscles, hair and nails.
Many hormones are proteins, and, the immune system, digestive system and blood all rely on proteins to work correctly.
Protein is therefore an essential part of our diet, vital to development and correct functioning of the body. Protein is particularly important for children and adolescents – as they grow and develop into adults proteins are used to produce tissue. Protein is also particularly important for pregnant women and even more so to active and physical individuals/athletes where connective tissue break down occurs during training.
If our diets contained no protein then our bodies would start to break down muscles in order to produce the protein it needs – our bodies are good at storing fats and some sugars but not good at storing proteins. It is therefore necessary to continually replace the protein that our bodies use.
The word ‘protein’ refers to a type of molecule in food that can be broken down into amino acids.
The body needs twenty amino acids – as a biological machine it can create (or synthesize) eleven of these itself. However there are nine, called ‘essential amino acids’ that the body cannot create and has to gain through the consumption of food.
These ‘essential amino acids’ are: Tryptophan, Threonine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Valine and Histidine.
When we eat, the body breaks down the protein in food in order to create the amino acids that it needs.
Although most foods contain protein some foods are richer in some of the essential amino acids than others. Usually, therefore, foods need to be combined so that the body receives all the amino acids it needs on a daily basis – part of the reason that a varied, balanced diet and correct supplementation is essential to us.
The point of this blog on hair, skin and nails is to reiterate that the body needs protein. Unfortunately most women (and men) will not eat enough complete proteins such as fish, eggs, white/red meats.
Having undertaken a bio chemistry course of my bloods and working with our supplement company in the formulations and developments of their products over the past few years, I’ve been educated to know how to correct my health with nutrition and added quality supplementation.
I have learned the differences in protein supplements made today by other companies, their quality, clever marketing and how they pull you in to thinking supplementation is the only answer. I used to use some ‘reputable’ brands prior to developing our own and now I know better, what a load of crap they were!
If you have a poor diet then of course an added supplement will make a difference BUT supplementation is to SUPPLEMENT a well established diet for optimum health.
Once my nutrition and supplements added were consistent, my digestive health was working as it should, I managed to reverse my medical diagnosis of LUPUS within 18 months. It has been negative now for 5 years.
I have no digestive issue, my hair is stronger than ever, my nails are fabulous, my external skin is great and most of all my muscle tissue is super strong.
I’ve created my own organic beauty range Geo Wellness Beauty, again due to the hidden truths of our beauty industry and what we’re really putting on our skin.
Additional to this my Geo Wellness personal training business is thriving because I have this experience and knowledge I share with my clients who are achieving improved healthy lifestyle changes.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and please do share it with your friends.
1 Comment.
Great advise.