Healthy Lifestyle Tip ~ Healthy Nails are Indicators of a Healthy You

According to Healthline.com there are 8 vitamins and nutrients that help build healthy nails.

  1. Biotin ~Biotin-rich foods and supplements may help strengthen your brittle fingernails. A few small studies support biotin supplement use to that effect.One study in 35 people with brittle fingernails found that 2.5 mg of biotin per day for six weeks to seven months improved symptoms in 63% of participants. Biotin is most concentrated in organ meats such as liver, but can also be found in egg yolk, dairy products, yeast, salmon, avocado, sweet potato, nuts, seeds and even cauliflower.
  2. Other B Vitamins ~ Other B vitamins are also important for nail health. Vitamin B12 plays a role in iron absorption, as well as the development of red blood cells. Both iron and B12 are necessary for keeping nails strong and healthy. A deficiency in vitamin B12 can result in entirely blue nails, bluish-black pigments with wavy longitudinal dark streaks and brownish pigmentation (5Trusted Source6Trusted Source). Likewise, folate, or vitamin B9, is important for nail growth and health by contributing to red blood cell formation and the development of new cells.
  3. Iron ~ Iron composes the center of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to your organs and every cell in your body — including your nails. Your body absorbs the iron found in animal foods, such as beef, chicken, fish and eggs, better than that in plant foods like dark green leafy vegetables, peanuts, seeds, beans and other fortified food. However, eating a food rich in vitamin C together with a plant-based iron food source improves absorption. For example, eating oranges and strawberries alongside a spinach salad with beans and seeds improves your iron absorption.
  4. Magnesium ~ Magnesium is a mineral involved in over 300 reactions in your body, including protein synthesis, which is required for nail growth. Whole grains, specifically whole wheat, are a rich source of magnesium. Dark green leafy vegetables, as well as quinoa, almonds, cashews, peanuts, edamame and black beans, are good sources, too.
  5. Protein ~ Nails are primarily made of a fibrous structural protein called keratin. This is what gives nails their strength and resilience. It also protects your nails from damage or stress. Eating enough protein through your diet is essential for boosting keratin production and thus creating strong nails. Protein can be found in animal foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy, as well as plant foods, such as soy, legumes, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
  6. Omega 3 Fatty Acids ~ Omega-3 fatty acids can help lubricate and moisturize your nails, giving them a shiny appearance. Fatty fish like salmon, trout, mackerel, tuna and sardines top the charts with omega-3s, but they can also be found in walnuts, soy, eggs, chia seeds, flaxseeds and fish and flaxseed oil.
  7. Vitamin C ~ Vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen, a protein that gives shape, strength and integrity to many tissues and is the building block of fingernails, hair and teeth.
  8. Zinc ~ Zinc is required for many reactions in your body, including the growth and division of cells. Nails are made up of a type of cell that grows and divides rapidly. Because of this fast production, a steady supply of zinc is needed to promote the healthy growth of nails. Animal proteins like beef, poultry, fish and eggs are rich sources of zinc. However, soy, chickpeas, black beans, nuts (such as almonds and cashews) and seeds also contain it.

Thinking Out Loud ~ Voting is a Right and Responsibility

One Vote Can Make a Difference

Margaret Atwood in her commencement speech writes, “If enough people show by the issues they raise and by the way they’re willing to vote that they want changes made, then change becomes possible. You may not be able to alter reality, but you can alter your attitude towards it, and this, paradoxically, alters reality.”

Margaret Atwood’s commencement speech is available here.

NOTE: Voting is both a duty and a right in a democracy. When we vote we are saying, “I think that this man or woman will best serve our community or nation.” When we do not carry out our duty and responsibility to vote we leave the choice in the hands of others. We forfeit our great right. One vote doesn’t seem like much; when it is added to the votes of others it can make a great difference. If we commit ourselves to working for candidates we feel will make a positive difference we can alter reality. Things do not have to stay as they are. Things can become better.

Poem for Today ~ The Black Madonna

The Black Madonna

Albert Rice

Not as the white nations
    know thee
        O Mother!

But swarthy of cheek
    and full-lipped as the
        child races are.

Yet thou art she,
    the Immaculate Maid,
        and none other,

Crowned in the stable
    at Bethlehem,
        hailed of the star.

See where they come,
    thy people,
        so humbly appealing,

From the ancient lands
    where the olden faiths
        had birth.

Tired dusky hands
    uplifted for thy
        healing.

Pity them, Mother,
    the untaught
        of earth.

 

Source

Joke of the Day

Joe: “I stopped going to Starbucks. Instead, I make coffee at home.”

Pete: “How’s that working?

Joe: “Same experience. When my coffee’s done, I holler out my name and burn a 5 dollar bill.”

Photo for the Day ~ Little Things Make a Big Difference

Mind Sharpening Anagrams

Today’s Anagram: Ghana Elite Thy

The Solution for today’s anagram will appear in this post tomorrow.

Yesterdays Word Scramble Solution: Weightlifting

 

Feel Good Tip ~ When Good Advice is Not Taken

Have you ever given your best advice to someone you love then watched them ignore it? I have.  Some folks have to learn the hard way. They believe they have all the answers. We create anxiety for ourselves when we give advice to people we know will not listen to us.  It takes effort, but letting go and letting others figure it out for themselves is often best. When we keep our own counsel we relieve our pressure and those who are not listening eventually will learn a hard lesson.

Daily Inspirational Quotes ~ Let Your Sun Shine

“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.”

Anthony J. D’Angelo

Thinking Out Loud ~ Choose to Live

We Always Have a Choice

Today I reflect on Margaret Atwood’s commencement speech at the University of Toronto. Ms. Atwood is a Canadian author, poet, and environmental activist.

Margaret Atwood, in her commencement speech, writes, “When faced with the inevitable, you always have a choice. You may not be able to alter reality, but you can alter your attitude towards it.”

Margaret Atwood’s commencement speech is available here.

NOTE: I am writing this post on August 19th. It is the anniversary day of my wife’s death. She suffered from stage 4 glioblastoma. I knew she was going to die but I held out hope, no matter how small, that she would surprise all of her doctors. When she died I was faced with the inevitable. I had a choice falling into a deep depression or somehow clawing my way through my deep state of grieving and discovering how to live again. Each morning I promised myself that I would prove to my five daughters that I could make it on my own. I wanted it to be strong for them. I knew that someday they too will have to face the same challenge. Holding on to that meaning got me through. When faced with the inevitable, where you can’t change reality, choose to live.

Word Jumble Challenge: Unscramble the Nutrition and Fitness Word

Today’s Word: gtwiflitneig

Yesterday’s Word: Cauliflower

The Answer to Today’s Word will appear in tomorrow’s Word Jumble Challenge

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