4 BEAUTY PROBLEMS THAT CAN BE FIXED WITH FOOD

You may not be aware, but some beauty problems that you experience can be caused by nutritional deficiencies. This means that eating certain foods can help you to remedy them.

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CRACKED LIPS
Possible causes: Lack of Vitamin B.

Eat more: Foods rich in Vitamin B such as eggs, legumes, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, avocado, mushrooms, beef and chicken.

Meal plan: A Mexican wrap filled with spicy beans, brown lentils, avo and soft boiled eggs.

Tip: Coat lips with a nourishing lip balm or petroleum jelly like Vaseline.

Related article: What your hair can reveal about your health

HAIR LOSS
Possible causes: Hormonal changes, stress, anaemia or scalp conditions.

Eat more: Foods rich in iron, vitamin B and D. For iron try spinach, egg yolks or black beans. Get your vitamin B from eggs, legumes, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, avocado, mushrooms, beef and chicken. We get vitamin D from the sun’s rays as well as from cod liver oil and fish such as tuna and mackerel.

Meal plan: Add bone broth to lentil and bean soup or to beef stews. ‘Bone broth has essential amino acids which are the building blocks needed for great hair, skin and nails,’ says Cape Town- based nutritionist, Nicola Zaina.

Tip: Massage your scalp with castor oil to treat any underlying scalp problems such as dandruff or fungal conditions. Try a treatment like the NativeChild hair growth stimulating castor oil.



SPLITTING NAILS
Possible causes: Poor nutrition. ‘If you see vertical splits on your nails it could be a sign of low stomach acid,’ says Zaina, ‘and this could lead to poor nutrient absorption.’

Eat more: Cucumber and celery. This will help ease digestion and even out low stomach acid levels. Also get a full spectrum of your vitamins and minerals with a multivitamin.

Meal plan: Start your morning with lemon water and follow with a green juice. Grate cucumber, celery and a piece of ginger. Squeeze out the juice through a sieve and it’s ready to drink. Follow the rest of your day with our other suggested meal plans.

Tip: Soak hands and nails in milk and follow with a good hand cream like Vaseline hand lotion.

Related article: How to pick the best nail shape for your hands

ACNE
Possible causes: ‘Acne is a sign that the body is struggling to eliminate waste,’ says Zaina. ‘Ditch fried foods from your diet to assist this process.’ If your acne is hormone related, it might help to reduce foods that negatively affect hormones, such as dairy and soya.

Eat more: Zinc-rich foods such as pumpkin seeds, beef and spinach, and copper-rich foods (sunflower seeds, lentils and beef liver). Zinc reduces inflammation and boosts immunity, and copper aids in skin regeneration. Yellow and orange fruit and veg, dark green leafy veg and legumes are also great for the skin. Also drink plenty of fresh water.

Meal plan: Make your own granola with oats, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Guavas and grapes will give you an extra copper boost. Garlic and chickpeas in your diet will provide extra zinc.

Tip: Try a face mask.

Related article: Back ache: How to get rid of it