Daily Health Tips

The Worst Diet Mistakes For Hair And Nails March 28, 2013 Subscribe · Forward Bad Hair Or Nails? These Foods Could Be To Blame Just like your skin, your hair and nails are affected by the foods you choose to eat. And we're not talking about the sheen of those lustrous waves or a hangnail. Both hair and nails can become brittle and dry, and hair can thin or fall out without the right range of nutritious picks in your diet. "Both are a barometer of how well (or how poorly) you're feeding the body," says dermatologist Jessica Wu, M.D., author of "Feed Your Face" and skin and beauty expert for Daily Glow, "as well as your overall health." Both hair and nails are made from the same protein, called keratin, so it makes sense that similar diet choices would affect them both, she explains. Of course, a number of other lifestyle choices also play a role, including smoking, she says, since it reduces circulation and may cut down on the amount of biotin in the blood. Biotin, often added to hair and nail products, seems to strengthen both. Less research exists to document the impact of various foods on hair and nail health than to illustrate the role of diet in healthy skin. But there are still a few foods to consider avoiding if you're concerned about brittle nails or thinning hair. Continue reading... 8 Yoga Poses For Beginners A Breakfast High In This Nutrient May Prevent Unhealthy Snacking Later PHOTOS: The CDC's New Graphic Anti-Smoking Ads 'Biggest Loser' Winner Danni On Her 121-Pound Weight Loss: 'Jillian Michaels Kicked My Butt!' The Worst Diet Mistakes For Hair And Nails The Healthiest, Happiest City Is... An Academic Benefit Of Mindfulness 8 Beauty Tips From Grandmas The Worst Diet Mistakes For Hair And Nails The Healthiest, Happiest City Is... 7 Things I Stopped Stressing About ARIANNA HUFFINGTON Disconnect: A New Movie Sounds The Alarm About Our Hyper-Connected Lives In the 1840s, Benjamin Disraeli, still a long way from being prime minister, wanted to wake people up to the plight of the British working class. The alarm he sounded wasn't delivered in a speech, a pamphlet, or an article -- but in a novel, Sybil, published in 1845. Ever since I read Sybil when I was at Cambridge, I've loved thinkers and writers who use storytelling to reach people and get us to act. And so it was that I found myself moderating a panel discussion last week with the director and two cast members of a movie that uses storytelling to wake us up to one of the biggest problems of our modern age: the effect that being "connected" to technology 24/7 is having on our ability to connect with our lives, ourselves, and the people we love. Like so many people, this is something I struggle with on a regular basis. That's why Disconnect struck a nerve. Continue reading... DR. PATRICIA FITZGERALD Is Your Stress Response Stuck In The 'On' Position? The survival instinct designed to give us tools to fight or flee has turned on us. Now that it is on inappropriately, this response can have the opposite effect. Instead of saving our lives, it can contribute to insomnia, depression, panic attacks, and a host of other health concerns. Continue reading... DR. MICHAEL J. BREUS Lack Of Sleep Disrupts Our Genes Understanding more about how sleep affects genetic function holds great promise in illuminating these pathways and could open important new avenues for both treatment and prevention of illness and disease. Continue reading... MICHELLE MAY, M.D. Healthy Lessons From Children I love watching children. They have so many natural behaviors that can teach adults how to love food -- but not too much -- and how to fit physical activity into our day. Here are some of the important lessons we can learn from observing children. Continue reading... ROBERTA GATELY The Physiology Of A Smile It does take effort to smile, to be engaged in your world, in your surroundings, but once you smile, the rewards are endless. Consider the first smile of your day your first and most important workout. Your heart and your mind will be the better for it. Continue reading... Received this from a friend? Sign up for alerts from The Huffington Post here. Unsubscribe here. Huffington Post, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003