Brittle and soft fingernails. If your fingernails are brittle, bend back, chip and break easily it can be a sign that your digestive system is not functional optimally or that you are not providing your body with enough minerals, protein or essential fatty acids aka you are not consuming enough nutrient dense food.
To make your nails stronger you will need to improve your food choices and support your digestive system.
To increase the amount of nutrients you are consuming look to eat real unprocessed foods. Processed food have generally been stripped of there nutrients to help extend the shelf life of the “food”. Foods to include: vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds...spinach, onions, pumpkin seeds, black-eyed beans, green peas, lentils, oatmeal, brown rice, broccoli, meat, eggs, fruit, sesame seeds, asparagus, quinoa, beans, garlic... you get the idea. Eat real food.
Digestive function:Why is HCL so important for Digestion?
Brittle nails is a sign that the body is suffering from malabsorption (if the above foods are being eaten) and that your stomach acid (HCl) is not present in high enough amounts to assimilate and absorb the foods you are consuming.
What is HCI?
It is Hydrochloric Acid also known as stomach acid. This acid is found in your stomach, if by some means this acid escaped from your stomach and landed on your hand, it would burn straight through your skin and muscle to your bone. That is how corrosive it is.
What does HCI do in the body?
HCL plays a role in defence, due to its high acidity it kills of bacteria and viruses that should not go any further than the stomach.
Activates enzymes (pepsin) to start the breakdown of protein and it breaks apart minerals from protein for mineral absorption.
Stimulates the intestines to contractions and relax forcing food through the intestines and eventually out of the body (peristalsis).
In the small intestine the presence of HCL coming from the food (chyme) stimulates the release of pancreatic juices. If HCL is low digestion is hampered further on down the system.
If your stomach is not producing enough stomach acid, you run the risk of:
Mineral deficiencies
Protein deficiencies
Bacteria/viruses passing along the digestive system
Lack of contracts in the intestines leading to constipation
Not enough pancreatic juices being released which will hamper the amount of nutrients absorbed in the small intestines - which could lead to deficiencies again.
How to increase HCI:
Prepare and cook your own foods.
Eat bitter foods prior to eating a meal.
Chew your food
Eat in a relaxed state.
Eat zinc containing foods.
Email me (info@juliepiperroche.com) to learn how to test if you have low HCl
Digestive enzyme supplement.
