My nails used to peel easily, chip, and were always so weak. I was never able to really grow my nails long as a teenager since they would just break easily and peel off. It was a true teenage frustration! These days, my nails are stronger and grow so fast it’s become a bit of a nuisance keeping up with the maintenance. Ha! Can never win!

Why do I bring my nail woes into this post? Did you know that fingernails can be an indicator of your gut health? I didn’t know this when I was 16, but when our gut is out of whack and our nails are brittle, weak, peel, and chip easily, it is a sign of our stomach having low stomach acid.

I know we have often been told that too much stomach acid is the cause of indigestion and acid reflux, but did you know that most of the time we have these symptoms because our stomach acid is TOO LOW?! Hypochlorhydria, or low stomach acid, can be the root cause to weak fingernails! Why? Because if we are not properly breaking down our food through proper digestion, we are not able to absorb protein, trace minerals, and fatty acids needed for strong fingernails! When our digestion is not working optimally, we cannot breakdown our food to properly absorb and utilize the structural molecules for strong, healthy nails!

Intrigued by how seemingly benign signs and symptoms are related to your greater health? Let’s discover your best health together!

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Magnesium deficiency is a pretty common problem among my clients when they first start seeing me. Between eating a standard American diet, living with chronic stress, and drinking caffeinated beverages, our magnesium is quickly depleted. Another common cause of magnesium deficiency is that the standard American diet puts a heavy emphasis on calcium. While we need calcium, many of us consume more calcium than magnesium throwing our minerals off balance.

There are five signs of magnesium deficiency that I have found to be surprising:

Craving Chocolate*
Being Ticklish
Insomnia and/or Restless Leg Syndrome
Being Agoraphobic or Dislike Being in Crowds
Strong Foot Odor*

*Craving chocolate could also indicate blood sugar dysregulation issues and may need adrenal support. Strong foot odor could also indicate a need for liver and gallbladder support.

Do you suffer from any of these symptoms?

Some great food sources of magnesium are beet greens, spinach, lentils, black-eyed peas, fish roe, red meat, shrimp, & mollusks.

For a deeper dive into root cause nutritional therapy work, let’s connect and get you started on your journey to health.

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