Vegan Nutrition with Jill Nussinow, MS, RD

Jill Nussinow is a Registered Dietitian, culinary educator, cookbook author, speaker and consultant and all around proponent of a plant-based diet. She teaches vegetarian and vegan cooking at Santa Rosa Junior College in California and other places around the US. She has a son who is almost 15. One of her greatest joys is sharing her enthusiasm for vegetables and pressure cooking with anyone who will listen.

I have two girls. One is two years old and the other is four. They are both raised vegan. I have always been careful with their nutrition, but I noticed that their big toes nails have vertical ridges and are very brittle/ cracking very easily. Is there a mineral or a vitamin missing in their diet?

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I wish that I could give you a definite answer regarding your girls' nail issues. I have been asked nail questions many times.

I have heard that nails sometimes get injured and that causes nail ridges. I have also heard that these same nail ridges are due to vitamin or mineral deficiencies or poor absorption or vitamins or minerals. Without further information on their specific diets, I can't tell you much more. You might try giving them a liquid, and likely more absorbable, vitamin and mineral supplement for a month or two and see if you notice any difference in their nails. If you don't notice any changes in the nails you can choose to seek out a Registered Dietitian who specializes in vegan diets for a consultation, or if the girls' health is otherwise good, you can keep feeding them well, and watch what happens.

Visit Jill's website TheVeggieQueen.com and her blog theveggiequeen.blogspot.com.

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Disclaimer: The advice given here is for eductional purposes only. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.

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