Maintaining healthy natural Nails is not as complicated as many may think. As with hair, Nails are usually their healthiest in their natural state, requiring a bit of Nail polish for protection and regular applications of hand cream as a moisturizer.
In fact, many argue that using natural Nail strengtheners, which chemically cross link the Nail plate, is actually a bad idea. Although they do make Nails more rigid, they also make them less flexible and thus more prone to breaking on impact. It is actually more important that Nails are kept flexible and moisturized.

Frequent Nail splitting can also indicate dehydration. In such cases drink more fluids and use an oil designed to penetrate the Nailplate. Then follow up with a moisturizing cream.

Several coats of Nail hardener will help minimize chipping and peeling of the Nail enamel. The trick is to find something that protects AND moisturizes. Nail hardeners with nylon fibers are also very affective. (This will be discussed in the Product Top Picks area.)

By the way, regular use of Nail polish can cause a yellowing discoloration of the Nails. This is not considered damaging, but is useful to keep in mind if you prefer the “natural look” but use color occasionally.

Never clip Nails to shorten them.

Use an emery board to file Nails down to size.
Apply a top coat almost daily to help protect the tips.
Use Nail polish remover as infrequently as possible – especially those containing acetone.

Most Nail polish removers will dry Nails out.

Many specialists suggest using Nail polish remover no more than once a week.
Apply a hand cream or lotion after washing hands since soaps tend to cause Nails and skin to become very dry.

Cuticles should remain moisturized with Vaseline or a moisturizer such as Moisturel or Aquaphor. (Tip: Apply moisturizer before going to sleep each night.)
Never peel or scrape off Nail polish or use metal instruments on the Nail surface to push back the cuticles.

This can scrape off the protective cells of the Nail surface.
Break the habit of Nail biting – it is very destructive to both the Nail and the cuticle and can lead to infections that can actually deform the Nail.

An excellent time to do your manicure is after a shower, bath or the dishes. These activities will remove dirt from under the Nails as well as soften dry Nails.

The cuticle protects the Nail root from bacteria. Instead of cutting the cuticle, push it back gently with a rosewood stick or rubber-tipped cuticle-pusher.

However, should the cuticle be hard and dry and sticking up, slightly trimming it is justifiable, but never remove the whole thing. Strong cuticle growth can be controlled with a cuticle softener or cuticle remover liquid.

Keep your Nails out of your mouth! Biting Nails can damage the Nail and the cuticle leading to a deformed Nail shape or uneven Nailgrowth. You can also transfer harmful organisms to the Nail that lead to infection or even increase one’s chance of catching a cold or flu.

Think about a leftover bowl of a chicken casserole and what happens when you squirt one bit of detergent on that. Now consider what that’s doing to the natural oils in your hands and the natural oils in the fingerNails which is the only part holding the finger Nails together. It’s totally destructive!

The cuticle is a natural seal where the skin bonds with the Nail. If you open a cuticle up, you allow bacteria to have access straight into the blood system.

Cuticles should be removed with cuticle removing solution. Also, every time your hands are in the bath for a long time, rubbing the cuticle and moving it back removes the dead cells. They must be very soft to do that and be in the water for 15 minutes.

Fast drying Nail polishes today have a high percentage isopropyl alcohol (IPA). This tends to make Nails dry and crumble. Once the polish dries up it become brittle, flaky and begins to chip off. A Nail polish that bonds really well is also the type that takes a while to dry. So it’s a trade-off.

People tend to point their fingerNails when they’re filing, which leads to filing away the sides of the Nail. Because the sides is what gives the fingerNail strength, pointed Nails will tend to give you splits in the sides. Pointed Nails break much easier. They should grow until there is at least an eighth of an inch of free edge before you start to point them. People started to wear their Nails square (particularly in the USA) out of necessity because they needed the side wall of the Nail to give it strength.

Every thing you touch is an emery board. If you have the slightest snag on the ends of your Nails, it will cause your Nails to rip. Every time you touch something, fingerNails bend. FingerNails are meant to bend but every time you do, that snag will open up more and eventually turn into a split. How do you avoid this calamity? Use a very gentle file, never a metal file.

Use a thick hand cream, smother your hands in it, wear cotton gloves, then rubber gloves and then do the washing up. The heat will melt the cream, releasing the natural oils and in two weeks even the roughest hands will look like a baby’s bum. The transformation is amazing.

The first trimester is the first third of the pregnancy, and is therefore about 3 months long. During this period, the fertilized egg goes from being a bunch of unrecognized cells to a growing baby. The fetus develops the brain, lungs and heart during this period and also changes into a recognizable shape. It is therefore important to have a good diet during this period.

Ideally, a woman should try and maintain a healthy diet even before conception. If the woman’s body is healthy and being fed well, it is likely that her baby will be healthy and well fed as well.

Studies have shown that overweight and underweight mothers are more likely to suffer from complications and birth defects than those who have a moderate weight. One should follow a healthy diet which is rich in fruits and vegetables with plenty of vitamins and minerals before attempting to get pregnant. One should also be properly hydrated and ideally not excessively overweight or underweight.

Before conception, you should have as healthy a diet as possible. Junk foods, processed foods, extra sugar and trans-fats should be strictly avoided. You should try to eat more fruits and vegetable, whole grains, lean proteins, dairy and healthy fats.

Healthy fats are often ignored as fat is given a bad reputation. Healthy fats help you store up energy and are vital for the maintenance of your body. More on diet during first trimester

Once you are pregnant you may suffer from morning sickness issues.

This makes it difficult to eat properly and you may suffer from nausea when you smell certain types of foods. During this period, try and eat small meals so that you do not throw up and regularly drink water and get fresh air. The kind of food that does not trigger a vomiting response differs from woman to woman. Some women prefer extremely light food during this period and stick to fruits and cereals. Prior to pregnancy you may visit your doctor to get yourself checked out and make sure your vital signs are within the acceptable range. Vitamin supplements that include folic acid should be taken to ensure the good health of your future child. Some natural sources exist which can supply the body with folic acid. Many grains contain moderate amounts of folic acid. 

During your first trimester, try not to eat too much food. Your body will be able to tell you when it is hungry and you should not have excessively large meals at any time as these are more difficult to digest. 

Pregnancy is a wonderful time in a woman’s life. However, it is very important that an expectant mother watches what she eats. After all, a well balanced diet affects both the mother and the developing child.

Some foods contain bacteria that might harm the mother or worse the developing fetus and could also result in a miscarriage.

Given below is a list of foods should be stayed away from during pregnancy.

• Raw shellfish: Pregnant women should avoid this as it can cause many sea borne diseases.
• Swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, and shark all contain high levels of mercury.
Too much mercury can result in brain damage to the fetus.
• Raw meat should be strictly avoided. This includes poultry, seafood, sushi, rare of uncooked beef. The bacteria present (coliform bacteria, toxoplasmosis, and salmonella) can harm the baby.
• Raw or undercooked eggs should be avoided for the same reason. Also beware of food made at home that may contain raw egg, for instance chocolate mousse or ice cream or custard.
• Soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, Camambert, Gorgonzola or blue cheese contain harmful bacteria as do others like queso blanco and queso fresco.
• Limit your intake of liver and liver products (sausages or pate) as it contains large amounts of the retinol form of Vitamin A which are harmful to the growing baby.
• It is best to steer clear of alcohol altogether. Alcohol can cause severe learning and physical disabilities as well as emotional problems for children whose mothers consumed alcohol when pregnant.
• Caffeine should also be avoided as studies have shown a connection between this and miscarriages and premature birth too.
• Deli meats such as hot dogs contain the listeria bacteria which could cause stillbirths or miscarriages. Smoked seafood (especially refrigerated) and meat spreads should be avoided for the same reason too.
• Ensure that the vegetables you eat are washed thoroughly before you eat them.
They might be exposed to toxoplasmosis which is a parasitic disease which affects the soil where the vegetables grow. 

• Steer clear of salmon, bluefish, striped bass, trout, walleye and pike. These are fish that have been exposed to industrial pollutants which are harmful for health.
• Unpasteurized milk contains listeria. Ensure that the milk you drink is pasteurized.
• Any kind of pate -fish, meat or vegetable should be avoided.

Keep the above foods in mind while planning your diet in pregnancy.

Two examples of a balanced eating pattern are the USDA Food Guide at MyPyramid.gov and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH Diet).

Both eating patterns emphasize fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as well as low or no-fat dairy products, and lean animal proteins. Fish is recommended at least two times per week, beans, nuts and seeds are encouraged, and unsaturated fats are always the fats of choice - like olive oil.

Your balanced diet must be planned at your own calorie level, and portion size is key. You want to get the most nutrients for the calories by choosing food with a high-nutrient density. Nutrient-dense foods provide substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals and relatively few calories, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meat and fish, and whole grains and beans. Low-nutrient dense foods have few vitamins but lots of calories, such as candy bars, soda, donuts and onion rings.

A high nutrient-dense lunch would look something like this:

A low nutrient-dense lunch would look something like this:

What really matters, though, is knowing yourself. You need to make responsible eating choices within the context of your preferences and lifestyle. What are your goals? Which food groups do you like to eat? Which food groups are missing? Do you eat too much sugar, salt and fried food? Which foods are the contributors and what foods can you eat instead? The locus of control rests within you to design the best eating plan for you. Eating healthy takes planning and practice. Keep your balance.

Nutrition guidelines recommend eating a wide variety of foods. But, there's a school of thought that eating variety of foods leads to overeating. There's "the tendency to stay hungry longer and eat more food when flavors are diverse and keep changing", according to Dr. David Katz, who maintains that we "fill up on fewer calories when flavor variety is controlled". You've seen this principle in action when you come home with a load of groceries. Don't you want to sample the wide variety of tasty foods?