SUN – summer is coming – why are we so afraid of the sun? It’s too bad because without it all life on earth would perish. And we need the Vitamin D that is wisely made in our bodies by the action of the sun’s rays on our skin. And Vitamin D prevents cancer; so what gives?
It is a long and involved story, our relationship with the sun and the medical and advertising industries. My take on this is that our undernourishment of necessary nutrients and over abundance of unnecessary additives in our diets and personal care items are where the blame should be laid.
Nature, in her wisdom has given us many tools for living on this great and glorious planet of hers. One tool is the presence of local plant materials that both feed and protect our bodies in our home environments. She also provides plant medicines but that is another book!
In my years of amateur study on oils – I come across so many – I discovered that the tropical oils – the oils that are often saturated and solid at room temperature and grow in the tropics have sun protective properties that have been used by indigenous peoples of those regions for lifetimes. There are a few unsaturated oils, liquid at room temperatures that are also sun protective. Two come to mind, sesame oil which is the oil of India and Ayurvedic practices and Jojoba oil of the Southwest US and Mexico where the natives both ate the nuts and used the oils for cooking and eating.
Growing up in the Hawaiian Islands many years ago I remember that my first “sun lotion” was a mix of coconut oil and cocoa butter – hmmm…it smelled good and we were able to tan well and protect our skin from drying out. Then, as I got a bit older, baby oil (mineral oil and scent) was substituted on the erroneous assumption that tanning was enhanced by this new choice. The result of that experience was not pretty. Going back years later and seeing the skin of those who went to the mineral oil was a primary lesson for me in going natural! Their skin looked like leather, well tanned leather, thick and not pliant, as skin wants to be.
So the message I want to impart is to stay as natural as possible. There is a wealth of lovely oils that can nourish the skin as well as bring some sun protection for the times when you are out in the elements. Shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, mango butter and sesame and jojoba oils – these are the kind of protection and nourishment that your skin will love. And thank you for.
And loose the chemicals that come in commercial sunscreens. They could be causing as many problems as they claim to solve. Love your skin, feed it well and it will love you back and protect you. Have a great summer.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Age Spots - how to get rid of them!
Age spots; we all dread the dark spots that develop on our hands and arms as we age. We don’t have to let them develop - a simple change in diet can fade old spots and will prevent new ones from forming.
I am often asked if I make a cream that will remove the age spots that appear on the face and backs of the hands and arms in women, as they get older. Men get them too but they don’t ask for creams! I wish there were such a cream as it would be so easy to hand over a jar and lucrative too! Age spots are formed on the skin by the foods that we eat and more specifically the oils. They are the result of oxidative damage to the cells in the skin. These damaged cells are also on the inside of the body where we can’t see them and are one of the factors in the aging process. A simple change of cooking techniques and if necessary improved quality of foods will help these darkened areas fade to be almost unnoticeable, a big promise but one that I have witnessed and experienced.
To begin, let’s acknowledge that oils are an important part of the diet and of a healthy functioning body, so it figures that the kinds that are consumed will make a difference in the quality of health that you enjoy. Olive oil, flax oil, fish oils are all part of a good diet but when it comes to cooking foods a saturated oil such as coconut and butter are superior because of that saturation. And, NO, coconut oil and butter will not contribute to heart disease!
Saturated oils are hard at room temperature in temperate climates because they do not have broken bonds that keep the mono and polyunsaturated oils liquid. These broken bonds on the carbon chains of oils are unstable and will attract an oxygen molecule when heated or exposed to strong light. This is the process of oil going rancid, it ‘dries,’ and is called oxidation. This is the source of dark spots in the skin – oxidative damage to the cells – so called age spots! Oxidation is in essence a burning in the body – a ‘fire’ in the cells that results in brown spots in the skin.
So for cooking, coconut oil is superior to the usual omega 6 oils; olive, canola, sunflower, etc. Cooking with saturated oils will protect the cells from oxidative damage from oxygen attaching to a mono or polyunsaturated oil. What about the health benefits of olive, flax, borage and the other healthful oils that we hear about? By all means, eat them as dressings, as dips, at the table but do not use them in cooking where heat and light will break them down and cause damage in the body.
I am often asked if I make a cream that will remove the age spots that appear on the face and backs of the hands and arms in women, as they get older. Men get them too but they don’t ask for creams! I wish there were such a cream as it would be so easy to hand over a jar and lucrative too! Age spots are formed on the skin by the foods that we eat and more specifically the oils. They are the result of oxidative damage to the cells in the skin. These damaged cells are also on the inside of the body where we can’t see them and are one of the factors in the aging process. A simple change of cooking techniques and if necessary improved quality of foods will help these darkened areas fade to be almost unnoticeable, a big promise but one that I have witnessed and experienced.
To begin, let’s acknowledge that oils are an important part of the diet and of a healthy functioning body, so it figures that the kinds that are consumed will make a difference in the quality of health that you enjoy. Olive oil, flax oil, fish oils are all part of a good diet but when it comes to cooking foods a saturated oil such as coconut and butter are superior because of that saturation. And, NO, coconut oil and butter will not contribute to heart disease!
Saturated oils are hard at room temperature in temperate climates because they do not have broken bonds that keep the mono and polyunsaturated oils liquid. These broken bonds on the carbon chains of oils are unstable and will attract an oxygen molecule when heated or exposed to strong light. This is the process of oil going rancid, it ‘dries,’ and is called oxidation. This is the source of dark spots in the skin – oxidative damage to the cells – so called age spots! Oxidation is in essence a burning in the body – a ‘fire’ in the cells that results in brown spots in the skin.
So for cooking, coconut oil is superior to the usual omega 6 oils; olive, canola, sunflower, etc. Cooking with saturated oils will protect the cells from oxidative damage from oxygen attaching to a mono or polyunsaturated oil. What about the health benefits of olive, flax, borage and the other healthful oils that we hear about? By all means, eat them as dressings, as dips, at the table but do not use them in cooking where heat and light will break them down and cause damage in the body.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
