These are a few things our family does to be sun smart:
- Avoid going out in the middle of the day when the sun is hottest and enjoy the beach earlier in the morning.
- Enjoy 10-15 minutes of good sunshine before putting on rashies, hats and sunscreen (and usually before midday).
- Cover up with good hats and light, long 100% cotton shirts, rather than using sunscreen when possible.
- We usually use the Soleo or Wotnot sunscreens that can be found at most chemists or natural health stores.
- Enjoy a nutrient-rich diet. As a fair skinned person, I’ve found diet has definitely helped my skin function more efficiently and it seems more protected when it is exposed to the sun.
Kids at school: As vitamin D is so important for kids’ bone and immune health, I use sunscreen only as a necessity. I find out when their lengthy sport days are and if it’s going to be after 10am, then I’ll make sure they put sunscreen on. If not, they don’t go to school with sunscreen on during summer (and they don’t get sunburned).
Question. If many of us are deficient in vitamin D (1 in every 3 Australians), i.e, we aren’t getting a good amount of sunshine or foods rich in vitamin D, then why do we have the highest incidents of skin cancer (commonly thought to be caused by sun exposure)?
If we look at these stats simplistically, surely we should have either higher amounts of vitamin D and high rates of skin cancer? Or alternatively, high rates of vitamin D deficiency and lower rates of skin cancer? But no, both rates are going up side by side.
There are a few other considerations in regard to getting enough vitamin D:
- We need the necessary levels of cholesterol available to absorb the vitamin D we are exposing ourselves to.
- We need enough healthy fats that are necessary to help the absorption of vitamin D.
- Vitamin D is activated by the kidney and liver before it can be used in the body. Having kidney disease or liver damage can greatly impair the bodies ability to activate vitamin D.
We are what we eat, and more importantly, we are what we absorb. Vitamin D is one of our most powerful healing chemicals in our body, and our body makes it absolutely free, IF we have the right environment for it do so.
Resources:
Vitamin D, The “Sunshine: Vitamin https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3356951/
For more detailed information on sunscreens, the sun and skin cancer check out the EWG (Environmental Working Group’s) website
This is a great Vitamin D Guide, presented as an infographic from Mike Adams atwww.naturalnews.com
The information for this article was sourced from Pubmed, Natural News, The Institute for Integrative Nutrition & Sunsmart.
After working as an executive in professional services, Kate Barnes started her global business as a Certified Holistic Health Coach. She has a Bachelor of Science and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business. Kate runs an online program, ‘Our Happy Children‘, a leading education program for deeply nourishing families and building strong immunity, great energy and preventing illness. For more information visit Kate’s website, like her Facebook page for loads of daily inspiration, healthy tips and more recipes and follow her on Instagram: @kate_barnes_health_coaching.
