Sunscreen Ingredients

The Ingredients in Sunscreen Destroying Your Health

 

I have been using pure coconut oil for my skin before going out int he sun for the last 3 years, while trying to stay covered in shade or clothing if out for an extensive amount of time.  If you feel you need a little extra protection, please view the post by Food Babe below about making a healthier choice!

Your skin is your largest organ.
It covers and protects everything on your body. How you treat it is incredibly important to your health. However, the skin is one of the most unappreciated organs, and one that I used to totally take for granted, slathering products full of toxic chemicals on it day after day. When I look back at all the different potions I’ve tried, I shake my head in disbelief and wish I would have known better. Not only would I not have developed eczema all over my body and face, but I would have looked a million times better growing up.

One of those products that has always caused me issues – is sunscreen. Every time after a beach vacation or going to the pool, I’d end up with a rash on my face or body. I wondered if I’d eaten something that I was allergic to. Little did I know at the time – the culprit was sunscreen.

The unknown long-term consequences of the chemicals in sunscreen are just starting to be revealed and the results are shockingly horrific, going beyond the common skin rash. Here in the United States, the FDA does not regulate cosmetics as rigorously as pharmaceuticals or food – allowing cosmetic companies to get away with using all types of chemical ingredients that are not used and in some cases banned in other countries. Sounds familiar – eh?
Sunscreen is supposed to protect us from harmful UV radiation from the sun, but as more people use sunscreen, the incidence of skin cancer continues to rise. This fact alone has to make you think – do sunscreens really provide skin cancer protection? Or could the chemicals in them actually be contributing to causing skin cancer?
It gets complicated trying to answer those questions. Some studies have shown that sunscreens do in fact protect us from some types of less threatening forms of skin cancers, but others have found that sunscreens have actually contributed to the risk of some of the worst forms of skin cancers.
So what do you do?
I certainly don’t want to look like a wrinkly old hag when I’m older from laying out in the sun too long without protection – but I also don’t want to increase my cancer risk by using products that could be harmful. Anti-aging is important to me and that’s why I live the way I do – not only do I want to look my best when I’m older, I want to feel my best too.

There are over 1800 products on the market to choose from, making it incredibly confusing and difficult to pick the best and safest brand. Here’s what you need to watch out for:

• Oxybenzone - this is a hormone disrupting chemical which penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream. It is the most popular ingredient in chemical based sunscreens and only blocks UVB ray (sun’s good rays that provide vitamin D production), not UVA which are the most free radical damaging rays.  Avoid any sunscreen that has this chemical at all costs, especially for children.
• Vitamin A (Retinyl Palmitate) – A 2009 study by U.S. government scientists released by the National Toxicology Program found when this is applied to the skin in the presence of sunlight, it may speed the development of skin tumors and lesions.
• Fragrance – Sure it may make the product smell nice, but this is a petroleum based product that is linked to organ toxicity and allergies.
• High SPF – The FDA does not regulate SPF higher than 50 and there’s no scientific proof they work better than lower SPF. Many of the higher SPFs do not provide any additional protection and studies have suggested that users are exposed to as many or more ultraviolet rays as those who use lower-SPF products.
• Sprays or Powders – Generally speaking, sprays and powders have additional chemicals added to them for performance purposes. These additional chemicals are usually not something you want to be spraying on your body and can be toxic to the lungs. Besides, remember sunscreen is formulated for your skin, not your lungs. Many of the side effects of sprays and powders on the lungs are not tested before being approved.
• Popular Conventional Brands - Aveeno, Banana Boat, Coppertone Sport, Coppertone Water Babies, Bull Frog, Neutragena, Storebrands (CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens), Hawaiian Tropic and many other popular brands are rated the worst in terms of safety in the Environmental Working Group’s Sunscreen Guide. You can use this guide to find out how good or bad the brand you have or want to buy is rated.

How To Choose A Safe Sunscreen:

• Look for titanium dioxide and zinc oxide based mineral sunscreens, which do not penetrate the skin and provide UVA protection against the sun’s most damaging rays.
• Choose non-nano products that do not have small particles that can absorb into skin
• Choose sunscreens that are unscented or use essential oils as fragrance
• Pick lotion based sunscreens with water resistance
• Pick broad spectrum sunscreens that protect against UVA and UVB rays
• Choose sunscreen products that are rated 0-2 in the Environmental Working Group’s Sunscreen Guide.

Below are my favorite sunscreen brands that are rated between 0-2 for their entire line of sun care products and are the safest available. I’ve included the links on where to find these brands online if you can’t find them in stores near you – but most natural food stores and vitamin shops will have one of these options available. 

• Badger - Certified organic, several different SPFs and option for kids, babies and active people, unscented available
• Aubrey Organics - SPF 26-45 available, unscented available
• California Baby (Target carries this brand) – Formulated for sensitive skin, SPF 18-30
• John Masters Organics - SPF 30, only one option available
• The Honest Company (Online only) – SPF 30, only one option available
• Seventh Generation - SPF 30, only one option available

*Note – Alba and Kiss My Face are two other brands that are safer than most conventional brands. However, you must only choose their mineral based products – for example Alba’s Mineral SPF 30 Unscented and Kiss My Face’s Mineral Lotion SPF 40 are great choices – but other versions in the same brand category may not be as safe.

When it comes to being in the sun, I’m lucky. I tan, don’t burn and don’t completely freak out if I forgot my sunblock – however, because of my olive complexion I have to stay in the sun longer in order to get sufficient Vitamin D. (The lighter your skin color, the faster your absorption of Vitamin D). I wear sunblock at the pool, at the beach and when I’m outdoors for extended periods, but I’ve decided not to wear it everyday.

Using as little as 15 SPF blocks your body’s ability to convert the sun’s rays to Vitamin D by 99%. If you want to increase your chances of avoiding diseases linked to deficiencies in Vitamin D (cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and depression) – you must get sunshine! The sun’s rays are pure wonderful energy your body needs.

Before I go – I want to mention this important fact. The biggest immediate benefit of getting sun a few times a week is the reduction of cravings. When Vitamin D levels are low, the hormone that controls appetite stops working. You eat and eat and eat, and never feel full when this happens. The sun contributes significantly to the daily production of Vitamin D, and as little as 10 minutes of exposure a few times a week is enough to help prevent deficiencies. Vitamin D also helps boost serotonin levels, your happy hormone, warding off depression which naturally reduces cravings. For me, this is reason enough to let the sun shine in!

If you know someone that might still be buying sunscreen with shady ingredients, please share this post with them, you could have a serious impact on their livelihood!

Thank you for spreading the word to the ones you love.
Food Babe

Earthing Sheets

How To Make Your Own Earthing Sheet

Earthing Sheets Connect Us to the Schumann Resonance of The Earth

by Michael at Earthrunners

In 2007, a team of researchers from the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health ran a study and concluded the following, “The nature of the electromagnetic environments that most humans are now regularly exposed to has changed dramatically over the past century and often bears little resemblance to those created in Nature”.  “In particular, the increased masking/shielding/insulation of individuals from beneficial types of natural electromagnetic phenomena, the presence of synthetic materials that can gain strong charge and increase exposures to inappropriate electric field levels and polarities have greatly altered the electromagnetic nature of the microenvironments many individuals usually occupy.” 

  

Here’s the problem. Living indoors disconnects us from our natural electric state & hinders our bodies ability to tell time.

Living the majority of our lives indoors exposed to high-frequency-man-made electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) reaps havoc on our biology when disconnected from the natural low frequency EMF’s found on the Earth’s surface. These foreign frequencies interfere with our internal clock’s ability to tell time and coordinate nanoscopic biochemical reactions that are crucial for optimal health. Most people believe that the circadian clock of the brain is controlled exclusively by the light and dark cycles but this is not the case. There are magnetic cells in our suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus that coordinate with the electromagnetic resonance of the Earth and its ionosphere. The electrical exchange between the earth and the ionosphere are constantly excited by lightning discharges, creating a global electromagnetic resonance called the Schumann resonance frequency.

As life has evolved here on Earth it not only paid attention to the light and dark cycle, but it ingrained the frequency of the Schumann resonance into our biology. The brain uses this natural resonance along with light and dark to tell time. The master controller of all life is time, and when our internal timing is off, a myriad of missed biochemical reactions result in inflammation.  

When we address the current health of the developing world, inflammation stands as the central health issue of our time. If we consider the fundamental changes in our lifestyle over the past century, what seems to have been over looked is our electrical connection to the Earth. All life has lived grounded electrically to the Earth at every point in life’s history, up until modern times. This electrical disconnect from the harmonizing rhythms of the Earth seems to have affected our bodies ability to accurately tell time. Alpha brain waves known for their synchronous electrical activity throughout our nervous system, resonate at the same frequency as the Schumann resonance. This implies that our nervous system uses the Schumann resonance as a fixed reference point to help tell time and normalize the biological rhythms of the body.

Going barefoot connects us to the harmonizing rhythms of the Schumann resonance.

When we go barefoot at the beach or swim in the ocean we share the same electrical potential as the earth and therefore submerge ourselves in the harmonizing rhythms of the Schumann resonance. These experiences reveal the peace and clarity these types of earthing practices bring into our life.  Not to say there are not many other factors at play in this given scenario, but it’s hard to ignore some fundamental factor contributing here.

Earthing Sheets simulate the effect of sleeping in direct contact with the Earth.

As an engineer myself, I decided to run my own experiment to test the effects of earthing while eliminating as many of these variables as possible.  I created an earthing sheet made of locally available goods and planned to sleep grounded as I had read about in the book Earthing, by Clinton Ober. This would simulate the effect of sleeping in direct contact with the Earth, while still being in the comfort of my own bed. I attempted to replicate the protocol used in the earthing studies I had read. I did this by creating as much surface area between me and my earthing sheet as possible, and also made sure to connect my sheet directly to a stake in the ground out my window.  I created a video showing how I made my earthing sheet, in hopes that others can run the same experiment and experience the same remarkable results that I did!

Listen to the neurosurgeon.

For further reading on how Earthing can help normalize your circadian cycle and avoid the harmful effects of high-frequency-man-made EMF, check out EMF 1: Does Your Rolex Work? by Jack Kruse. Jack is a practicing neurosurgeon and optimal heath coach who has taken the paleo community by storm in the past few years. He has been sharing his tried and true methods he and his patients have been practicing for the past 6 years with remarkable results.

Vibram KSO EVO

Vibram KSO EVO Women's Running Shoe 

Built on a platform that offers the best ground feedback in our line, the KSO EVO is one of three shoes that round out our newest category: Max - Feel. A reinforced upper and speed lace allows for easy entry and a snug fit while the zig-zag patterned sole provides grip and added flexibility in all directions. Feel more underfoot with more versatility.  

Materials:
Upper Material: Polyester Mesh - Machine Wash Cold/Air Dry
Max Sole Thickness: 4.7mm
Insole: 2mm EVA + Anti Microbial Drilex Sockliner
Weight: Women's size 39 - 3.5oz.

 They're super comfortable and very flexible.  Like most of the Vibram shoes I have, these are a size 39. I am a sneakers shoe size of 7.5-8 US size.

Vibram Alitza

The protégé of the Entrada, the Alitza offers the same simplistic FiveFingers experience with a fashionable look.  The additional straps aid in functionality and design.
The Alitza are a lot of women's favorite Vibram style because their style is different and cute, as a light every day pair. They are also extremely comfortable.

Popular uses for Alitza
Fitness
Casual

Materials:
UPPER - Polyester Mesh
MAX SOLE THICKNES: 3.5mm
COMPOUND: TC-1 Performance Rubber
INSOLE - 2MM EVA + Anti Microbial Drilex Sockliner
Machine Wash Cold/Air Dry

Weight:
Women's size 38 - 3.39oz. each, 6.78oz./pair

 

Greenhouse 4/15/14

 4/15/14 - Updated greenhouse...

4/15/14 -  New set up...lettuce has always grown with window light alone, but had an extra light to end it this year

 4/15/14 - lettuce

 4/15/14 - Tomatoes getting bigger...one is taking off...loves the natural sun!

 4/15/14 - Transplanted the 2 Black Beauty Zucchini into bigger pots

 4/15/14 - Side view of greenhouse...today was Aloe Vera watering day, once every week or 2

 4/15/14 - If you look closely on the right side in the black starter pots you'll notice I misjudged where I planted the seeds and one row has very evenly planted 2 sprouts coming up while one row is empty! That's what I get for trying to entertain a four year old while planting:p

 4/15/14 - Transplanted the 10 Swiss Chard plants that really needed it...they look pretty sad right now, but will perk up! They dried out way too quickly in their little germination nests.  I also made the terrible mistake of plucking out the double or triple sprouts when they germinated, mistakingly thinking I planted more than one seed, until I recalled I only planted one each, and that they grow multiple stalks! So, thankfully I recalled that before getting all of them, but most of them only have one growing stalk. 

 4/15/14 - Planted some cilantro seeds....3 x 12 seeds in this bottom watering container.

Pasta with Fresh Tomato & yum yum Sauce

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) quinoa pasta
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup yum yum sauce (Japanese white sauce)
finely chopped fresh basil
1 red onion
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Red cooking wine 

Yum Yum sauce recipe here

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place the quinoa pasta in the pot, cook 6-10 minutes, until al dente, drain and rince.
2. In a large pan heat up the oil and stir in the garlic, red onions and the whites of the green onions.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper, and stir in for a couple minutes. 
4. Toss the cooked pasta in pan and mix in the yum yum sauce, nutritional yeast, green onions and a dash of cooking red wine, stir in. 
5. Turn off heat and top with basil. It's ready so serve!

 All ingredients

 Quinoa pasta - ingredients - Non-gmo corn flour, and organic quinoa flour

 Boil water - add oil and boil noodles for 6-10 minutes until al dente 

chop ingredients

 saute onions

 add in tomatoes, salt and peooer, and cook for a few minutes

 add in cooked pasta

 top with nutritional yeast and green onions and stir in

 stir in the yum yum sauce, give it a dash of cooking red wine

 Top with chopped basil and it's ready to serve!

 I paired it with some steamed and sauted in garlic asparagus

 Enjoy!

April Conscious Box - Gluten-Free

April Conscious Box 2014 - Gluten-Free

How Does Conscious Box work?

Conscious Box is the best way to discover the most ethical and sustainable products on the planet! Focusing on strict tenets of organic, fair trade, and pure and natural products, each month Conscious Box will introduce you to healthy and honest alternatives for every aspect of your life and for every member of your family. Discover the best natural products, earn points for leaving feedback and reviews, and buy your favorites at incredible discounts!

• Get a variety of unique pure & natural products every month!
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Scheckter's Organic Lite Energy Drink

Derma E Evenly Radiant Trifecta

IPS Egg White Chips Sea Salt & Black Pepper

This Bar Saves Lives

Spatone PurAbsorb Iron

Bach Rescue Pearls

Pata Foods Amara Freeze Dried Fruit

Egyptian Magic Skin Cream