Your Guide to Safe Sun Exposure
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Friend or foe? Is natural sunlight really beneficial and how can we use it as a tool for our health?
As the warm weather is fast approaching (or already here for some of us!), it’s time to start pulling out the tank tops, swimsuits and sandals. But clothes aren’t the only thing we should be prepping for summer… it’s time to start also prepping your body. And no, I’m not talking about a “summer body,” (which there is no such thing as a summer body), I’m talking about preparing for safe sun exposure.
Benefits of natural sunlight
I think we all have some form of understanding that the sun is great for providing us with rich vitamin D, but it also has a lot of other amazing benefits:
Helps improve immunity
Better bone density
Improves skin conditions
Helps to regulate our circadian rhythm by improving melatonin production
Improves mood and anxiety
Can produce better outcomes for chronic diseases
Shown to improve hormone balance and production
Improves metabolic function on a cellular level
Reduces cancer risk
Improves blood pressure
In the last decade, studies have actually been showing that insufficient sun exposure has been linked to the increase of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, type 1 diabetes, autism, hypertension and metabolic syndrome. And isn’t it interesting that since sunscreen use has increased, so have the cases of skin cancer? Conventional sunblock clearly hasn't solved the melanoma issue, so to what do we owe this drastic increase we’re seeing in skin cancer?
Diet
Poor sunscreen ingredients - a lot of big brand sunscreen options are full of petchems that are not only endocrine disruptors but are also highly reactive to sunlight which produces harmful free radicals in the body that can lead to cancer.
Stress levels
Genetic inheritance
Metabolic health
Our goal should be to know how to use natural sunlight as a tool for our health rather than something to fear. So how do we practice safe sun exposure without slathering on toxic sunscreen?
How to practice safe sun exposure
Eat your sunscreen: and no, I’m not talking about literally eating a bottle of sunscreen. I’m talking about eating foods that are rich in antioxidants and prioritizing a diet that is anti-inflammatory to make sure the body has the appropriate building blocks for healthy skin. Prioritizing healthy, saturated and monounsaturated fats while avoiding highly processed Omega-6 oils like vegetable, canola, sunflower, grapeseed, peanut, etc.
Choose a hat over sunglasses: while sunglasses have become quite the norm, they can actually increase your chances of skin cancer. When you put on sunglasses, you are filtering out certain rays of sun that are supposed to be entering your optic nerves. It’s necessary for the body to receive that light to communicate with your brain to produce a hormone called melanin which helps to protect the skin from UV rays. When we wear sunglasses, it tricks our body into thinking it’s night and doesn’t produce enough melanin to protect the skin. So take off those sunglasses and let the natural light in!
Start with lots of morning and evening sunlight: UV rays are harshest between 10 am and late afternoon. Your body will not immediately be able to handle lots of sun exposure right off the bat. It’s best to train your body into it so that it can get used to the natural light. Starting with morning and evening sunlight is best because it isn’t as harsh. You will find that the more time you spend in the sun, the longer you can be in direct sunlight without experiencing a burn.
Don’t overdo: It goes to say that no matter how safe you are with sun exposure, it’s still good to limit your time in the sun to reduce your chances of sunburn - especially during peak rays time. Take protective measures like moving back and forth between sun and shade, wear protective clothing if you need to, and if you know that you won’t be able to find any shade, opt for a safe, non-toxic sunscreen. My favorite sunblock is PapaBear Naturals Tallow Sunblock. They use nothing but pure, clean ingredients, and the ingredient list is very simple: Grass-fed tallow, raw shea butter, non-nano zinc oxide, organic beeswax, jojoba oil, organic coconut oil, and cacao powder. I feel safe using it on myself and my family. You can use this link to receive 10% off your first order!
Remember this: the further you get from nature, the closer you get to disease. How are you practicing safe sun exposure this summer?
