Prevent Sun Damage Naturally

Sunscreens are readily available, come in abundant forms yet skin cancer rates are continuing to climb. Nearly every reputable skincare line has SPF within the facial moisturizer--even products for men!

See all of our recommendations for preventing sun damage naturally here. 

There are dozens of sticks, sprays, and wipes to be purchased for children. Yet again, our skin cancer rates creep higher and higher. The media has splattered reports everywhere about the alarmingly low levels of Vitamin D being reported in adults and children alike. An easy conclusion to jump to: the uptick in sunscreen use might be causing low Vitamin D rates. That seems plausible but it doesn't explain the heightened rates of skin cancer.

What is a family to do?

It is really quite simple and it hardly requires you to change up your daily routine. Not to mention--you may be able to give up the ridiculous quest for the perfect, most natural sunscreen that goes on easily, protects well and doesn't leave you looking like your toddler scribbled whiteout all over your face.

I've always wondered how indigenous cultures and those who live in sun-abundant parts of the world manage to survive without SPF 60+ slathered on every 1-2 hours. The only thing that they might do differently than we do here in the land of too much stuff--is eat a diet that supports their skin's natural ability to tolerate the sun.

Why Do We Need Sunscreen Anyway?

I'm sure most of us have experienced a sunburn. It is painful and it clearly damages your skin by inflaming it, causing it to peel and forcing it to repair itself. This is never a good thing. Dr. Murad explains this very well by stating that it isn't the sun itself it is the ultraviolet light that starts the cell deterioration process. It weakens the membranes in a cell that allows it to break down. This triggers a reduction of hydration within the cells (that is, it reduces water) and causes blood vessels to leak (triggering redness/burning and inflammation).

All of this causes premature aging and basically forces our bodies to try and repair itself. It's basically like getting sick. Any type of inflammation in the body is treated the same--the body goes to work to replenish itself and taxes your immune system and your energy stores.

Why Sunscreen Isn't the Answer

You can see how wearing sunscreen to prevent a sunburn is a decent idea. Our family uses a topical sunscreen when a burn is likely. However, there is no evidence that these topical applications actually block all of the harmful UV rays and reduce the risk of cancer. Sunscreen is more readily available and more widely used, yet skin cancer rates have not gone down. Adults and children are spending less time outside too. You may find that you too only want to wear sunscreen when a burn seems inevitable--such as a day on the water or for fair-skinned children and adults.

Foods the Body Uses for Sun Protection

Going back to the indigenous cultures--one has to wonder what their bodies do to prevent sun damage naturally without staying indoors. What can we learn from them and implement in our lives? Some foods help the body heal from sun damage and others actually reduce the absorption of harmful UV rays.

Carotenoids

Carotenoids are found in brightly colored fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, watermelon, and cantaloupe. These carotenoids have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants help reduce cell death and promote hydrated and healthy cells in the body. If you want to get really specific--the beta-carotene found in those colorful fruits and vegetables is the primary macronutrient that helps reduce sun damage. Dr. Murad summarizes that lycopene (found in high quantities in tomatoes) is one of the best beta-carotene sources that help with sun protection. There was actually a German study done on individuals who ate tomato paste. They found that this protected them 40% better than the control study who didn't eat extra tomato paste. The protection was evident in the reduced redness from sun exposure and UV-induced skin issues--like moles and sunspots.

Isothiocyanates

Isothiocyanates are capable of discouraging cancer cell development and actually promote cancer cell death. This interesting phytochemical is found in the brassica family: broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, turnips, radishes, and cauliflower. Eating these foods was shown to reduce UV damage significantly and had long-lasting effects. This suggests that eating brassicas can protect the skin longer than sunscreens that need to be reapplied every hour or two.

Essential Fatty Acids

I'm sure you have read other posts about eating coconut oil to protect against sunscreen. There really is evidence to support this. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) hydrate the cells, promote repairing of the cells, enhance the immune system, make an undesirable environment for viruses and bacteria and reduce inflammation. Omega 3, 6 and 9 are some of the best sources of EFAs. These are found in cold water fish.

Vitamin D and Sun

Vitamin D has received so much press in the last few years and for good reason! It helps reduce the risk of over a dozen different types of cancer. As much as we want to believe that artificial Vitamin D drops are an adequate fall-back, sun exposure is still the dominant way to trigger D production. It is important to note that the sun rays hit your skin and react with cholesterol to create vitamin D (which is actually more like a hormone than a vitamin). This synthesis actually protects you from sun exposure. Another great reason to leave your skin naked when you aren't getting too much sun.

Putting It Together:

So what do sun exposure, colorful fruits and vegetables, natural fat sources and cold-water fish have in common? They are readily available to most indigenous and sun-abundant cultures worldwide. There are obviously cultures starving or experiencing food shortages but in their native lands, these food sources were typically abundant before humans started destroying our natural resources. These foods work inside the body to protect it from sun damage. The earliest humans did not have sunscreen nor abundant shelters (and air conditioning to make being outdoors unbearable). They likely didn't even think about it. They probably sought shade (as we do) when they got too hot. They hydrated and ate food as needed. Humans didn't need science to tell them how to protect themselves from too much sun. Apparently, we do now. Our highly evolved, overly intelligent selves need to read research to confirm what we should inherently know: our bodies can protect us from the sun if we treat them well. This means exposing our skin to the sun on a regular basis but not for hours at a time. Our family usually omits sunscreen for nearly all outings unless we are in or beside water or are in direct sun without any intermittent shade. For the most part, we rarely are in a place of direct sunlight except when swimming--so that is the only time we use it.

Prevent Sun Damage Naturally

Eat your greens: kale, spinach, celery, parsley, cilantro, broccoli, leeks, cabbage and cauliflower (part of the brassica family)
Eat lycopene: papaya, cooked tomatoes, apricots, carrots, watermelon and grapefruit
Increase antioxidants: 70% or greater cacao chocolate, green/white/black tea, some coffee, red wine, grapes and sprouts of all kinds (think Brussels and broccoli sprouts)
Omega 3, 6 and 9: soy-free/free range chicken eggs, salmon, sardines, seaweed, flax seed, hemp seed and chia seed.
Increase saturated fat intake, 1/4 C of coconut oil every day is the perfect amount (from whole, real foods like grass-fed butter, coconut oil and traditionally raised animal products).
Supplements to consider Green Pasture fermented cod liver oil and butter oil blend.
Pomegranate extract 60mg daily
Astaxanthin 12 mg daily
Vitamin D3
Vitamin C
Children can take Green Pasture FCLO/BO, Vitamin D3, and Vitamin C

Thanks for reading! You can do it all and do it well if you do it one small bite, one crunch at a time! #iamcrunchysupermom

 Resources: 

https://www.murad.com/media/wysiwyg/articles/pdf/Eat%20Your%20Sunscreen.pdf