Kate and I are leaving tomorrow morning on a trip to Dallas to be with family and help out with the crisis that’s going on. While we are there, we will be spending some time in the pool, and going on walks.
So we’re going to get some sun. And lots of it! But we won’t be bringing any sunscreen. We will, however, be bringing our cod liver oil.
Some people think I’m crazy not to put any sunscreen on Kate. If we are out in midday sun or we are planning to be out for a long time, I do cover her with a hat and a shade. Otherwise I don’t worry about it — I want her to soak in the sunshine!
The more I read about sunscreen, I really don’t think it’s good for you. It’s carcinogenic! Plus the vitamin D from the sun is so good for you. So you don’t want to block that.
It’s so funny — reminds me of that Woody Allen quote from “Annie Hall” (one of my favorite movies of all time), “Sun is bad for you. Everything our parents said was good is bad. Sun, milk, red meat… college.”
How did they ever convince us all these things are bad?
Here are a few excerpts from a great article on The Healthy Skeptic blog:
… Sunlight is a major source of vitamin D. Insufficient levels of vitamin D can result in osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases and rheumatoid arthritis – among other equally unpleasant and life-threatening conditions. When you put on those high-SPF sunscreens, not only are you increasing your risk for melanoma, you are increasing your risk of developing all of the conditions that can arise from vitamin D deficiency because you are blocking your body’s ability to synthesize vitamin D.
And while it is possible to obtain vitamin D from food, it is only present in large amounts in certain kinds of seafood – which many people do not consume regularly. The highest sources for vitamin D in food are anglerfish liver, cow’s blood (I’m not joking) and high-vitamin cod liver oil (HVCLO). It is also present in more modest amounts in chum salmon, Pacific marlin, herring, bluefin tuna, duck eggs, trout, eel, mackerel and salmon.
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that most Americans aren’t eating these foods on a regular basis. The lack of adequate intake of vitamin D in the diet, combined with habitual use of high-SPF sunscreen and/or lack of exposure to the sun is a perfect recipe for increasing the risk of cancer for children and adults alike.
I don’t know about you, but we don’t eat a lot of anglerfish and cow’s blood around here. We do take our cod liver oil, which turns out is a very good thing to do because you need the right ratio of vitamin D and vitamin A:
Before closing, I must mention (briefly) the issue of vitamin D toxicity. Vitamin D is widely considered to be the most toxic of all vitamins, and dire warnings are often issued to avoid excess sun exposure and vitamin D in the diet on that basis. The discussion of vitamin D toxicity has failed to take into account the interaction between vitamins A, D and K. Several lines of evidence suggest that vitamin D toxicity actually results from a relative deficiency of vitamins A and K.
So, the solution is not to avoid sun exposure or sources of vitamin D in the diet. Rather, it ensure adequate vitamin D intake (through sunlight and food) and to increase the intake (through diet and/or supplements) of vitamins A & K.
Interestingly, I have noticed that since I have been taking cod liver oil, I don’t burn anymore. Kate and I went for a long walk a while back — two hours in bright midday sun and I was not wearing a hat. (Kate was under a sunblock shaded cover I have for her stroller.) We came home and Seth commented on how red my face was. We were both sure I was going to have a bad sunburn.
A couple of hours later, the redness was gone. No burn! That has never happened to me before.
Before I started eating the WAPF way, I definitely would have gotten a sunburn in those conditions. I’m not sure what it is about my diet that is preventing the burn — but I think it has something to do with all the good fats I’m eating (whole milk, cream, butter, coconut oil, meats with skin and fat). I think it also has a lot to do with the cod liver oil.
My inlaws said something interesting recently. They went to Costa Rica last fall and for the first time ever, they did not burn. They insisted that the only thing they had changed in their diet was the inclusion of daily cod liver oil.
PS: Since we’ll be gone all week, I probably won’t be posting. See you next week!
Disclosure: cmp.ly/4 and cmp.ly/5
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Ann Marie,
I have not used sunscreen for years. I too think that it is more toxic than it is good. Ever since I have been including good fats in my diet (previously flax and fish oil, now HV cod liver oil, coconut oil and lots of saturated fats), I noticed that I don’t burn near as much, and either do my kids. We all get outside almost every day. The best idea is to exposure yourself and your kids to small amounts of sun everyday and build up a base tan. I always cringe when I see mothers pull out this large bottle of SPF 45+ and slap it on their kids skin just to go to the park for an hour. I wanted to share a recipe that I have been using for about 6 years now, when my son was just a baby. We use it for times when I know we’ll be exposed to the sun all day, like at the beach, or boating. I do re-apply it a few times, and it lasts forever in the fridge, year to year. Here it is, it’s from ALIVE magazine:
First, in October, collect a handful of green walnut husks. In a glass jar, cover them with one-half cup of olive oil and let stand in the window exposed to sunlight for about three months. After maturing, siphon off the olive oil. Measure out one-half cup each of coconut butter, flax oil and almond oil. In a small pan, heat up the coconut butter, add two teabags of chamomile and two tablespoons of finely chopped aloe vera. Let simmer on low heat for fifteen minutes, remove from heat and siphon off the coconut oil. Once cooled, add the walnut-olive oil, flax and almond oils, and finally add three capsules of 400 IU vitamin E. This oil has a nice, earthen smell and protects your skin wonderfully. One application lasts all day without a greasy residue.
I made this recipe without the walnut husks because I didn’t have any, and it has worked just fine for us.
Hope that helps
Have a good time in Texas, hopefully your family crisis will soon pass.
Thanks, Christine!
We try to go out in the sun every day, too. We usually walk every morning or afternoon for at least an hour, plus we do gardening and hang the laundry outside.
I’m curious — do your kids ever burn?
Ann Marie
Just this past weekend it was sunny and very hot here in Ontario! Being just the beginning of the season, they didn’t have much of a base tan. They were playing in the sprinkler and the little pool in the backyard for a couple hours and their skin did get slightly red. Not burned, just red. Actually, my son complained that his shoulders were sore. So, I have been putting coconut on them. It has been raining for two days now since then, which is good, it gives their skin a rest and a chance to develop into a tan.
I was always a firm believer in slathering on the gooey stuff and went through at least a big bottle each summer. I would cringe at parents who never used it. In fact, I remember 3-4 years ago thinking you were nutso not to use it. Oh how things change!
Last summer was our first summer totally without it and we escaped just fine. I did change the times of days we were outside and worked hard on making sure they didn’t spend too much time in the direct sunlight. I encourage the boys to wear a hat or a fishermans cap and plan on getting a nice sun hat for myself this year.
I don’t remember anyone getting a sunburn, except for myself. That is because I tend to spend more time out in the sun at the hottest parts of the day when my boys are napping/resting. This year I will be more careful. We all have the light hair and the light skin, so I was pretty impressed that no one else burned, except for me.
I agree with everything you wrote above, and I want to try Christine’s recipe. Christine do you mean coconut oil or is coconut butter something different? Also my chiropractor tells all of his patients to take Cataplex F in the summer and it will give you a fabulous tan. According to him the vitamin F that it contains is exactly what your body needs to convert the Vitamin D from the sun into how your body can use it. I was trying to remember how he explained it at his last lecture and I could be explaing it wrong but ironically when I googled it, I saw two links to your blog Ann Marie so I see that you are taking Cataplex F for your thyroid, this could also partly explain why you did not burn?? He recommends coconut oil on the skin with the Cataplex F and if you overdo it in the sun to take Calcium Lactate. One more thing, where did you get the sunblock sun shade for Kate’s stroller? Thanks, and have a safe trip!
Lauren
I just found this online and maybe it helps to explain what I wrote above better:
Q. What causes sunburn?
A. Ultraviolet rays from the sun convert skin oil to Vitamin D. Sunburn is caused by too
much Vitamin D (also known as hypervitaminosis D.)
Q. Is Vitamin D important?
A. Yes, it is a vitamin. Vitamin D picks up calcium from the gut and puts it to the blood.
People require Vitamin D if they have recurrent nosebleeds, there is lack of exposure to
the sun, rickets, low blood calcium, low blood pressure, and calcium assimilation issues.
Q. Is there a way to counteract too much Vitamin D?
A. Yes and this is very important. The key is to elevate Vitamin F. The more Vitamin F
you have, the less sunburn you will have. This is because the Vitamin F moves the
calcium from the blood into the tissues, making the tissues stronger, more resistant to
sunburn. This does not mean however that people with very sensitive skin should just
depend on Vitamin F as sun block. For some it is important to begin the summer with
sun block to be able to tolerate sun exposure. Sure signs of hypervitaminosis D or
Vitamin F deficiency are found in people who get hives, itching, or sunstroke. Canker
sores fall into this category as well. The remedy is to increase Vitamin F.
Q. What is Vitamin F?
A. Vitamin F is composed of essential fatty acids that are required in the human diet. This
means that it cannot be synthesized by the body from other fatty acids and must be
obtained from food. Vitamin F is found in certain oils.
The jury is still out on this for us here in NZ. The sun will scorch you in 6 minutes in the dead of summer with no protection on. From FourCorners.co.nzNew Zealand also has one of the highest UV ratings in the world. Our clear, clean environment makes the sun extremely harsh. It is important to wear sunscreen and a hat whenever you are spending extended periods of time outdoors, no matter what time of the year or weather conditions. New Zealand sun can burn even on a cloudy day.
I’m going to a WAPF meeting soon, AM!! Will have a chat with some Kiwis here about how they deal with this. The most obvious way, light layers, I think.
Am off to look at some land with Joey in a week’s time. 50 acres with bush and a spring and fruit trees for the equivalent of about US$200,000. Will post pics to my Flickr!
You’ve got me thinking. Sunscreen is one of those things “they’ve” told me I need that I’m still hanging on to. I tried, but couldn’t resist the BOGO sail at the store today. For me, all things in babysteps. I suppose giving up the sunscreen will have to come that way too. I never thought I’d go no’poo, but now that I have, I wonder why I didn’t try it before.
I enjoy the blog! great stuff to ‘chew’ on.
Wow, I’m so excited about your land, Noemi! That’s absolutely thrilling!
And yes tell me what the WAPF people say about the sun in NZ. I’m curious to hear. Excited that you are going! I want to hear all about it!
If you do go to a meeting, please tell me where it is (what city). I don’t know if you saw the post about Archie — he lost his wife in childbirth (giving birth to their first child). Thankfully the boy survived. Anyhow, his wife was from NZ and he and his baby will be moving back there — I think early next year — to be closer to his deceased wife’s family. His wife, Deidre, was a WAPF member (he is too — that is actually how they met).
Not sure where you are but maybe you will get to meet Archie and his son Jack.
Here’s the post: http://cheeseslave.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/the-spirit-of-deidre-currie-lives-on/
Hugs to you!
:-*
PS: I can’t believe you can get 50 acres for $200K — that’s crazy!!!!
Lauren – that is so interesting!
I’m not sure if I was taking the Cataplex F at the time — but I think so.
Just want to say that we’ve experienced the same thing since we switched to WAPF diet a couple of years ago and take our CLO. One of my sons and I are very fair-skinned and used to burn easily (DH and the other two have natural olive skin and never burn anyway). Well, my paler son and I are beautifully tanned now — not burned! — and this is southern Arizona in June!!!
What you will use in the recipe is coconut oil. I think some people will refer to the oil and the butter as one in the same. Now I think you can buy a coconut butter that is blended whole coconut, oil, cream and fibre, like a smooth paste. Don’t use that.
My children are the fairest of the fair. We were all at the zoo recently on a very sunny day and DH was the only one who got burned….is it surprising that he’s the only one who refused to take HVCLO?!?!?!
I did purchase some Aubrey Organics spf 15 sunscreen, but was disappointed that even Aubrey’s sunscreen contained lots of nasty chemicals! I haven’t put it on them but one day since I bought it!
My mom said her Filipino friend told her coconut oil is a natural sunscreen. I thought she meant on the face, since we’ve been using nothing but coconut oil on our faces, but maybe she meant in the diet too! Sunscreen stings my eyes and I hate it.
Boy Ann Marie, this has gotten a lot of chatter. We haven’t used sunscreen for decades. It was my belief yrs ago that the unhealthy fats were the cause of the oxidation under the skin. Mind you this is my brain thinking, not some research I saw. But I think that you are absolutely right that the good fats protect us. As you know I’ll be turning 50 in Oct and I haven’t a wrinkle on me. My face is still youthful and I get as much sun as possible. So I’m for one evidence that it doesn’t age you….you age you. What you eat makes all the difference in the world. And as I can testify even as we go through menopause! I am doing great and not even the slightest discomfort except for a few heatwaves, but they seem to be controlled by drinking nourishing herbal infusions daily!
Here’s a link that has some interesting stuff on the dangers of using sunscreens!
http://www.terressentials.com/truthaboutsunscreens.html
Hope you have a good trip even though it may cause some stress…try to relax because it will hurt your adrenals. Lay your burdens down. As the good book says, “cast your cares upon HIm for He cares for you.”
XO Diane
Wow, great post – this is something really close to my heart, since learning about WAPF I have made every effort to avoid sunscreen on my kids and me. I have bought a UV suit for both of them, because unfortunately in the summer when we go to the pool there is absolutely no shade and we are at 850 metres here in the mountains – the sun is very strong.
I want to expose them little by little to the sun this summer and use the UV suits for when they still want to play in the water but I can see that they might burn.
I actually have noticed this year that I have not burnt either even though I have, like you, been red in the face a couple of times, and the kids too, but all clear the next day with no signs of burning whatsoever.
I think this may be due to the raw butter we have been eating for a year now, as I more than often forget the cod liver oil but I am going to really TRY and remember it from now on for me and children.
I totally agree with peacefulacres on the ageing front, it just makes perfect sense, good fats in diet equal no ageing signs, because of the Vitamin F I guess?
and I am definitely going to make recipe that Christine recommends.
thanks!!!!!
We don’t use sunscreen either and I have also noticed that I’m not burning as easily since taking the CLO. My dd (3yo) has never burned, she just gets fabulously brown, I think it’s because I ate so well while I was pregnant and have fed her far better than her brother (I didn’t know better back then).
Oh how wonderful to hear some sense on this! As if we former hungers & gatherers evolved over those millions of years with a sun allergy.
It appalls me how people … and the sunscreen brigade … fail to put together the cancerous possibilities of stuffing your body full of SSRIs and other untested, bio-inappropriate toxins which necessarily excrete through your skin.
Is there a particular source for/brand of high vitamin cod liver oil that you recommend? I’ve been trying to figure out labels in the store, none of which contain the “high vitamin” description…thanks for any advice!
We use the Quantum brand
http://www.radiantlifecatalog.com/prod.cfm/ct/4/pid/1034
I’m about to switch to the fermented kind
http://www.radiantlifecatalog.com/prod.cfm/ct/0/pid/1295
The Quantum brand is the best price for high vitamin cod liver oil (if you buy 6 at a time). However, they say on the site that the fermented kind is cheaper per serving.
Google brought me here and I am loving your blog. Read a bunch of posts but will comment of this one.. We stopped using sunscreen too and I am tan and feeling great this summer knowing I’m getting lots of vitamin D. As I sit here drinking my raw milk, thinking about the lacto-fermented veggies I’ll eat for lunch, and planning on taking the kids to the beach in a few hours after the direct noon sun, I think how grateful I am that I no longer need to live in fear. It’s awesome!
This is great information. I never believed in sunscreen, even when I was young. I always reached for a hat as my mom slathered on the white stuff. Guess what, when she forgets to wear it, she burns red and blisters. I have had only one sunburn in my life and it lasted for all of 2 days and I only burned because I wasn’t paying attention and fell asleep on a beach in south Florida without an umbrella. Dumb. Just plain dumb.
Even living in Southern California, being out sometimes for up to 5 hours at a time during the summer, I barely even tanned. I am a firm believer in jojoba or coconut oil and a good hat. Bing, bang, boom!
Living Green by Greg Horn has some good info on why sunscreen is a no-no, check it out!
I was so happy to find your site! I haven’t been able to really find anyone (outside of my own family) who is also anti-sun screen. It’s nice to know I’m not nuts.
In addition to doing HVCLO, drinking freshly juiced aloe vera and eating berries of all colors are also of benefit.
I am really enjoying your blog and am finding the adrenal fatigue and thyroid posts particularly helpful… I am coming off of a strict vegetarian (heavy soy) imposed diet… and my adrenals and thryoid are just shot…
Lindsay’s last blog post..Just an Empty Passage
Hi, Lindsay – I keep warning people about soy! Sometimes they don’t want to hear it but I go on like a broken record anyway. It’s just so BAD for your hormonal system… and a billion other things — like bone density.
I heard from a friend who had a friend who was a strict vegan. She did all the right things, took all the right supplements, etc. She was like the postergirl for veganism, he said. Super healthy eater — no junk.
And then one day she got in a car accident and the bones in her face *shattered*. Isn’t that horrible? Ugh! So sad!
You will heal in time, as I am and others are – these nutrient-dense foods are powerful!
Do you think taking Flax oil supliments would help? I am allergic to Fish and Shellfish
I am from a tropical country and I am dark skinned…i never had a problem in the sun, but within the past 5 years or so, whatever part of my body is exposed to the sun (usually my face), it got red and started to itch me. However, there was no peeling (thank goodness!). This problem is strange and it bothers me a lot because of the itching…i have to apply aloe or some natural oil to alleviate the itch and get out of the sun. What could be causing this? for a long time I was taking super GLA/DLA fish oil and I take other supplements such as C, B complex, K, etc. Recently, a naturpath doctor told me to take cataplex F to help. I started 2 weeks ago with 1 F a day, but the problem still persisted. Now, I am increasing the dosage to 5-6 a day. I hope that it helps! If not, I am concerned that there may be a calcium, D, F imbalance. I tested myself for D and it was low. I am also worried that my body might not be absorbing calcium. I am very healthly, my blood pressure is always normal. I workout, etc.I also eat a lot of grass fed butter from the farm and raw milk. Any idea if I should take F all at once or multiple times during the day?
I am from a tropical country and I am dark skinned…i never had a problem in the sun, but within the past 5 years or so, whatever part of my body is exposed to the sun (usually my face), it got red and started to itch me. However, there was no peeling (thank goodness!). This problem is strange and it bothers me a lot because of the itching…i have to apply aloe or some natural oil to alleviate the itch and get out of the sun. What could be causing this? for a long time I was taking super GLA/DLA fish oil and I take other supplements such as C, B complex, K, etc. Recently, a naturpath doctor told me to take cataplex F to help. I started 2 weeks ago with 1 F a day, but the problem still persisted. Now, I am increasing the dosage to 5-6 a day. I hope that it helps! If not, I am concerned that there may be a calcium, D, F imbalance. I tested myself for D and it was low. I am also worried that my body might not be absorbing calcium. I am very healthly, my blood pressure is always normal. I workout, etc.I also eat a lot of grass fed butter from the farm and raw milk. Any idea if I should take F all at once or multiple times during the day?
Hi!
For the past two months I have been slowly changing my diet so as to incorporate healthy fats, etc. by drinking raw milk, bone broth, and eating raw fruits and veggies. Because of my circumstances this is about all I can do right now. In about three weeks I’m going to El Salvador. Currently I’m living in Kansas where it’s below freezing. El Salvador had a high of 90 today. My question is if I start taking cod liver oil for the next two weeks and as well as when I’m in El Salvador will I have built up enough immunity of good nutrients? Will this be enough to minimize the effects of such a drastic climate change?
Thanks!
Really interesting!
I am Danish, with fair skin and red hair so I’ve always burned pretty easily. For the last few years the only ‘sunblock’ I’ve used is coconut oil (and that was while living in Bakersfield, CA too!) It has worked quite successfully for me, and now I can look forward to being protected by diet too… If I get to see the sun long enough to have the chance for a burn! Living in Oregon is gorgeous, and soggy! lol
I feel so mixed about this. My dad had melanoma that metastasized so I am very leery. I occasionally use sunscreen but mostly I just stay in the shade. I’m also going to try my hand at making my own sunscreen!
Don’t like sunscreen, need to up my CLO intake so I don’t have to worry about burning…
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