Summer is upon us. The plants are in full bloom, and the sun feels great on your skin. The longer days give you more energy. There are barbeques, beaches and pool parties with your name written all over them! Since you will be spending all that time soaking up the sun, there a few facts you may be happy to know about sunlight and healing powers of Vitamin D. Vitamin D has gone on for years as the single most underrated nutrient and only recently did it begin to get it’s moment in the spotlight. Research is showing that Vitamin D is known to help prevent osteoporosis, depression, prostrate and breast cancer and even affects diabetes and obesity. If that is not enough to get you to throw your bikini on, maybe these facts will help persuade you. Be sure to lather on that sunscreen after no more then 10-20 minutes of unprotected sun exposure. That’s all the direct vitamin D healing you’ll need to reap the benefits. So get out there and soak up the vitamin D this summer.

1) Vitamin D is produced by your skin in response to exposure to ultraviolet radiation from natural sunlight.

2) The healing rays of natural sunlight (that generate vitamin D in your skin) cannot penetrate glass. So you don’t generate vitamin D when sitting in your car or home.

3) It is nearly impossible to get adequate amounts of vitamin D from your diet. Sunlight exposure is the only reliable way to generate vitamin D in your own body.

4) A person would have to drink ten tall glasses of vitamin D fortified milk each day just to get minimum levels of vitamin D into their diet.

5) The further you live from the equator, the longer the exposure you need to the sun in order to generate vitamin D. Canada, the UK and most US states are far from the equator.

6) People with dark skin pigmentation may need 20-30 times as much exposure to sunlight as fair-skinned people to generate the same amount of vitamin D. This is why prostrate cancer is epidemic among black men—it is a simple, but widespread, sunlight deficiency.

7) Sufficient levels of vitamin D are crucial for calcium absorption in your intestines. Without sufficient vitamin D, your body cannot absorb calcium, rendering calcium supplements useless.

8 ) Chronic vitamin D deficiency cannot be reversed overnight: it takes months of vitamin D supplementation and sunlight exposure to rebuild the body’s bones and nervous system.

9) Even weak sunscreens, like spf 8, block your body’s ability to generate vitamin D by 95%. *Be sure to not be outside with out sunscreen for more then 20 minutes at a time.*

10) It is impossible to generate too much vitamin D in your body from sunlight exposure: your body will self-regulate and only generate what it needs.

11) Vitamin D is activated in your body by your kidneys and liver before it can be used.

12) Having kidney disease or liver damage can greatly impair your body’s ability to activate circulating vitamin D.

13) Even though vitamin D is one of the most powerful healing chemicals in your body, your body makes it absolutely free. No prescription required.

Key points adapted from “The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D-an exclusive interview with Dr. Michael Holick”, by Mike Adams.

Photo Credit: Superbomba at Flickr for Creative Commons

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Women experiencing menopause and peri-menopause often wonder if there is anything they can do alleviate their symptoms naturally. Hot flashes, headaches, mood swings, weight gain, fatigue, sleepless nights and decreased libido are some common symptoms that can be reduced by some simple diet and lifestyle changes. With all the debates on hormone replacement, isn’t it nice to know you have the power to change how you feel naturally.

Food Suggestions: 

Certain foods can actually cause night sweats and hot flashes. To see if you are eating your way to an internal heat wave, consider keeping a Hot Flash Journal. Try to identify and understand what your food triggers might be. Keep track of the time of day or night your flashes come along with a food journal for a few weeks. This will allow you to see if there are any patterns present and which foods may be the ones setting you off. Typically, foods like sugar, simple carbohydrates, alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods are the culprits.

• Reduce Alcohol and Caffeine: Both alcohol and caffeine can affect your hormone levels and exasperate your symptoms. Try transitioning to herbal teas and limiting your alcohol intake to 1 or 2 drinks 1 or 2 times a week. Sometimes just one glass of wine can teleport your body to the tropics. 

• Reduce Sugar intake: Sugar can also affect your hormone levels, throwing your hormones out of balance and making your symptoms worse. Try switching over to natural sweeteners like Agave or maple syrup. You can even experiment with fruit and sweet vegetables to satisfy your sweet tooth.

• Reduce processed white flours: Processed white flours and white grains, like white bread, pasta, baked goods and white rice react like sugar in your body, throwing your hormone levels out of balance. Stick with whole grains like quinoa, barley, millet, brown rice and whole wheat to give you long lasting energy without the blood sugar spikes.

• Increase Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Omega 3 fatty acids can help to relieve irritability, mood swings and hot flashes. They are also considered a source of healthy fats, which actually helps your body burn fat, possibly resulting in some weight loss.  Flaxseeds, flax oil, walnuts, olive oil and cold-water fish like salmon are full of omega 3 fatty acids. Try this recipe for “Apple Cinnamon Menopausal Muffins” (http://life.gaiam.com/gaiam/p/MenopauseMuffinsRecipe.html) as an easy and yummy way to get your omega 3 fatty acids.

Lifestyle Suggestions:

Stress can be a major cause of hot flashes, irritability and night sweats. Finding your favorite method of relaxation and stress reduction is key.

• Increase your exercise. Exercise is one of the best things you can do to calm your body and mind, reduce anxiety and to control your weight. Whether it be yoga, tai-chi, weight lifting or aerobics, be sure to give yourself ample time to cool down since exercising raises your body’s core temperature. 

• Try to relax. Consider taking up meditation or a class in deep breathing to help you clear your mind, rebalance and refocus. Since your emotional state has just as much to do with your symptoms as anything physical, keep in mind that feeling stressed, anxious or angry may be adding fuel to your fire. If meditation is not for you, simply taking some time for yourself to read a book, take a bath, get a massage or even listen to music can have an affect on your mental state of mind.

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On average we consume over 20 teaspoons of added sugar in our diet daily, and sometimes we don’t even know it. This can add up to an average of 142 pounds of sugar per person per year! Americans love sweets! And how could we not when sweet flavors release serotonin in our brains, the chemical that gives off the feelings of love, contentment and well-being. But not all sweeteners are created equal. When it comes to refined sweeteners like white table sugar, high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners like NutraSweet and Splenda, there are many side effects and health risks to take into consideration. These items are stripped of vitamins, minerals and fiber and can spike your blood sugar, often leading to more sugary cravings, mood and energy swings. Sugar can be addictive for many people because of the chemical reaction that take place in the body. Artificial sweeteners, because of the neurotoxins they contain, have been know to cause headaches, memory loss, nausea, PMS, dizziness, mood changes, heart arrhythmia, joint pain and more. Using natural and minimally processed sweeteners can help to control sugar cravings, stabilize moods and energy and have a dramatic effect on your health. Since most natural sweeteners are 1.5 times sweeter then sugar, you can use less of it in baking and other recipes that call for sugar.

Here are 5 natural sweeteners to get you started.

1) Agave Nectar-Agave nectar is a natural liquid sweetener made from the juice of the agave cactus. It is 1.4 times sweeter than refined sugar, but does not create a “sugar rush,” and is much less disturbing to the body’s blood sugar levels than white sugar.

2) Raw Honey-Honey will have a different flavor depending on the plant source. Some are very dark and intensely flavored. Wherever possible, choose raw honey, as it is unrefined and contains small amounts of enzymes, minerals, and vitamins.

3) Date Sugar-Date sugar consists of finely ground, dehydrated dates, utilizing this fruit’s vitamin, mineral, and fiber content. If you like the taste of dates, this will definitely appeal to you. Date sugar can be used as a direct replacement for sugar, and comes in a granulated form

4) Maple Syrup-Maple syrup is made from boiled down maple tree sap and contains many minerals. It adds a pleasant flavor to foods and is great for baking with. Be sure to buy 100% pure maple syrup, and not maple-flavored corn syrup.

5) Barley Malt-Barley malt is made from the soaking, sprouting, mashing, cooking, and roasting of barley. This process capitalizes on the naturally present enzymes. In this process, the carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars, yet the final product is more of a “whole food” than many other sweeteners. Barley malt can come in the form of powder or syrup.

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Many of us question why go Organic and how much of my food really needs to be organic when prices are going up? Consider this when seeking your answers. When we eat, food goes into our mouth, into our stomach and as it gets digested, our blood absorbs it; and our blood is what creates our cells, our tissues, our organs and some even believe our thoughts. So what you eat can not only affect how you feel physically but it can also affect your thoughts, behavior and even feelings. 

Originally, all food was organic; grown and prepared without pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, hormones, or irradiation. Much of our food today, be it meat or vegetable is not only grown in nutrient deficient soil, therefore providing us less nutrients, but also contains many pollutants, farming chemicals, hormones and antibiotics. Buying organic meat, dairy, fruits and veggies assures you that you are keeping chemicals off your plate, giving your body more nourishment, saving energy, supporting local farmers and eating more ethically.

If you have choose, here are the top 10 produce items you should always to buy organic according to the CHEC.

Your first choices should always be foods that have a skin that you eat, as the skin is what collects the most toxins and chemicals. 

1- Peaches

2- Apples

3- Pears

4- Winter Squash

5- Green Beans

6- Grapes

7- Strawberries

8- Raspberries

9- Spinach

10- Potatoes

Photo Credit: Hamron at Flickr for Creative Commons.

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Every week the “experts” are adding new foods to the list of what we must eat for health benefits; or taking away our favorites by telling us that this month they might make us sick. Its no wonder most of us hear a term like super-foods and throw our hands up in exhaustion. Can’t they just make it simple for us? I have good news; it’s not as complicated as it may seem. Food is the fuel our bodies need to run; the more premium the fuel, the better the body will work. It’s as simple as that. Eating the right foods, like super-foods can help ward off the typical wear and tear that comes along with aging and prevent future damage.
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