Sunny D

Reasons to show more skin this summer

The wide-brimmed hat, gigantic eye gear, sporty water shirt and face caked with sunscreen—we hate the sun, and apparently she hates us. We’ve all heard by now that sun exposure can burn your retinas to bits, paint you with freckles and splotches and cause adhesions and skin failures that lead to cancer. Yet, our life-giving sun lightens your mood, helps you heal and makes your skin sexy as hell. Best of all, its enveloping rays feel like hugs from your mother. The sun is essential for our habitation of the earth—what if hiding from it is to our detriment? 

    Those scary UV rays initiate the skin’s synthesis of the fat-soluble secosteroid we call Vitamin D, which is not technically a vitamin at all. This precious hormone helps our intestinal tract absorb magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc and phosphorous—minerals in which many of us are deficient, especially magnesium. Vitamin D is also essential for manufacturing serotonin, our happiness chemical. Vitamin D deficiency is strongly correlated to an increase in ailments such as depression, heart attack, arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

    More than 40 percent of Americans lack adequate Vitamin D. Our typical sun exposure is minimal at best, and most of our food favorites are extremely low in this compound. Avoiding the sun might help you avoid skin cancer, but new research shows that more than three-fourths of cancer patients have low levels of Vitamin D. This study includes participants with serious cancers such as colon cancer, lymphoma and breast cancer.

    Introducing incremental periods of sun exposure when rays are the strongest (noon to 3 p.m.) can help boost your levels. Dr. Joseph Mercola says easing into it gives your melanocyte cells time to produce protective pigmentation. The pigmentation, also known as a suntan, allows you to stay in the sun longer without overexposure. Slow transitions are particularly essential if you’re someone who burns easily and typically avoids the sun. 

    So how does sunscreen fit into this picture? Many popular sunscreens have been exposed for having lower SPF than labeled. Further, chemical sunscreens contain unsavory compounds such as retinyl palmitate (a synthetic Vitamin A imposter), which has been linked to an increased risk of skin cancer. Other questionable chemicals include oxybenzone, with its odd hormonal interactions, and titanium oxide, which may cause skin irritations.

    At this point, a cliché from the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, is in order: “Let food be thy medicine, and thy medicine thy food.” In addition to fighting disease, foods apparently can increase the SPF factor in your skin. A study in the British Journal of Dermatology found that those who consumed tomato paste (high in a wonderful phytonutrient called lycopene) along with olive oil for three months had a decreased risk of sunburn. And foragers take heed: Consuming most berries also increases your skin’s natural sun protection. 

    Once you’ve gotten acquainted with sunlight, consider the many dietary sources of Vitamin D. The top contenders come from the water. My personal favorite is the oyster, which also happens to be a potent aphrodisiac. Oysters and mollusks contain 794 international units of vitamin D per cup. That’s 200 times the Recommended Dietary Allowance. For the wilder Okies, channel catfish provide about the same dose per fillet. Just make sure you’re fishing in clean lakes and eating the oysters from reliable sources.

    Supplementation is fishy, but select sea supplements are legit. On your next visit to a natural market, look for Carlson’s fermented cod liver oil pills. This is one of very few supplemental staples in my cabinets. Each serving is packed with Vitamin D, and their fishing is certified sustainable. 

    Plant-based Vitamin D is hard to come by, and many forms of it are not found in any plant sources. Finding your way into the light is therefore even more pressing for vegetarians and people consuming limited animal products. Luckily, Garden of Life has an amazing—and almost complete—Vitamin D pill that’s available at natural grocery stores.

For more from Zac, read his articles on re-wilding your diet and the importance of the squat.