Tell Me About Your Sunscreen…
When I was a kid, I never thought about sunscreen or what we used to call suntan lotion. I don't even remember worrying about SPF or sunburns until I was in high school (and I had some bad ones). I just loved being outside in the sun, playing and hanging out with my girlfriends.
Lucky for me growing up we didn't live to far from the beach and one of the best memories I have of my grandmother, who died too young from breast cancer, is that she was the first person I ever knew to wear beach shoes. They were actually white, lace-up keds (minus the laces) but she was ahead of her time, all because she didn't like the way sand felt between her toes! But I digress…
Back to the sun and sunburns. So the sun in and of itself is not bad of course. It keeps our planet flourishing. It gives us heat, energy, plants need sunlight to grow and they in turn produce the oxygen we need to live. It's a glorious star in the sky that we need to survive.
The UV rays from the sun in small doses actually are very helpful for your body to produce it's own vitamin D. Really important for your bones, blood cells and your immune system. While we all slather on layer after layer of sunscreen, year after year, we may be inadvertently lowering our natural intake of vitamin D which could put us at risk of developing other autoimmune diseases. I am a sunscreen advocate - especially living in Florida. However I choose to take in small doses of sun without sunscreen at times.
According to skincancer.org, you don't need much sun exposure to produce vitamin D. No more than 10 to 15 minutes of your arms, legs, abdomen and back, 2 to 3 times a week should work for most people. After that be sure to, slather away and protect yourself.
If you are looking for more ways to get your vitamin D, there's always food sources such as salmon, milk & tuna and of course, supplements.
And remember when you use sunscreen, use a clean sunscreen that is marine friendly. One that won't damage the coral reefs or harm sea life. Recently the State of Hawaii wrote new legislation to make sun screen safe for it's citizens and the reefs. Learn more here
