You notice how people are becoming more and more skin sensitive?  Sometimes it’s its the environment ( pollution, what’s off-gassing in our homes such as the carpet, bed etc), Sometimes it’s  the food we eat and the body’s inability to recognize it as food. This happens due to the chemicals in it, or that the food has been genetically modified..this causes the body to create antibodies to it. This is what we call allergies and other times it is what we are using on it. In this episode, I want to talk about what we use on our beautiful organ.

The skin is one of the largest organs in our body. Not only is it a barrier to the world and our internal body, but it also one of the barometers to knowing if something is wrong internally.

We talked earlier about acne being a sign that we taking in more toxins than we are using out. There are also rashes that let us know that our body does not like something that we are doing to it (topically/internally).   A lot of people complain about excessively dry and itchy skin.

Sodium Laural sulfate- There are three ingredients to SLS.

  1. They are sulfuric acid: This is used in battery acid at 38%..Laboratories use it at 10% with PPE. MSDs recommend the use of less than 1%.
  2. Mono dodecyl ester which comes from concentrated coconut fat, to increase the acidity
  3. sodium which is salt

MSDS attaches to see for yourself: MSDS 2 to the limits that should be used

Store soap                            Handmade soap
glycerine removed               lye pellets
cheap materials                   keeps the glycerine
>1%SLS corrode skin          *More fats are in this

Ash-based soaps                 Soap Plants 
Ashes (minerals)                     Minerals
Fats/Oils                                   Vitamins

This process applies to shampoos as well. (conditioners became a need because of all the stripping that is done to the hair, so not it and needs replenished back….this is not why the movements like water washing and/or co-washing have become more popular

lotions

Q&A Response: Unique sources of Vit A in fruits and vegetables. 1st fruits and vegetables do not have vitamin A, they have beta-carotene which your body has the ability to change into Vitamin A, but it needs to have the proper levels of nutrients in other areas to do so. For example, did you know that Vitamin A is also a fat-soluble vitamin (A, D, E, K)? We talked about fat soluble nutrients in last month’s episode. So since I was asked about unique forms of vitamin A, I won’t talk about veggies like carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes, but rather higher sources like:

  • Nori ( a seaweed)- this is the seaweed that is wrapped around your sushi, hence giving you the fat you need to absorb the A weather it is in the fish or avocado in the roll. They also use this on seaweeds chips, where traditionally they brush it with sesame seed oil and roast them before eating them, again adding fat to absorb the A
  • cruciferous vegetables – such as broccoli, kale, cabbage
  • Fruits – dates, melons, cherries

Others not mentions as often is plantains, they are very high in Vitamin A. Some cultures when women are pregnant increase their consumption of this fruit to ensure proper levels. and guess what they cook it in? The highest plant source of Vitamin A..Red palm oil….I use to eat the fruit growing up as a kid in Florida


References:

Bowden, J (2007) 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth Beverly, Ma: Fairwinds

Talalay, P. Fahey, F. and Zhang, Y. (1997) Broccoli Sprouts:An exceptionally rich source of induceers of enzymes that protect against chemical carcinogens Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Sep 16; 94(19): 10367–10372.