Summer solstice we feel you! Now that we are literally closer to the sun, it’s the perfect time to talk about nutrition for skin protection.
Today we take a glimpse into how the shift into sunshiny weather affects our nutrition, with a skin 101 primer, a nutrition review of the ‘sunshine vitamin’ + 5 foods to that are rock stars at protecting us when we are outdoors all summer long.
Skin 101: What are the functions of our skin?
Our skin is the biggest organ by surface area and weight and taking excellent care of it is a must.
The skin performs 6 primary functions:
- Protection: the first line of defense against toxins, radiation, environmental and pollutants
- Absorption: the surface of the skin has thousands of pores for absorbing acids, vitamins, minerals, water and oxygen.
- Excretion: sweat glands and pores allow for the release of toxins and waste
- Secretion: sebum is secreted by the skin to keep it soft and supple
- Regulation: sweating and shivering are ways the skin can regulate body temperature.
- Sensation: nerve endings lie on the skin to transport stimuli for recognition of heat, cold, pain and pressure.
What are the nutritional benefits of sun exposure?
Sunlight poses dangers to health, with overexposure, like dehydration, heat stroke, sunburn, cataracts and wrinkle (there is an etc. here). But there is also a nutritional benefit to sunlight touching our skin and that is vitamin D.
What is vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps with kidney function, improving mood, hormonal regulation of hunger cues, proper absorption of calcium and immunity.
The role of vitamin D in our body
Vitamin D is a precursor for fat metabolism. It is a fat soluble vitamin meaning it needs a fat source to be absorbed into our cells for like cholesterol.
As UV-rays interact with the cholesterol found in our skin cells converted into vitamin D.
Vitamin D can also be ingested from foods like mushrooms, salmon and egg yolks. Some foods are fortified with vitamin D like orange juice and milk.
Vitamin D Daily Recommendation
The current recommendation for daily vitamin D is about 800-1000 I.U. daily for an adult, some populations many need more to maintain optimal blood levels. Achieving this intake from sun exposure varies based on factors, like…
- Location in the world
- Season
- Time of day
- Age
- Complexion
In summer months reaching the recommended amounts of vitamin D takes about about 10-15 minutes of sun exposure, so be sure to cover up and use sunscreen if you are out for longer. Winter in northern mid-latitude is a different story, it may take about 2 hours of sun exposure.
Too much vitamin D?
Now that the sun is beaming you may be finding yourself gravitating to the outdoors. However staying in the sun for prolonged periods of time does not result in an additional health benefits. If you previously tested low in vitamin D ask your doctor to re-test your levels of vitamin D, to see where you stand, especially, if you are supplementing because there is such thing as too much.
Excess vitamin D can buildup of calcium in the blood leading to nausea, loss of appetite, constipation and weakness.
How about too much sun?
Overexposure to the sun can cause sunburn resulting in damage to cells inflammation, blisters, headaches and swelling.
UVA and UVB rays can directly damage the DNA in our cells causing a release in inflammatory molecules, called free radicals, leading to cell damage, premature aging of the skin and pitfalls in immune response that can lead to cancers.
On the Bright Side…
Did you know what you eat can affect your sensitivity to the sun’s rays?
Certain foods offer protective factors lessening chances of sun damage and assisting in repair.
Eating whole foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds while limiting highly processed animal products, refined grains as well as added sugars is the way to go. Dietary protection is provided by these compounds: carotenoids, tocopherols, ascorbate, flavonoids, or n-3 fatty acids found in various foods.
In no way are these foods substitutes for sunscreen. But they have the ability to enhance our defense and repair from too much sunlight.
5 foods to protect skin from sunlight…
01 Watermelon// contains a powerful antioxidant called lycopene, which can protect against sunburn by increasing the skins basal cell defense against UV-rays.
02 Fatty Fish// omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil and walnuts, help reduce UV-induced inflammatory response.
03 Green Tea // catechins in green tea can help to reduce free radicals formed from too much sun exposure lower chances of developing melanoma and soothe sunburn when applied topically.
04 Cucumbers//flavonoids in cucumbers remove free radicals and halt the breakdown of elastin in skin, supporting cell renewal for collagen building.
05 Papaya// rich in skin protecting beta-carotene linked to lower incidence of sunburn and vitamin C. Papaya is excellent all by itself-you can eat the seeds too- serve it with coconut yogurt or blend into a creamy drinkable smoothie.
Tell Me!
Want to see more articles like this one? Tell me, leave a comment below!
With Gratitude,
Jamie
Resources:
Sies, Helmut, and Wilhelm Stahl. “Nutritional Protection Against Skin Damage From Sunlight.”Annual Rev. Nutrition 2004, vol. 24, 6 Feb. 2004, pp. 173-200.
Manfred Eggersdorfer, Adrian Wyss. “Carotenoids in human nutrition and health.”Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Vol. 652, 2018, pp 18-26.
Leave a Reply