Unpopular Take: Exposure to sunlight is actually beneficial for your skin and your health. Hear me out though…
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Although there may be other contributing factors to the drastic increase in skin cancer, like tanning beds, what else could be causing it?...Diet perhaps?? I mean what were our ancestors doing in lifetimes before us? Were their skin cancer rates this high?
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(A little background on the Seed Oil Industry and how it made its way into our food supply…)
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Before the 1890s western countries were primarily consuming animal fats such as lard, tallow, or suet. Meanwhile, Eastern countries were using cold pressed oils such as coconut and palm oil. Our diet at this time was a delicate balance of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fats.
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The boom of the Industrial Revolution brought about a high demand for oil to help the machinery run properly. The use of cottonseed oil to lubricate machinery was short lived and then seed/vegetable oils made their way onto the scene.
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Where animal fats were once a staple in household recipes, it was replaced with Crisco and margarine. These were the first vegetable oils to be advertised on the food market as “healthy” alternatives. Margarine was first made with coconut oil and lard, but then they began to use seed oils. This swap out came about when they realized that seed oils are not only cheaper but the shelf life was longer.
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Today, our diets contain way too much Omega-6 fats and not enough Omega-3 fats. These destructive seed oils can be found in most processed foods such as chips and crackers, as well as restaurant foods and condiments. Seed oils can also be found in some of your everyday moisturizers.
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As the consumption of seed oils in our foods increased, so did the inflammation, premature skin aging, acne, obesity and skin cancer rates.
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There is a relation between how much seed oils you consume and the likelihood of getting sunburned. When you consume high amounts of linoleic acid, which is commonly found in seed oils, the more that will accumulate and get stored in your fat cells. Linoleic acid will oxidize in your system causing increased inflammation. Your linoleic acid levels are a measure of your Omega-6 intake.
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On the other hand, when you consume healthy fats like tallow and ghee, it helps to create a balance of Omega-6 and Omega-3s which will then reduce inflammation in your body and provide Vitamins A, D, E, & K. It aids in strengthening the skin barrier and the lipid layer of each individual cell. A skin barrier with a healthy balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6s is less prone to oxidation than skin cells that are high in Omega-6 fatty acids.
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So what can be done to help protect your skin?
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The best way to protect your body is to consume healthy fats and to cut out seed oils from your diet. Only then can you truly start to slowly increase your solar callous and help to reduce the sun damage to your skin. Building up your solar callous means to build up your tolerance to sun exposure. The best time to do this is during the early sunrise hours *without sunglasses* when infrared and red light are more abundant. Exposure to infrared and red light will initiate the production of melanin in your cells which will prepare your cells for the absorption of UV light exposure later on in the day.
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You can start to expose yourself to the sun in as little as a few minutes a day in the early hours and then again in the afternoon slowly working your way up to what is comfortable for you. For everyone that sun exposure time looks different. It’s important not to overexpose yourself in the sun while building up your solar callous. Also, ditch the sunglasses so that your body knows when to produce the appropriate amounts of melanin needed to help prevent sunburn.
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To recap…although seed oils can be found in most processed foods, they are NOT your friend and should be avoided as much as possible. The devil is in the details my friends. Add in ghee, tallow and/or suet when you can to form that healthy balance of fats in your system. Your body will thank you later. Without your sunglasses, begin to build up your solar callous which will help your body to produce the necessary amount of melanin needed to help protect you from UV rays.