healYOUnaturally

Prevent, heal and reverse disease naturally

Home Archives for organic sunscreen

Top 5 Safe And Natural Sunscreens Recommended by the EWG

Last updated on By 5 Comments

Organic-safe-chemical-free-sunscreens

Exposure to the sun is absolutely crucial to prevent disease and for optimum health, as opposed to what we have been told for years. That being said, not every product that claims to be a natural sunblock really has the safest or organic ingredients you expect.

More emphasis is being placed on green living today and including the right products that provide protection from the sun; UVA rays mainly.

Just about all sunscreens, I’ve suggested were required to be free from Parabens, SLS/SLES, Propylene Glycol, Phthalates, PEG’s (polyethylene glycols),  Phenoxyethanol,  and a multitude of other chemical compounds that I am not even going to mention.  Essentially, they should contain organic and safe ingredients.  The sunscreen ingredient that I highly suggest you avoid is the synthetic chemical oxybenzone.  Oxybenzone is an endocrine disruptor that affects the nervous system, is known to cause cancer in some laboratory research studies, and fosters free-radicals when exposed to the sun which happen to be very harmful and unsafe.

The best sunscreens are those made with the safe – natural or organic ingredients and without harmful chemicals.

They should stay on even when you are active, and not only keeps you safe in the summer but actually improve the look and feel of your skin.  Get ready to protect your skin with confidence, with these top picks carefully chosen from the Environmental Working Group’s 2017 guide  to the safest sunscreens.

aubrey-natural-sunscreen300

Aubrey Organics Natural Sun Sunscreen

There are a lot of excellent ingredients found in Aubrey Organics Natural Sunscreen (Try Aubrey Organics here)  which allowed this product to make our top pick. It features aloe vera, green tea, jojoba oil, sunflower seed oil, and several flower extracts which can improve the softness of your skin while the SPF 30 keeps the sunburn away.   Those who place big emphasis on environmentally-friendly products will approve of Aubrey Organics and their range of organic sunblock because all of the ingredients the company uses are fully biodegradable.

They never test on animals. The price is also an attractive feature of this brand of sun protection products. They even have sunscreens for baby care.  Below you will find a list of  safe sunscreens, and a link to our ShopNaturally amazon store where you’ll find those + dozens more.

 

 

 

BWC -natural-sunscreen-

Beauty Without Cruelty BS Sunscreen SPF 30

The name of this product alone is enough to attract enthusiasts, but there is more to Beauty without Cruelty sunblock (Try Beauty without Cruelty here)  besides the fact that their products are not tested on animals nor contain animal derived ingredients. This natural sunscreen has a lot more to offer, such as quick absorption in the skin with a non-greasy application, healthy oils that boost skin health, such as castor oil, jojoba oil, and sunflower seed oil, as well as highly effective UVA and UVB sun protection.

 

raw-elements-natural-sunscreen-for-babies

Raw Elements USA Sunscreen

Raw Elements Sunscreen comes packaged in an attractive green label, representing the company’s devotion to a green lifestyle. Of course, not everything about a product can be deduced from the color of label.   The sunscreen Raw Elements Eco Formula Sunscreen (Try Raw Elements Eco Formula Sunscreeen here ) has brought to the market boasts some attractive features and benefits.

 

For example, this is the number one rated sunscreen when it comes to safety and efficacy. Not only do they offer powerful skin protection from the sun, but their natural sunscreen comes in skin tone colors, enhancing users’ appearance. This is one organic sunblock that will never cause stinging in the eyes. It does not run when your sweat, but is utterly waterproof for up to 80 minutes.

 
Madison Reed
 

[quote url=”https://www.healyounaturally.com/natural-sunscreens/”]Must read: Best Natural Sunscreens For Babies And Kids Summer 2014[/quote]

 

babo-botanicals-30spf-sunscreen-image

Babo Botanicals 30 SPF Clear Zinc Sunscreen

No longer do those seeking to protect their skin from sunburn and other harmful effects of UV rays need to suffer when it comes to scent.  Babo Botanicals 30 SPF Clear Zinc Sunscreen (Try Babo Botanicals here), is not only a natural sunscreen, but it comes with a delightful, fresh apples scent that makes it a pleasure to wear. Yet, the ingredients are all natural from an organic farm upstate New York for those of us who support local USA made products.

 

There are several other great things found in the mix, such as Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Juice, Water (aqua), Camelia Sinensis (Green Tea) Extract*, Glycerin, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Rosa Canina (Rose Hip) Fruit Oil*, Buriti (Mauritia Vinifera) Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, and many more ingredients that help make this natural sunscreen quite impressive.

For those of you that enjoy water sports or the beach there is the Sports version Babo Clear Zinc Sport Stick  which has the benefits of being water resistant, lasts longer and is unscented.  Helps prevent sunburn, helps prevent and relieve chapped face, lips, nose and ears.

Now if you want to go the ultra natural route use Organic Coconut Oil which according to latest claims serves as a skin moisturizer.  That being said, you must make sure you wear protective clothes and make sure not to get a sunburn.

Warning: I wouldn’t try this approach on infants and children under 12 (use common sense always).  UVB rays (the good rays) are at their peak around noon, and they are more easily filtered in overcast and cloudy weather.

UVA rays are not filtered as well, so even when it’s cloudy outside, these rays are still shining through.  Also, UVB rays are not as strong early and late in the day, but UVA rays are. Something to keep in mind if you enjoy  outdoor activities early in the morning or in the evening.  You can find more information and a recipe to make your own Homemade Coconut Oil Sunscreen Recipe at the (Source).    

[quote] You May Like Little Sunshine Mistakes That Can Give You Cancer Instead of Vitamin D  “[/quote]

It feels good to put this list together with confidence in knowing that these products have been tested, and evaluated by the authority in safest natural products; The Environmental Working Group (EWG) .

So these are some of my favorite natural sunscreen options when I must. Did I miss any? I’d love to hear what your favorite natural or DIY sunscreen you use.

Thank you for helping me spread the word on everything safer/healthier, sharing, and liking my posts. While the community is still growing as healyounaturally gets discovered, it is always a pleasure to hear your thoughts and questions.

To your best health,

 

astrid-signature-healyounat

 

Why Microwave Popcorn Maybe Making You Sick + Homemade Organic Popcorn Recipe

Last updated on By Leave a Comment

dangers-of-microwave-popcorn

Do you remember those movie nights growing up, where the sound and smell of freshly popped corn made the movie and family get together so much nicer?

Ahh!!! Those were the days! You had nothing to worry about…

No weird oils, chemicals or Genetically Engineered (GE) foods. All you had to do was enjoy the movie and your homemade popcorn.

Today is different though.  You have to worry about those things– especially because of the recent findings linking GMO foods to gastrointestinal damage, and cancerous tumors in lab rats.

See, the problem with convenience is that by saving time there are usually major alterations to food, the ingredients, and chemicals in or the packaging.  Enter microwave popcorn.

While microwave popcorn is very convenient and fast to make, there are things that you should know before you microwave another bag.

Here is the latest on microwaved popcorn:

Is Microwave Popcorn Safe?

The George Mateljan Foundation for the World’s Healthiest Foods has concerns regarding microwave popcorn.

Mr. Mateljan warns that microwaving of popcorn does not provide a risk-free alternative. That’s because there has been some evidence that the Teflon-like coating of some bags used for microwave popcorn can get broken down with heat into unwanted substances, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).

The chemical, which appears to be potentially carcinogenic in lab animals, is partially released onto the popcorn when the bag is heated up and can then be absorbed, once again in partial amounts, into the blood stream.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently studying the effects of this chemical in more detail. Additionally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is studying potential problems associated with the artificial butter flavoring used in microwave popcorn.

If you have been following me for a while, you know that I am all for wholesome foods, growing my own organic vegetables, and supporting local farms. I do not agree with food being Genetically Engineered aka Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s).

I try to do my parts as a Non-GMO and organic foods advocate, who wants to make sure that our children will have good, safe, nourishing foods in the future– like you and I did growing up. I want to leave this earth knowing that I was part of the movement to change our food system back to the way it was for our future generations.

Enjoy this quick visual (GIF) on How To Make Homemade Organic Popcorn  (recipe below)how-to-make-popcorn-from-scratch

 “Non-GMO Organic” Popcorn vs Conventional Popcorn?

Genetically Engineered foods are not allowed in the production of certified organic foods.

The price difference is no longer high compared to non-organic popcorn so why not?  On the other hand, genetically engineered popcorn contains toxic residues commonly found on conventionally grown corn with pesticides– I call that double trouble for obvious reasons. 

Now let’s take a look at what GMO’s are all about:

What Are GMO’s

A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process of taking genes from one species and inserting them into another in an attempt to obtain a desired trait or characteristic, hence they are also known as transgenic organisms. This process may be called either Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM); they are one and the same.

Are GMO’s safe?

is-gmo-popcorn-safe-to-eat
image source:morguefile

No. The only feeding study done with humans showed that GMOs survived inside the stomach of the people eating GMO food. No follow-up studies were done.

Various feeding studies in animals have resulted in potentially pre-cancerous cell growth, damaged immune systems, smaller brains, livers, and testicles, partial atrophy or increased density of the liver, odd shaped cell nuclei and other unexplained anomalies, false pregnancies and higher death rates.(read full article here)

So Which Popcorn Is Safer And Healthier?

Popcorn itself is a healthy low-calorie snack.  When you cook it in coconut oil or pastured butter you will be adding the benefit of those healthy fats such as Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) from the butter and Omega 3’s and polyphenols from the coconut oils.

Coconut oils is my fat of choice here because it is ideal for cooking in high temperatures as it doesn’t oxidize like olive oil does.   Now, if you want to take it a step further you can air pop it for an oil-free version.

So, for the reasons mentioned above, I recommend organic non-GMO popcorn.  If you can’t find organic popping corn, at least get the organic popcorn in the bag made with real butter or palm kernel oil.

Tip: Know what I do when there is nothing but microwave popcorn?

I warm up the coconut oil or pastured butter as usual.  Then empty the contents of the bag into the hot oil and cook covered until all the kernels have popped.   That way, I bypass heating the bag and its contents in the microwave.  Bang!  Healthified popcorn on the spot (grin).  When all else fails and microwave popcorn is the only option. I’d recommend doing the above step and using this one microwave popcorn

Here is the recipe to the best homemade popcorn– plus a little trick.

Print
Back To Basic Organic Healthy Popcorn

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 7 minutes

Cook Time: 10 hours

Total Time: 17 minutes

Yield: 1 medium size bowl

Ingredients

  • 3/4 of a cup organic Non-GMO popcorn* (Here is the one I use)
  • 2 tablespoon organic coconut oil, grass-fed butter or ghee
  • himalayan or celtic salt to taste

Instructions

  1. In a deep 6 quart pot place the coconut oil,pastured butter or Ghee and heat over medium heat
  2. About 60 seconds into it drop 3 kernels to test.
  3. When the 3 test kernels have popped go ahead and add the rest of the kernels and cover the pot
  4. Cook in medium heat shaking continuously until you no longer hear kernels popping( 3-4 mins)
  5. Important: you must shake the pot constantly (covered) in order to disperse the kernels.
  6. Remove the pot from the heat and serve.
  7. Add Himalayan or celtic salt to taste.

Notes

The Trick~ My sister's popcorn was always perfect! What was her secret? All she did was to soak up the kernels in water for about 15 minutes before making the popcorn. That's it! Her theory was that when you soak the kernel they soften up, allowing them to pop faster. Does it work? Absolutely! No matter what, none of us made such great popcorn in such short period of time. Hers was always the best. Give it a try and let me know how it goes 🙂

PS: make sure you drain and towel dry the kernels before you add them to the cooking oil. Ya do not want to add water to cooking oil.

https://www.healyounaturally.com/microwave-popcorn-maybe-making-you-sick-plus-best-homemade-organic-popcorn/

So there you have it. An easy, healthy and satisfying snack.

In Conclusion

Ideally, we shouldn’t have to worry about our food.  I feel that food manufacturers should really stop the greed and go back to basics sooner rather than later. We need it, our earth needs it and so do our future generations. They need to start protecting what we once had– organic, sustainable, nourishing foods.

I’m wondering what you think about certified organic vs Genetically Engineered popcorn.  Can you tell the difference? Does it even matter to you? Tell me about your experience in the comments below.

 
 
References
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=dailytip&dbid=76
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/faqs