BY SIMONE DE WINTER

Are you in the habit of applying sunscreen as part of your daily skin regimen? Do you routinely apply it to your children’s skin before sending them to school or summer camp? There are multiple factors to consider. First, what is in sunscreen, anyway? What is the difference between UVA and UVB rays, and how is sunscreen protecting or harming us? What is the function of vitamin D3? And most importantly, how is our skin, like the rest of our body, being nourished? These are complicated and important questions but here is a quick overview:

UVA and UVB

There are two primary kinds of ultraviolet (UV) rays, UVA and UVB. Always present, UVA rays account for 95% of all radiation touching the earth’s surface. UVA rays penetrate glass and go deeply into our skin. UVB rays penetrate more superficially and are not always present; their intensity varies by season and location, and they are usually strongest between 10am and 4pm. UVB rays are responsible for causing painful skin-reddening sunburns at the superficial (epidermis) levels. Because UVA rays stimulate tanning they were traditionally considered to be less intense and to not contribute to sun damage. For that reason sunscreens were originally designed to protect against only UVB rays. The SPF (Sun Protection Factor) label that you see on sunscreen packaging measures only UVB.

Now we know that UVA rays, while they are responsible for tanning, are at least as damaging as UVB since they cause premature skin aging, wrinkling, and certain kinds of cancer. Fortunately, new “broad spectrum” sunscreens have been developed to block both types of rays, but you have to make sure to shop properly at the store. Choose broad spectrum sunscreens that are non-toxic with natural ingredients such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) publishes a list of those on its Skindeep web-site. Use a minimum of SPF 15.

Excessive exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer, especially when the skin is pale. But sun is not the only cause of problems. The skin is a protective barrier and a detox organ. For our skin cells to function properly they needs nutrition and hydration, from the inside as well as from the outside. Like any other part of our body, if we do not give our skin proper care it is likely to get sick. We need to be vigilant about what we put into our bodies and onto our skin because it ends up in the blood. This is the cycle—our blood in turn nourishes the skin.

Vitamin D3

Paradoxically, as a society we’ve been using more sunscreen, but skin cancer incidents are increasing. What’s going on? Vitamin D3 is part of the equation. Those same UVB rays that penetrate the outermost epidermis are also the ones that synthesize beneficial vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is hard to obtain from dietary sources so it’s good to get a minimum of daily sun exposure to supply it. Outside the months between April and October, UVB rays are barely present, so summer is the best time to stock up for the year. A daily dose of only 15 to 20 minutes of summer rays between 10am and 4pm will do the job.

Yes, you read it right—vitamin D protects the skin from the sun and a minimum daily sun exposure is important. So how do we protect the skin and at the same time ensure sufficient vitamin D3 synthesis? This is controversial but supplementation is one good option. An even better option is taking good care of the skin in order to help it withstand the damaging effects of a daily vitamin D3 sunbath. Ironically, any sunscreen we use, toxic or non toxic, cancels the synthesis of protective vitamin D3. Sunscreens are best used for any prolonged exposure exceeding 15 to 20 minutes.

Skincare

Outside of covering the skin, a routine of keeping the skin cells healthy and well-nourished goes a long way toward preventing skin disease. By eating cooling foods such as pears, apples, melons, cucumbers, pomegranates, and summer squashes we help hydrate our skin. The skin also likes herbs such as coriander, cilantro, and turmeric. Regularly spraying the skin with rose or lavender hydrosols is beneficial as is a daily massage with organic oils. These routines cool the skin and feed it high-functioning nutrients, especially in the dry summer. Meanwhile, spicy foods, condiments, coffee, and alcohol are dehydrating and increase sun sensitivity.

When bathing, avoid excessively hot water and minimize the use of harsh soaps, which strip the skin of its natural oils. When the skin is dry, dull, or pasty, it is unhealthy and screaming for attention. Dry brushing is an easy way to stimulate dull skin. Before taking a (not too hot) shower use a brush or a loofah to massage the skin in the direction of the heart to stimulate the lymphatic system. In case of sunburn use those same hydrosols and aloe vera gel to cool and heal the skin. Very regularly apply those same oils, maybe adding vitamin E oil and/or essential oils of lavender, rose, jasmine, vetiver, and chamomile to reverse the dryness.

The skin is our largest organ and it depends on the sun for wellbeing. If we tend and nourish ourselves from the inside out and from the outside in, our healthy skin will be better able to handle the needed benefits of moderate summer sun.

Simone de Winter is an Ayurvedic practitioner of 15 years in Marin County. MarinAyurveda.com.

BY SIMONE DE WINTER

Ayurveda, the medical science from ancient India, prescribes a beautiful lifestyle—one that allows the body/mind to continually renew itself. First, it prescribes that we flow with the tides of the universe. Ayurveda says that our bodies function in the same way that nature does. The processes of birth, life, and death are experienced by us, as well as by everything else in nature. All plants and animals experience this life cycle, and even the stars in the sky are born, live for some time, and then die. On a daily basis we wake, spend time being productive, and then rest. There are cycles of feeding, digesting, absorbing, and eliminating.

Joining in the momentum of these movements creates a lot of ease in our bodies as well as in our minds. There is a natural flow in the way our organ systems work, similar to other diurnal animals. So if we eat, are active, and rest according to this natural flow, our bodies are in a greater natural rhythm; they don’t need to do the work on their own—it’s already being done. On a mental and emotional level it creates the feeling of belonging, of being in the flow. Give it a try—put yourself to sleep early. Then rise just a little bit before the sun rises so that you can be present for the full glory of this daily event. It brings a lot of fresh and productive energy, and witnessing its beauty will stimulate the right neurotransmitters to help you feel good. And try to eat your food during the day, especially around midday, when the sun is highest in the sky. That strong, fiery energy corresponds with a strong, fiery energy in your digestive system. Eating your main meal then makes for good digestion and feelings of well-being. When we live in rhythm with nature, we don’t need to put out so much energy and effort, so we grow old a bit slower.

Another way in which Ayurveda can support a life of rejuvenation is its qualitative approach to life. It tells us to pay attention to the quality of everything in us and life around us, and to balance by applying the opposite quality. It’s really quite simple: when you’re hot, apply cold; when you’re dry, apply moist; when you’re heavy, apply light. When you’re a lot of different things at the same time, go see a practitioner to get help sifting through the layers and rebalancing them. But it is something you can start doing yourself. Think of the quality of your body and your food, and see if they balance one another. Is your life balanced? Remember that a heavy diet will make a heavy body. It needs to be balanced with lighter food and lightening activity, like exercise. A very active life will make for an overactive mind and a tired body. It needs the balance of rest and relaxation. So remember: opposites balance.

One of Ayurveda’s eight branches of practice is rasayana, the science of rejuvenation, described in one of Ayurveda’s ancient textbooks, the Sushrut Samhita, as “a science which restores youth, alleviates suffering (disease), and bestows longevity” by augmenting the vital and nutritious fluid that comes from digesting the food we eat. So at the core of rejuvenation is hydration. And even though we must drink water too, we hydrate much better when there is real nutrition in the fluids we take in, so drinking herbal teas and fruit juices, and consuming soups, stews, and broths go a much longer way toward hydrating ourselves. Here is a recipe for a rehydration water: boil 1 quart of water and melt 1 tablespoon of unrefined salt and ½ teaspoon of raw sugar into it. Finish off with a squeeze of hydrating lemon or lime juice.

Rejuvenation brings healthful longevity, mental ability, resistance against disease, and delay of aging. Ayurveda offers lifestyle routines, dietary regimens, specific health promoting practices, and rasayana herbal medicine. Here are a few recommended practices from this branch of medicine:

» The rising and setting of the sun are healing times of the day. Spending a few minutes in this light stimulates your own fire, which is needed for digestion of all things entering you through your five senses.

» Eat a rejuvenating diet of fresh, whole foods. As Michael Pollan says: eat food, not too much, mostly plants. Prepare them in such a way that your body can digest them with ease:

• Prana-rich, seasonal, right off the land

• Soft, light, and smooth through cooking, chewing, fermentation, and sprouting

• Different foods and food habits in different seasons

» Use oils to rejuvenate and protect your skin and mucus membranes. Warm oil applied to the skin and in the nostrils, ears, and mouth dissolves and removes fat-soluble toxins, nourishes the tissues, builds immunity, and brings feelings of well-being.

» Take medicinal plants such as amalaki, haritaki (both in the formula Triphala), ashwagandha, and tulsi. Research shows that these plants—adaptogens—offer protection against physical and chemical stressors, and produce immune system stimulation.

» Yogic practices such as meditation and pranayama—conscious breathing exercises—promote concentration, improve vitality, and counteract stress and anxiety.

Last but not least we are rejuvenated when we feel loved, when we feel support, when we feel seen, when we trust. Healthy relationship is good for the immune system. Being touched and making love help our juices to flow and our bodies to stay young.

Simone de Winter is a longstanding Ayurveda practitioner and the founder of Marin Ayurveda. MarinAyurveda.com

BY SIMONE DE WINTER

Ironically, the next important food trend comes from the ancient yogic tradition: prana. This Sanskrit term means life energy or life force. The prefix pra means constant. An means movement-motion. Prana means constant motion. Our individuated prana originates at the moment of conception inside the womb. Prana is an energy that is responsible for our body’s life, heat, and maintenance. When we are full of prana, we feel good, look good, and feel vibrant and alive. Our energy is productive and sustained and healthy. Since this is a desirable way of experiencing this incarnation, here are a few ways in which to increase prana. These include the yogic breathing techniques of pranayama, as it is said that prana rides on the breath. Inhaling pure, clean air and having some exposure to the sun cultivates prana, as does exercise without overexertion. Our spiritual practice elevates prana, as does having nourishing relationships and walking barefoot on the earth. Another key way is to eat prana-rich food.

What is prana-rich food?

If you’re vegan, it’s food that is organic and super fresh, harvested right from the ground or plucked from the vine, the bush, the tree, or culled from the ocean. If you’re non-vegan, it’s food that is drawn from the udder, freshly laid, freshly fished, or recently butchered. Prana-rich food is what you generally find at the farmers market, your own backyard, or the health food store. Ideally, it is locally sourced and full of the seasonal energy of the sun, which is stored in its cells as biophotons. Prana-rich food tastes better, looks better, and is teeming with nutrients.

As soon as a carrot is uprooted from the ground, it begins losing prana. Conversely, the closer the food is to something that was once alive, the more prana it carries. This does not necessarily mean to eat all foods raw. Cooked food might be easier to digest, and thus its pranic benefits are more easily absorbed. Raw food might cause digestive distress, which means the prana, and the nutrients, are less easily absorbed.

Prana–rich food is freshly prepared and unprocessed, not leftover or frozen, and not homogenized or pasteurized. And definitely not microwaved. Microwaves are notorious for entirely zapping prana. Leftovers might still retain nutrition according to modern testing, but have diminished remaining prana. When food has been through the dark of the night, or the dark and cold of the refrigerator, the process of losing its aliveness has begun.

Where to source prana-rich foods?

In the likely event you don’t grow your own produce or keep livestock, or are not a hunter or don’t happen to fish off the ocean or streams, here are some pointers to help make prana-rich food choices:

» Choose bright, colorful, and vibrant foods.
» Go to farmers markets. Foods there are typically freshly picked. When you buy food in the store, chose a trusted health food store and where practical, select the locally grown stuff.
» Don’t buy foods with long shelf lives. These are likely processed, meaning that they are not “whole” anymore. The exceptions are with grains and pulses (beans and lentils). When you sprout these, they grow new life. Even after a hundred years, pulses will sprout. Nuts and seeds, dried fruits, and dried seaweeds are fine choices, but sprout them or cook them when possible to bring out their aliveness.
» Cook your food. The stagnant energy that comes from exposure to dark and cold can shift with cooking. The same is true for leftovers. We’re all busy people, so we depend on leftovers, but it’s important to heat them up, as this will enliven them. The heating of food increases the speed of the movement of the molecules and their constant motion. Try to eat freshly prepared food as much as possible. Dedicate some time of your day to cooking. Prana-rich food can be simple and quick to prepare.
» Boil your water. Unless you live near a source of pure fresh spring water, your water has stagnated in the plumbing pipes or in bottles. The same is true when you buy superior quality spring water. No matter the source, water stagnates and is improved by boiling.
» Treat your meals as sadhana—spiritual practice. It’s wise to handle and eat food with attention and dedication. Don’t be distracted by computers or television screens, nor get involved in intense conversations when eating. Try not to eat just to console yourself. Gratitude and awareness is a potent spiritual practice around food. So is making it a remembrance by diverting a small portion into an offering. Donate some food to someone else, or to an animal, or put some of the remainder, with intention, into the compost to feed the worms and other critters. That creates a relationship with the prana providing soil. Of course you can formalize this sadhana by making an actual offering to a deity, statue, or picture.

Prana is the flowing alive energy we share with the earth and the cosmos and everything in it. The diminution of prana will cause disease, and death is the prana-less state. These are good reasons to cultivate the prana in your food, your body, and your being. Prana is life, constant flow, and it tastes good too!

Simone de Winter is a longtime Ayurvedic practitioner and founder of Marin Ayurveda in San Rafael. MarinAyurveda.com

In India, ghee is the most esteemed of foods. For centuries it has been used as a cooking fat, a food ingredient, and as a part of herbal medication. It has also been used in ritual—as a symbol of purity, it is offered to the gods, as well as in holy lamps and funeral pyres.

Ghee is the essence of milk. In many of the ancient religious scriptures of India, one can find references to this golden oil, indicating that ghee is superb at nourishing the fires (agni) of digestion and promoting longevity. It was also used in rituals and sacrifice, carrying prayers, mantras, and intentions to feed the gods through feeding the fire, while feeding those higher aspects of ourselves.

What Does Science
Say about Ghee?

So how does ghee nourish the digestion and promote longevity? Let’s look at what our modern chemistry and nutritional science have found out about it.

Ghee is the result of boiling cultured butter, and boiling off the milk solids and water, leaving pure butter fat. Browning the milk solids flavors the ghee, but then they are filtered out.

Since it is a pure fat, as opposed to butter, it is a fine food for those who have trouble digesting lactose, or for those who are allergic to dairy protein (casein). Its predominance in saturated fatty acids makes it shelf stable, meaning that it does not need to be refrigerated. If kept clean it won’t go bad or oxidize—oxidation being what makes a fat a threat to health. Ghee is one of the best high-temperature cooking oils because of its 485 degree smoke point.

Ghee offers many nutritional benefits. It contains short-, medium-, and long-chain fatty acids. It contains vitamins A, D (bone health), E, and K, and is the highest natural source of conjugated linoleic acid, which has cancerfighting properties and helps to stop tumor cell growth. Ghee is also a rich source of butyrate, which revives colon cells, supports healthy inflammatory response, and kills bad bacteria in our intestines, while encouraging the performance of good ones. Ghee supports a strong and lean body, increases energy, lowers cholesterol, makes for a strong digestion by stimulating and balancing the production of stomach acid, and helps to deliver the nutrients from our food to our cells. Of course, ghee is only as good as the milk it comes from. Poorly nourished cows won’t produce nutrient-rich milk, let alone ghee.

Fresh Ghee Is Delicious!

Many people complain about the taste of ghee. This is because its taste changes when it gets older, making it stronger and more pungent. This is not a problem; Ayurveda (the original medical science of India) considers 100-yearold ghee to be very medicinal. But it is definitely a taste that not everyone likes. So buy only fresh ghee, from free-range, grass-fed cows, or make it yourself. There are many videos on YouTube that show how to do it. Freshly made ghee smells and tastes like caramel. Using it to stir-fry your veggies will entice even the most difficult eater to get their FDA recommended serving of vegetables.

Ghee Supports Life

According to Ayurveda, ghee increases the memory and intellect, and it counteracts the drying and aging process of the body, reviving the rasa, the “juice” of the body, our blood plasma, and the mucus membranes. The more “juicy” we are, the more resilient and adaptable. Consider that aging and dying are a process of the drying of our tissues, eventually turning us into dust. So understand the ability of ghee to sustain a long, healthy life, as well as support new life, being a tonic for the expecting mother.

Ghee also nourishes the skin, as in a 100-times-washed ghee, where the ghee is massaged with water a hundred times, leaving a white fatty substance that is used as a cream. And it is used to bathe the eyes, nourishing the optic nerve. Ayurveda uses it as a carrier for medicine, activating the lipid-soluble properties of the plants, and providing fast penetration through the lipid membranes of the cells.

Ghee Is Food for Yogis

Charaka, the author of one of Ayurveda’s ancient textbooks, says: “Ghee is one of the most sattvic and wholesome substances.” Sattvic comes from sattva, one of the three gunas (a yogic concept), the qualities of all in life: sattva, rajas, and tamas. Sattva means purity and peacefulness. Ghee can bring these qualities into our body and mind. One way to absorb these qualities is through the practice of trataka, staring into the golden light of a ghee flame to purify the third eye, to strengthen the vision, and to awaken the light of awareness. Another, of course, is through ingestion. Its purity and nourishing quality brings peace to the body. And there is nothing like the smell of ghee in freshly cooked food to inspire the taste buds and to spark a desire to prepare and eat pure and fresh foods, which are sattvic in nature.

Give Ghee a Chance

Ghee has been part of all aspects of Indian life for many centuries, and is slowly starting to penetrate the Western diet. It has made a great difference for my health, and I remember how much more my children would eat their greens when I started sautéing them in ghee. Give ghee a chance; it’s good stuff.

Simone de Winter has practiced Ayurveda in Marin County for 12 years. Her specialties are digestive health and panchakarma therapy. She has a very earthy and grounded approach to healing and pays close, loving attention to all those she works with. MarinAyurveda.com