PROTECT AGAINST SKIN CANCER

Yes, I know this post has nothing to do with the kitchen and/or food, but it is always timely advice. I lost a friend last year to skin cancer and have another friend who has been in a real battle for months fighting this deadly disease. The thing is skin cancer can so easily be prevented by taking precautions when in the sun. I have never had skin cancer, thank God, but I have survived both breast and colon cancers and currently have an incurable type of leukemia. I strongly encourage you to do everything you can to prevent cancer of any type.

According to researchers in Australia who followed more than 1,600 adults for over a decade, one could reduce the risk of getting melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by 50% by using a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 16 daily on the head, neck, arms, and hands.

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CHOCOLATE AS A SUNSCREEN?

Chocoholics rejoice! According to The Journal of Nutrition dark chocolate is an edible sunscreen. They say eating a half-bar of dark chocolate a day can protect the skin from sun damage. Note: That is only dark chocolate so don't take a box of chocolates with you to the beach. That would be hard on your bikini figure anyway!

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DARK LEAFY GREENS CAN PROTECT SKIN FROM SUN'S DAMAGING RAYS

Dark leafy greens are very good for you for a variety of reasons. Today we focus on cancer protection, especially from the sun's harmful rays and later skin cancer. These greens are rich in antioxidants called carotenoids, which in laboratory studies have shown to inhibit the growth of several cancer cells, ie - skin, mentioned above, but also lung, stomach, and some breast cancers. If dark leafy greens aren't currently in your diet, you definitely need to be adding them. Examples, spinach, kale, romaine and arugula lettuces.

WATER AND SUN

The best way to stay safe in the sun is to avoid it between the hours of 10 AM and 4 PM! Since that is when most of you want to be in the sun, thankfully I am not one of you, there are a few important things to remember:

• #1 - always use sunscreen. Your sunscreen should be SPF 15 or higher and it should be reapplied every few hours.
• #2 - use an SPF lip balm. Remember lips get sunburn too!
• #3 - DRINK LOTS OF WATER!

There are many more precautions but since this is a kitchen medicine blog I wanted to stick mostly with the water issue. It is so easy to become dehydrated when exposed to the sun in the heat of the day or for long periods of time. Be cautious and keep lots of water with you and drink it!

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SOME INFO ON VITAMIN-D

 As you probably know we get vitamin-D from the sun so some of us may not get enough in the winter. Should you take vitamin-D supplements? Check with your doctor first. Taking vitamin-D if you don't need it can be harmful in some ways. Your doctor can perform a simple blood test and if you need vitamin-D you should follow his or her advice.

Are you aware that vitamin-D is not actually a vitamin but is a hormone? According to Leslie Ray Matthews, M.D. a former trauma surgeon and vitamin-D researcher, "Hormones have a whole-body effect and help you interact with your environment". Dr. Matthews continued, "Vitamin-D plays a huge role in helping your body fight off bacteria, fungus, parasites, and viruses." Some signs of vitamin-D deficiency are fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, insomnia, and frequent sinus and/or respiratory problems. Unfortunately, those same symptoms can be caused by many other problems. As stated above, check with your doctor if you think you are low in vitamin-D.