Is Your Sunscreen Only Skin Deep? [Enjoy the Sun from the Inside Out]

It’s summertime! And for most of us that means longer days, spending more time outdoors (hopefully) near the water, chasing after some “healthy” color, hiking, biking, swimming, tennis-ing (is that a word?), outdoor yoga-ing, golfing, gardening, and in general, moving our bodies to the lively beat of summer.

And while the delicious warmth of the summer sun feels wonderful on our skin after winter hibernation, we must take care of our largest organ (our skin)! I don’t think any of us wants to star in a come-back series of those dancing raisins.

Remember those? (we collected those little raisin figurines!)

Many people are already familiar with the ABC’s or shall we say, ACE’s of healthy skin. Vitamins A, C and E are important for reducing free radical damage often seen from over exposure to the sun or pollution. But skin care does not exist by vitamins alone! You also need minerals and those micro-nutrients found in natural, plant-based sources.

So, enjoy summer, eat (or drink) your greens, and take care of your beautiful, ageless skin!

Each recipe is full of love-your-skin goodness. If you don’t have a juicer, you can certainly blend these in your blender and then squeeze the liquid through a triple layer of cheesecloth to remove some of the fiber.

Or…you can leave the fiber in. That’s completely up to you! Yes, fiber is good for you and yes, too much of a good thing is not always a good thing! Adjust the juice based on your own body and how it reacts.

Typically, I’ll juice a full week of my greens and freeze them in mason jars. Don’t fill the jars to the top and leave some room for expansion as it freezes.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…doesn’t freezing it remove the very nutrients we’re trying to get?

And the answer is yes…a small percentage. However, in the greater scheme of things, I would much rather do the juicing and cleanup just once a week rather than every morning because face it, if you have a big cleanup every morning you will most likely stop juicing and thus get 0% of those precious nutrients!

It’s a personal choice; choose what works for you and your lifestyle!

Ready…here are the recipes!

This is a very light, refreshing juice and tastes best when it’s super-cold! Cucumbers are a source of silica which is great for your skin and the body’s connective tissues. Other foods rich in silica are: banana, strawberries, mango, oats, millet, barley, garbanzo beans, sprouts, green beans, leeks, celery, asparagus, bell peppers, and rhubarb.

Combine in a blender:

• 2 lg Cucumbers (I scrub them to remove any wax or pesticides, but don’t peel them)
• 10 Mint Leaves
• Juice from 2 Limes
• 2 cups Water
• 2 cups Ice
• 1T Agave or Honey
• Dash of Sea Salt (for the minerals)

Line a strainer with 3-4 single layers of cheesecloth. Place the strainer over a bowl to collect the liquid. Pour the mixture from your blender into the strainer. As it slows down, gather up the cheesecloth and squeeze. Or, if you prefer, drink as-is without straining.

Carrots are full of Vitamin A which loves your skin! Vitamin A promotes proper repair and maintenance of the skin. Other foods rich in Vitamin A are: liver, chili peppers, apricots, collard greens, kale, spinach, sweet potatoes and cantaloupe.

Um…I don’t recommend liver shakes…just sayin!

There is some research about the benefits of carrots which suggests carrots provide a sort of sunscreen from the inside out.

Some carrot juice recipes add in other vegetables (like oranges and yellow tomatoes); however, I find carrots to be very sweet and enjoy them alone.

Simply run a bunch of carrots through your juicer…it’s that simple!

I don’t freeze carrot juice because when I tried it the taste was altered (meaning yucky!). Instead, I’ll juice just enough to drink within the week (3-5 days). Store the juice in a glass jar in your refrigerator.