Sunscreens confuse me. They’re full of toxins…should I bother with it at all? Zinc? Invisible zinc (oooh, but the nano-particles?!)…You too? Good. I did some scouting, asked experts and here’s what I found…just in time for Australia Day!!

photo via bauhaus

A lot of the sunscreens out there do NOT protect us against harmful UV rays, plus they can contain chemicals that affect our hormones, damage our skin, and sometimes increase the risks of skin cancer. Oh, the tedious, messy, modern-life irony of it all! Today’s post is going to try to get to the bottom of the sunscreens that are purposeful AND harmless.

However, my advice, first and foremost, is:

don’t use sunscreen

Covering up with a hat and clothing, and not staying out in the sun too long, is the best tact. No chemicals, no “stuff” and far more economical. But also (and, yes, I know it goes against how we were raised)…

Getting sun, without sunscreen, is actually good. Better than good actually. Recent studies reveal that people who spend more time outdoors without getting sunburnt, actually decrease their risk of developing melanoma. The benefits of Vitamin D exposure (which can only be reaped without sunscreen) actually protect against many types of cancer; including breast, colon, endometrial, esophageal, ovarian, bladder, gallbladder, gastric, pancreatic, prostate, rectal, and renal cancers, as well as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Indeed, more people die of Vitamin D deficiency-based cancers than from melanoma. I’ve written about it previously here.

Get sun every day, but only for 20-40 minutes at a time and, if you’re in Australia, before 10am and after 5pm.

Just don’t get burnt. (In countries with less harsh sunlight, any time of day is fine for sun…and in fact advisable by many doctors these days.)

I get sun every day. BUT I never stay out sunbaking. AND I stay out of the sun in the middle of the day. I personally wear sunscreen ONLY if I’m outside longer than 20 minutes in the middle of the day…the sun here is just too strong. I share below which one. So. If you use sunscreen…

zinc oxide is best

Sunscreens come in two forms:

• physical sunscreens, containing either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which form a film on top of the skin that reflects or scatters UV light. 

These are your best option.

• chemical sunscreens, which absorb UV rays before they can do damage.

The Environmental Protection Agency‘s graph below features chemical and physical sunscreen ingredients, as well as the type and amount of ray protection that they provide and their class. Note how zinc oxide fares.

don’t want zinc? what next?

If you’re going for a chemical sunscreen, you need to know this:

Our own dreams are the most fascinating things ever. Other people’s dreams? Hmmm, not so much. For this post, I asked Jo to interview a dream interpreter. I’ve written about dreams before (and how you can use them to train yourself for tough decisions)…scroll to the bottom for a special reader offer. But, now, over to you Jo….

photo via happy blogger

Weird dreams that don’t make sense? Who better to ask about them than someone who spends their days as a dream analyst, therapist, and alchemist. I chatted to Jane Anderson about some weird and wonderful dreams a few of us have been having lately…

q. Sarah and I were talking. She has ‘breast-stroking through the air’ dreams. What’s the deal?

Sarah describe it like this: “I’m usually chased and have to springboard off precarious surfaces – like tree limbs or balcony bannisters to get “traction”…I have to breaststroke for hours, trying to keep off the ground, and trying to get “traction” from the air.”

 Jane: You feel that aspects of your practical life are precarious, and respond to this by exploring ideas you’d like to get off the ground. You’re working hard at this but your efforts may be unconsciously more driven by escaping practical issues than finding solutions for them. You may feel that you springboard from one precarious situation to another, but you always hope that this time hard work and the right mental approach will save the day. To manifest ideas, to make them happen, we need the right balance between mind and body, between developing ideas and establishing practicalities.

[Actually rings very true - Sarah]

q. Your job is to investigate and interpret dreams. How did you get into that?

Jane: My curiosity grew throughout my years at university studying science where I specialised in developmental neurophysiology – how the brain interprets the world. In the end, it was a leap of faith, driven by passion, that got me into this field.

q. This reader dreams about wolves…?

The reader asked: “Wolves howl at my bedroom window. I think I’m safe because they’re outside, but they howl for ages, and

After my post about why the paleo diet works, and then my coconut flour post, one of the biggest requests I’ve had is: what can I eat for breakfast if I’m grain-free, sugar-free? You ask, I oblige…here’s a glorious host  of options for you to try from bloggers and tweeters and from my own archives. Hope it helps.

PS My personal favourites are the turnip bake and the “corn cakes”…clever!

PPS For my previous paleo breakfast ideas (nut balls, egg + spinach in a cup etc)  go here and here and here.

berry crumble-top muffins, recipe below

blueberry crumble top muffins

From Maria at RestCo: This recipe uses both coconut and almond flour. It is best to make these a day ahead and let the flavors meld overnight. Baked goods made with coconut flour taste best completely cooled.

In a food processor or kitchen mixer process the following wet ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup birch sugar (or sweetener of choice)
• 2t vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4t salt
• 1/4t baking soda
• 1/2T cinnamon
• a few grates of nutmeg

Welcome to week four! For many of you, it’s your second week of life completely devoid of sugar…how are you feeling? Noticing any changes in your body? Moods?

Via Trendhunter

But first, some housekeeping:

• if you’re enjoying the detox process and want to take it further…Nutritionist Michele Chevalley Hedge is running a four-day Cleanse & Nourish Retreat in Byron late April. Find the details here. I’ll be dropping in for sure!
• A gentle reminder to get on board with me for FebFast. Join my team or donate here. I VERY much endorse quitting booze if you’re quitting sugar…it will make the process easier. And while you’re on a righteous roll…!
• I’m giving away 60 packs of sugar free The Muesli (worth $20)..it involves a quick questionnaire…details here…the offer ends THIS Wednesday COB.
• And, yes, finally, we’re going to do a webinar next Monday January 30 at 6:30pm.

You’ll need to join via my I Quit Sugar facebook page here 

But back to cravings and crankiness…I found some info this week that backs up my approach (and which I really implore everyone to observe):

Don’t push it. We’re experimenting, people. Everything’s cool.

Some of you are feeling guilty about giving in and lapsing. Like I’ve said before, not a problem. Sit. Observe what the cake or the chocolate or whatever did to your mood, your mouth, your vibe. And move on.

Some of you are also getting a bit fretty about whether you’re doing things “right”…all I can say is, Yep, you are (if you’re conscious of your habits now). And keep asking questions. The comments forum is proving a festy petri dish of tips and advice. Wade in!

Just quickly, I cam across this factoid during the week, which I find interesting:

An estimated 70 per cent of Americans do not consume sufficient nutrients – due to the amount of refined and processed foods eaten. Can you believe it??? Modern malnutrition, hey. Esteemed wellness guru Dr. Joel Fuhrman says malnutrition is what causes us to crave certain food. He says  to stop the “addictive drives and perverted cravings” we suffer from, it is essential to restore nutritional excellence.

Happy Friday! To continue our summer Friday giveaways, I have a pretty special offer this week, particularly for everyone quitting sugar at the moment:

60 x 450g bags of The Muesli

This stuff is the best of the no-added sugar muesli on the market that I could find and I mention it in I Quit Sugar. The only sugar in the muesli is from the 5 nuts, 4 seeds, oats & coconut (hoorah! fructose-free!). Fitness nut, mum and TV producer Emma invented the range after chatting with her friend, celeb trainer Donna Aston, about the dire state of breakfast options for people wanting to be fructose-free and get real results from their diet. A very sound philosophy! You can buy direct online or at many health food shops and cafes. And PS, they have a gluten-free version as well and are running a 2-for-1 offer right now.

* To get your hands on one of these bags (worth $16.50, plus postage) subscribe to my I Quit Sugar newsletter here by COB AEST today (Friday). Or, if you prefer, sign up to my weekly newsletter here.

* If you’re already subscribed, subscribe a friend.

* I’ll be sending a little note out over the weekend with details of how to be in the running. Stay tuned!

* Sadly this offer is only available to Australian residents!

things to try with the muesli

I get more questions about breakfast ideas than just about anything else on this blog…so here’s some stuff to do with The Muesli…

Did you catch this NYT article by Dominique Browning on why women like being alone? And men don’t, especially after a break-up? It’s interesting…

image via weheartit.com

Browning describes the time she fell over at home and couldn’t move. She lived alone. She had that thought I’ve had often: I could die here and no one would know. It got her thinking about a whole heap of generalities to do with choosing to live alone (which women love and men don’t, she claims). Here’s a few:

Most men seem unable to live alone for longer than, say, at the outside … three months.

Most single women I know really love their lives.

And this, which I really do agree with:

Sometimes we suffer pangs of loneliness, sometimes we ache for the companionship of that mythic soul mate, but mostly we cherish our independence. We love doing whatever we want to do, when we want to do it.

Women alone eat breakfast at 11 if we feel like it, lunch at 3 and dinner never if that’s the way the day is winding down. Single women do not worry about cooking unless we want to. And we don’t want to unless we like to.

My friend Louise shared this quote with me over Christmas:

what’s for you won’t pass you by

Via FieldCandy

I find it of great comfort. We don’t have to try so hard. Sit back. What is perfect for you will come. Trust life and it’s myriad forces that operate behind the scenes.

I have tended to push way too hard. But I push, I’m often resisting, blocking…why else would it require that I push? I forget that the best things in my life have come when I’ve sat back still and knowing and trusting and magnificent (!) and let things flow in and towards me. So reminders are good.

I also came across this letter from John Steinbeck to his son in 1958, from the book Steinbeck: A Life in Letters. It is another reminder.

The teenager tells Dad he’s in love. Steinbeck’s advice is so sound and caring and helpful (for the full version of the letter, go here).

I’ve mentioned on twitter that I’ve been making bone broth and some of you asked for the details. And so I oblige!  I’ve become a big fan for a bunch of overwhelming reasons I’ll outline below. Sally Fallon introduced me to the stuff in Nourishing Traditions and since then I’ve followed a community of people who can’t stop raving about it. A lot of nutritionists steer their clients to simply drink bone broth. That’s it. The stuff is so full of good stuff…who needs supplements?

Mushrooms in bone broth recipe below, via The Nourished Kitchen

Making it is easy and cheap, albeit not very attractive. See the pics below, or this from Sally Fallon when describing the final stages of cooking: “You will now have a pot of rather repulsive-looking brown liquid containing globs of gelatinous and fatty material. It doesn’t even smell particularly good.”

Nice. But regardless…

I buy the bones from the farmer at the farmer’s market for $2 a bag. But if you’re not near a farmer’s market, your butcher will sell some to you (or give them to you!).

I make a batch and freeze it for soups and stews (in 500ml containers) and also in 200ml serves to drink as a soup, or to use for braising veggies (instead of using oil). You basically use it as you would stock, but it’s richer, more gelatinous and more nutritious.

Here’s a bit of a cheat sheet (if Sally hasn’t scared you off)!

Bone Broth: the deal

Bone broth is like normal stock but made with big, cheap bones which are simmered for a very long time (24 hours-plus).  At the end of cooking, a stack of minerals have leached from the bones and into the broth that the bones crumble when pressed lightly.

Why would you?

Because it is soooo good for you.

1. Our immune systems love it.

It’s rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and other trace minerals, which are easily absorbable, thus assisting the immune system.  Mark’s Daily Apple has a great article breaking down all the nutrients found in bone broth.

It’s week three. The time is now. No more run ups…

 we’re going cold turkey…no more sugar!

Image by Takaya Hanayuishi

First up, though, some housekeeping:

* On Friday I invited you all to join FebFast (quit booze for February and raise $ for charity). It’s a good time to drop the booze if you’ve just quit sugar. It will help with the cravings and the detox process.

* A reminder to those of you with blogs. You may want to join the IQS affiliate program, and make $6 for yourself off every ebook you sell through your site. Stupidly simply and I’ve sent out hundreds of dollars to some of you who’ve got on board. You can read more and sign up here.

* Ten great sugar quitters won a copy of Lee Holmes’ Supercharged Food from last Friday’s giveaway: Carlie C,  Emma, Rachel G, Sue S, Mademoselle Slimalicious, Jess J, Tara S, Kathie R, Sarah R, Kris B. Hoorah to you and big thanks for your tips!

But now. In my IQS book I outline what foods to cut out… and why. But today we might do a little reality check session of how much sugar you’ve actually been eating.

Hopefully you’re boldly replacing sugar with fat and protein from today. It takes some getting used to and you might notice different hunger levels. Find them interesting and move with them. For example. I often get a sugar craving after lunch. As many of you know, I eat a tablespoon or two of coconut oil to quash this…which then leaves me STUFFED until dinner. At first I found this disconcerting…now I find it a godsend. No afternoon snacking is freedom.

Something that helped me when I was quitting was to get real about how much sugar I’d really been eating.

EVERYONE I meet tells me they “don’t really eat much sugar”. Which I find kinda FUNNY. Somebody’s got to be eating all that sugar!

When I chat with people about what they mean by not much they describe a breakfast of muesli and low-fat yoghurt, juice, some honey in their tea…”you know, just natural sugar”. And so on.

Yep, by now you know: sugar is sugar, whether it comes in a Coke or an apple; arsenic is “natural”, doesn’t mean we eat it; etc, etc, etc.

But how much sugar – natural or otherwise – have you been eating? Have you been kidding yourself you don’t eat much?

I had. So I sat down with pen and paper and added up the exact number of teaspoons of the stuff I was eating. It was shocking.

This week, try it. It’s a good reminder as to why you’re doing this. Being real helps.

To do this:

* look on the food label at “serving size”. Then divide the number of grams by 4 to get the number of teaspoons.

* remember to subtract the first 4.7g of sugar in dairy products (this is lactose, which contains no fructose)

If you’re currently quitting sugar* – or if you’re not, but would like to do SOMETHING to get your health back on flowing tracks – you’ll like this poke up the bum I’m about to give you:

join me in ditching alcohol in February

Yes, just one month. Actually, 29 days this year. Which is exactly enough time for your liver to regrouprefocus, that bloating to go, your skin to clear and your focus to get sharp.

image via 'break out'

For the past few years I’ve done FebFast. I’m now the patron of the national charity, which challenges people to send their grog on a holiday to raise money to help young Australians overcome alcohol, drug and mental health problems.  Find out more here.

My job as patron is to get you on board to abstain from drinking for the month. For your health. For your esteem. For your wallet. For the good of our community. For making a difference.

If you’re keen to join my team, and quit booze, click the button below.

Type in “sarahw” as the password.

Then you’ll need to contact all your mates to sponsor you. For the past three years Team Sarah Wilson has topped the fundraising ladder (and already we’re perched up there!).

Or you can choose to just sponsor me, here.

Just kick in what you can afford.

If you’re currently on the see-saw of ‘should I/shouldn’t I’, let’s see if this helps:

• Eliminating alcohol from your diet is a quick way to lose weight. One beer is the caloric equivalent of a meat pie. Two glasses of champagne is one fifth of your recommended energy intake for a day. Ouch!