Out of all the beauty products out there, oils are the one thing I love the most. I put them everywhere: from the top of my head to help with psoriasis to my ass to my feet. I’m a real oil connoisseur.
Do you remember when oils were the enemy? At 15 years old, I remember slathering baby oil (I know, that one is not great) all over my face because even back then I had super dry skin. Facial oils have come a loooong way since then.
Today I want to share a new oil that I have been using and it’s quickly become my favorite: Squalane oil.
I was using a Squalane Oil that I really liked, but being the beauty guinea pig that I am, I wanted to explore others that are out there. And that led me down the rabbit hole of the different kinds of squalane oil. There are two different kinds: those derived from olives and those derived from sugarcane. I checked the one I had been using, and it’s derived from oilves.
Which one is better? Simply put, the squalane derived from sugarcane is ‘better’.
Olives contain a small amount of squalene, which gets more and more concentrated in the various steps of olive oil processing until it’s finally recovered from olive oil’s final production waste and turned into squalane. Sounds like a great way to re-purpose waste, right? Not quite. The problem with olive oil-derived squalane is that the multi-step olive oil processing—along with the environmental conditions under which the olives are grown—can create inconsistent quality. {via}
Sugarcane is a heartier crop than olives, and is more pure, higher quality and a better ingredient. It is easy to formulate with, readily biodegradable and has a very stable supply. {via}
After researching the best sugarcane-based squalane oils, I went with
With the way the world is right now, wellness is at the top of a lot of people’s minds. I recorded a podcast to share how my wellness routine has evolved…like which wellness routines, products, and hacks I am sticking to on a daily basis.
Here are a couple of the things I talk about in the episode:
Getting outside everyday
When California first went under stay-at-home orders, I kind of felt frozen and didn’t get out much. As the months went on and my gym was closed, I begrudgingly started to run outside. At first, I hated it. SO MUCH. But now, it’s one of the best parts of my day. I found a couple of spots I love in my neighborhood; both open spaces that are so peaceful. Breathing in fresh air and being in nature has been so grounding for me. I usually start off by listening to a meditation and then I do my HIIT run for about 45 minutes.
It’s addicting in the best way.
Some of the benefits of being in nature on the daily:
Red light therapy is also known as RLT, photobiomodulation (PBM), low level light therapy (LLLT), biostimulation, and photonic stimulation or light box therapy.
Red light therapy uses specific wavelengths of light to accomplish various outcomes.
Studies have shown that different wavelengths affect the body in different ways, and the most effective wavelengths of red light seem to be between 650-850 nm.
These specific wavelengths of red light create a biochemical affect in our cells that serves to increase mitochondrial function. This improves ATP (adenosine triphosphate) production in the body.
Why should that matter?
ATP is the source of energy for every cell in the body. Without it, we don’t function at all. Without enough of it, we don’t function well.
When your red light(s’s wavelengths range is between 650-850, the light penetrates about 8-10 millimeters into the skin which can positively affect all skin layers, blood vessels, lymphs, and hair follicles.
These are all evidence-based benefits:
♡ Beneficial for skin to reduce eczema, rosacea, and acne
♡ Stimulates slow healing wounds.
♡ Helps fade scars and stretch marks.
♡ Can prevent recurring cold sores, or herpes simplex.
♡ Red light activates the lymphatic system for potentially improved detoxification.
♡ It helps to repair sun damage.
♡ Helps with sleep.
Personally I have noticed that I am getting WAY better sleep and I feel more energized in the morning using red light bulbs. The only lights in our bedroom are red, so if the lights are on, they are red and we only use them at night and just allow the natural sunlight to provide light during the day.
Adrenal cocktail
What if I told you there is a cocktail that could make you feel better? Ok, it’s a MOCKTAIL, but it’s just as good. The adrenal cocktail provides energy while helping to offset stress and even infections.
It’s called the Adrenal Cocktail because it caters to your adrenals. The adrenal gland is located just above the kidneys and is vital for regulating different hormone levels including cortisol, aldosterone and adrenaline. These hormones control the body’s energy levels, including the ability to increase your blood pressure or heart rate to respond to stressful situations. When these hormones aren’t balanced, you can feel tired and stressed. {via}
Managing your hormone levels is so important and drinking this fabulous cocktail has so many benefits on top of managing stress. I tell you the full recipe on the podcast!
What if I told you there is a cocktail that could make you feel better? Ok, it’s a MOCKTAIL, but it’s just as good. The adrenal cocktail provides energy while helping to offset stress and even infections.
So before I get into the recipe, here’s some info on adrenals + biochemistry…
The adrenal gland is located just above the kidneys and is vital for regulating different hormone levels including cortisol, aldosterone and adrenaline. These hormones control the body’s energy levels, including the ability to increase your blood pressure or heart rate to respond to stressful situations. When these hormones aren’t balanced, you can feel tired and stressed. {via}
Managing your hormone levels is so important and drinking this fabulous cocktail has so many benefits on top of managing stress.
Ok, so what’s in the Adrenal Cocktail?
There are many different recipes out there, but this is my go-to. The adrenal cocktail is a concoction of essential vitamins and minerals to support the adrenals on a foundational level. Here’s what you’ll need:
Fresh tangerine juice: Or orange. I prefer tangerine because it’s more tangy and I love the sour-sweet flavor. Tangerines and oranges have very similar mineral contents and both are packed with Vitamin C which is an essential nutrient especially in a time of stress. Vitamin C also boosts the immune system.
Full fat coconut cream: The stable, saturated fatty acids in coconut milk helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and provide your body with the energy it needs. I use Whole Foods’ 365 organic unsweetened coconut cream.
Whitesea salt (Fleur de Sel if we’re getting really specific)- Despite common belief, salt and iodine are essential nutrients. The minerals are essential electrolytes, which are critical in energy production, blood pressure, and adrenal function. I use Fleur de Sel salt because it is the purest form of salt you can get. It contains absolutely no gypsum or other impurities from the sea. Plus it tastes far superior than your typical sea salt.
I highly recommend drinking this adrenal cocktail in your favorite cocktail glass. Because why not?
When do drink the adrenal cocktail
The typical advice is to take the adrenal cocktail twice a day around 10 am and then at 2 or 3 pm. Why? Because these are the times when the adrenals are depleted of minerals and need to be replenished.
The new year is here and it’s the perfect time to detox your products – from the kitchen to your vanity.
Greenwashing is something I’ve been wanting to write about for a long time. I learned about the term around the time I downloaded Think Dirty – if you are into learning about the ingredients found in your favorite products, you HAVE to download this app.
Anyway. If you’re wondering WTF greenwashing is, essentially it means that a company claims that a product is environmentally friendly when it is not.
Let’s dig a little deeper, k?
Story time…
I had recently downloaded the Think Dirty App and went around my house scanning items to see how toxic (or not) they were. One of the worst products I scanned was Mrs. Meyers hand wash – the scent was Rose. The rating came back from Think Dirty and it was NOT GOOD. I proceeded to look at other Mrs. Meyers scents and products and they were all on varying levels of being toxic.
What’s cool about Think Dirty is that it provides non-toxic alternatives for your favorite products that are “dirty”. So I swapped out Mrs. Meyers for Puracy products and LOVE them.
Cambridge Dictionary says greenwashing is designed “to make people believe that your company is doing more to protect the environment than it really is.”
There are countless other case studies across all industries though – those that are not sustainable/are toxic, and serve as examples of greenwashing — like the meat mega-giant Tyson, who got busted for false claims about antibiotic-free chickens. Or the fossil fuel giant BP (who changed their name to Beyond Petroleum and put solar panels on their gas stations) and then got called out for their green misdirection, and of course Coke, who has been accused of greenwashing through ‘natural’ sugar claims that it started marketing as a way to attract more health-conscious consumers.
There are a few tried and true (and super obvious) tactics that companies that partake in greenwashing use. Think of them as signs to stay the fuck away. Here are a few to look out for when you’re shopping:
When the color green is used on packaging
If you’ve seen the color green to imply that a product is ‘green’, you’ve seen greenwashing. Like a photo or illustration of a leaf, for example. They think you’re stupid and they’re succeeding. I say that because I fell for it, too! It doesn’t make us stupid though. The best way to know for sure is to read the ingredients list to see for yourself. Many times you’ll see an ingredients list full of shitty chemicals with the illustrated leaf. It’s a bunch of bullshit.
Use of the word “vegan”
Vegan literally means that animal products are not used. Great. That gives way for a million other chemicals to be used. It does not mean that a product is safe and healthy for use.
Omitting material information
Many labels stake “free of” claims, making them sound enticing in comparison to other products that may contain said compounds and chemicals. However, a particular ingredient can still be deceptively toxic if the product, package, or service contains or uses a substance that poses similar environmental risks. This tactic is especially stealthy, as it requires that we as consumers do more extensive ingredient research.
What we can do to combat greenwashing…
The best thing that you can do is check labels diligently. On food, on beauty products, kitchen products, etc. One big one to look out for is added fragrance and color additives. Those are the easiest to spot, but if your’e wondering about a particular ingredient listed, do further research on it before making your purchase. I’ve also begun researching companies, their CEO’s, their investors, and where they source their materials and ingredients. This information is so telling. AKA: follow the money.
Lastly, download Think Dirty as the app goes over all ingredients used and their safety.
A smoothie packed with raw almond butter (and fruit and greens) was my go-to breakfast for years because I thought that I was properly fueling my body – ya know, getting in those ‘good’ fats and nutrients from fruits and veggies. There was one big problem…I dealt with stomach aches almost daily after consuming these smoothies. But I chalked it up to anxiety at the time.
It wasn’t until long after I stopped drinking smoothies that I know the real culprit of the stomach aches.
DUN DUN DUN…NUTS. Specifically, the ALMOND BUTTER.
Now, I didn’t stop eating almond butter or nuts for that matter after I quit the smoothies until a few months ago. And yeah, each time I would eat a substantial amount of almond butter (like 2+ tablespoons), I would get a stomach ache. Still chalked it up to a side effect of anxiety.
And then I came across Dr. Raymond Peat’s work. Ray is a biologist who specializes in hormonal and metabolic health and his approach on nutrition and lifestyle is very different from all the mainstream media views and fads.
When I first started looking at his research on dairy specifically, I was a little skpetical because what he was saying was so contrary to lots of what I’d learned before. But I leaned in to the triggering approach and applied some of the lifestyle recommendations to my life. And they worked. And they’re still working. Ray Peat challenges you to be a critical thinker when it comes to mainstream advice and in general to start thinking for yourself and not just to follow blindly what mainstream media and governments tell us to do.
Back to the nuts.
I read Ray Peat’s research on the negative effects of nuts and then I dove in deeper and explored other outlets and research. I was so.fucking.relieved to realize that my stomach aches were due to the nut intake. Not that I am glad about having had them, but I knew why and it wasn’t from anxiety. I haven’t had one since the last day I consumed a heavy dose of nuts. Side note: yeah, I’ve had some nuts here and there and ate a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup or two recently. 😉 I just don’t go out of my way to eat them now.
Ok, if you’re like, ‘come on Lynn, just get to the damn point’ – here are 3 reasons to re-think your nut (and seed!) intake.
Nuts and seeds contain high levels of the wrong fats
So many people believe nuts and seeds are a great source of protein, which in truth, they are anywhere from only 5% to 30% protein. {via} The rest of the nuts and seeds calories come from fat. Personally I have never been scared of eating fats. Have you ever heard the very true saying, “fats don’t make you fat”? However… I am against the anti-metabolic polyunsaturated fats (PUFA’s). Ray Peat also has a ton of information of PUFA’s that I highly recommend reading, which covers what they are, what they’re in, etc. PUFA’s are commonly found in soy, corn, legumes, AND nuts and seeds. The PUFA’s in nuts and seeds are actually used as protection toward hungry animals and from the cold winter weather. However, what is protective to the seed has been shown to be toxic to humans.
According to Dr. Ray Peat:
“Polyunsaturated oils defend the seeds from the animals that would eat them, the oils block the digestive enzymes in the animals’ stomachs. In addition, seeds and nuts are designed to germinate in early spring, so their energy stores must be accessible when the temperatures are cool, and they normally don’t have to remain viable through the hot summer months. Unsaturated oils are liquid when they are cold, and this is necessary for any organism that lives at low temperatures. These oils easily get rancid (spontaneously oxidizing) when they are warm and exposed to oxygen. When the oils are stored in our tissues, they are much warmer, and more directly exposed to oxygen, than they would be in the seeds, and so their tendency to oxidize is very great. These oxidative processes can damage enzymes and other parts of cells, and especially their ability to produce energy (cellular respiration).”
Raw nuts contain phytoestrogens.
Phytoestrogens are molecules from plants that resemble the body’s natural estrogen, but do not quite match it. This means that they sit at estrogen receptor sites. Sometimes they increase estrogenic activity – depending on the type of estrogen receptor present in this kind of tissue, say, in this case, the skin – and sometimes they increase it, like in the ovaries.
In either case, eating a lot of nuts can negatively impact female hormone balance. It’s worth noting at this point that combining phytoestrogenicity (this is not a real word) with inflammation is a big problem for menstrual cramps. If you have trouble with cramping and regularly eat nuts, they may be to blame. {via}
Nuts are Trypsin Inhibitors
Nuts and seeds contain trypsin inhibitors. Trypsin inhibitors, like phytates, are anti-nutrients. Their function is to protect the seeds of plants from insects by blocking enzyme function. Just another protective mechanism mother nature has given seeds and nuts. These trypsin inhibitors prevent protease enzymes from digesting protein in the human digestive tract. Therefore, the little bit of protein you may think you are getting from your nuts and seeds may not even be digested. {via}
Ok, now for a medical disclaimer: I am just sharing my experiences and my research here and what works for me – this might not work for you, so please don’t take it as medical advice – instead educate yourself and figure out a lifestyle that supports your optimal health and happiness. I just wanted to share it since my life changed a lot to the better ever since I started to follow my gut (literally), intuition, and research.
