Tag Archives: skincare

  1. What are Endocrine Disruptors and How to Avoid Them

     What are Endocrine Disruptors and How to Avoid Them?  In the spirit of always reminding you that the health of our body goes beyond the food we eat and the supplements we take, I want to take some time to share more about endocrine disrupting chemicals and why you should care. Hormone disruptors can affect the health of our body as much as the food we eat and they can be found not just in our food, but in our skincare and cosmetics, household cleaning products, furniture and more. It can be overwhelming and scary to think about, but I think knowing what they are and why it matters – is the first step to being informed and empowered!

    Before we get into the harmful chemicals the have been shown to interfere with development and reproduction, and may cause serious neurological and immune system effects, I think it’s first really important to go back to basics and chat about what the endocrine system is and the roles it plays in our overall health.

    What is the Endocrine System?

    The endocrine system is comprised of a network of hormones (chemical messengers produced and used by the body) and glands that coordinate and regulate many essential body functions such as:

    • Growth, development and maturation.
    • Metabolism.
    • Behavior.
    • Reproduction and embryo development.
    • Production, use and storage of energy.
    • Balance and maintenance of water and salt (electrolytes) in the body.
    • Reaction to stimuli (e.g., fright, excitement).

    The endocrine system includes the ovaries; the testes; the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, and pituitary glands; the pineal body; the pancreas; as well as cells releasing hormones found in the gastrointestinal tract, kidney, heart and placenta.

    As you can assume, altering these precise and delicate systems in any way can certainly be “playing with fire”, but yet it can happen quite easily on a day-to-day basis when you use “normal” everyday products in your home. Part of what makes endocrine disruptors so threatening is their ubiquitous nature and the fact that for most of us we are exposed to many of these chemicals on the daily.


    (video from The Endocrine Society)

    What are Endocrine Disruptors and Why Should You Care?

    It may be a term you have heard in passing, maybe in regards to plastic bottles or chemicals in your household cleaning products, in our water or food supply. But it can all be confusing. What are the biggest offenders we should be avoiding immediately, where should we begin when trying to clean up our home and personal products, how worried should we be?

    Endocrine disruption is, simply, any disturbance in the proper functioning of hormones in the body due to chemical exposure. Endocrine Disruptors (EDs) or Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) are defined as an exogenous chemical, or mixture of chemicals, that an interfere with any aspect of hormone action.

    The many ways that endocrine disruptors can wreak havoc on our bodies in unending,  interfering with the steps in hormone signaling from increasing the production of certain hormones to decreasing production of others. Some chemicals can mimic hormones by binding to receptors; they can turn one hormone into another; cause too much of a hormone to be produced or released and in some cases they can interfere with hormone signaling blocking the activation of a hormone causing too little of a natural hormone to be produced or circulated. Additionally some chemicals can tell cells to die prematurely; compete with essential nutrients; binding to essential hormones preventing appropriate hormonal processes from taking place; accumulating in organs that produce hormones and so on.

    In fact, the data linking some EDCs or entire classes of EDCs to chronic disease is comparable in strength and breadth to the evidence that links tobacco smoking with lung cancer.

    Commonly we know these chemicals to be found in common household items like plastics and food packaging, fragrances, personal care products, pesticides or herbicides found in food and even our tap water.

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  2. THE DIRTY DOZEN:  12 Harmful Ingredients to Avoid in your Cosmetics and Skincare

     

    I would be willing to bet that, like me, most of you subscribe to the notion – YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. But, I truly feel that we should add to that, YOU ARE WHAT YOU PUT ON, too. The products we apply to our skin, hair, nails and teeth – these can affect our health, just the same as the food we eat.

    Rather than food, today we are talking all about cosmetics, skincare and personal care products. Like my journey with food and nutrition, I got into all of this because I wanted to educate myself and be empowered with the knowledge to make better choices for myself, but I also really want to continue to share what I learn and educate all of you, to give you that same empowerment to navigate this world and most of all – I want to ensure that safer options are accessible to ALL, not just the privileged. Today, I want to share with all of you some of the reasons I have chosen to include all of this in the work I am doing, both on Tasty Yummies and with my one-on-one nutrition and health coaching clients– I want to share WHY I believe we should ALL care about safer skincare, cleaner cosmetics and better personal care products.

    The American dermatological research has shown for over 40 years that it’s not only what we put IN our body that’s absorbed, but also what we put ON it, and the chemicals in cosmetics do way more harm than good to your body.

    U.S. researchers report that one in seven of the 82,000 ingredients used in personal care products are industrial chemicals, including carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, and hormone disruptors. Many products include plasticizers (chemicals that keep concrete soft), degreasers (used to get grime off auto parts), and surfactants (they reduce surface tension in water, like in paint and inks). PLEASE JUST STOP AND THINK ABOUT ALL THAT FOR A MINUTE and imagine what that does to your skin, and to the environment.

    In the US there has not been any major law in beauty product regulation since 1938. In the US there are only 30 banned ingredients in our cosmetics, in Europe there are over 1400!

     

    CYBER MONDAY DEAL:

    Today is the final day to save 15% of ALL Beautycounter products along with FREE shipping on all purchases over $50!! This is a really great way to make the switch, plus there are 4 new limited-edition travel-sized products, that just launched today, which is a great way to dive into the brand!

    THE DIRTY DOZEN:
    12 Harmful Ingredients to Avoid in your Cosmetics and Skincare

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  3. How I Healed My Skin and My Safer Skin Care Routine

    How I Healed My Skin and My Safer Skin Care Routine

    How I Healed My Skin and My Safer Skin Care Routine

    Throughout high school, much of college and to be fully honest, well into my late 20’s and early 30’s, I always struggled with my skin. Chronic hormonal acne, cystic acne, zit beards, backne (if you don’t know, this is short for back acne and it’s totally fun), unexplained breakouts that weren’t exactly pimples and weren’t allergic rashes – ya know, all the usual suspects. I never had a full face of explosive cystic acne that would create an absolutely epic “before” photo for a blog post like this. I generally just wouldn’t allow photos to be taken of me when it was at it’s worst. But, I also cannot really recall a time that I ever had fully “clear” skin. There was always something. I got pretty good at mastering the art of coverup, I tried what seemed like every over-the-counter and prescription creams and gels, took several rounds antibiotics, absolutely terrifying pharmaceuticals (see also: Accutane), I spent money on mineral-based cosmetics and nicer brands. None of it helped.

    My skin has come a very long way.  These days, I am happy to share that I have super clear skin, very few, if any breakouts ever, little to no scarring or residual marks from the years acne and an even, smooth skin tone. I have skin that actually glows. I never thought I’d see the day!

    How I Healed My Skin and My Safer Skin Care Routine

    A rare makeup-free selfie. No filters. No editing.
    Full disclosure: Great lighting. Filled in brows and I have eyelash extensions.
    No makeup on my skin, just washed and pat-dried skin with moisturizer and facial oil.

     

    I know many of you want me to tell you about the one single thing I did to clear my skin. The one magical product that helped my hormonal breakouts. The one way to get rid of cystic acne. Phew, I wish it were that easy. You guys, it’s not. It’s just not quite that simple. But, in this multi-layered approach to healing my skin, each piece is important and likely dependent on the others, but none of it is overly complicated. It’s about being informed and making choices that work for you on a foundational level, so you can be on your way to clearer, more beautiful skin! For good.

    Eating a clean and balanced nutrient-sense, properly-prepared, whole foods based diet, that includes healthy fats and proteins, as well as unrefined, complex carbs and a conscious removal of refined sugars from my diet – this probably was what brought the most drastic improvements on my quest to heal my skin. Beyond that initial shift,  I would say addressing my digestion on a foundational level, healing my gut and dealing with underlying dysfunction and dysbiosis, this was equally as, if not more, important to the equation. Finally, getting rid of toxic, skincare products and cosmetics, this was the last piece to the puzzle, to allow my skin to truly shine and glow, to reduce uneven skin tones, acne scars and blemish marks, dark spots and reducing the fine lines that come with age. I cannot emphasize enough that what you put ON your body is just as important as what you put IN your body.

    It Starts in the Gut

    Why Our Gut Affects Our Skin 

    When our digestive system is working properly, and our guts are in peak working condition, we give our bodies the chance to actually absorb, assimilate and utilize all of the important nutrients from the nutrient-rich, whole foods we consume. All those nutrients are distributed to different areas in our bodies, to the various systems and organs, of these important recipients is the largest organ in the body – our skin.

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  4. How-to Refresh and Hydrate Your Skin with Homemade Infused Face Mists

    How-to Refresh and Hydrate Your Skin with Homemade Infused Face Mists

    How-to Refresh and Hydrate Your Skin with Homemade Infused Face Mists

    Looking fresh faced and glowy in the dead of summer is challenging. With the heat comes the drab makeup and the blah, dehydrated skin. In the sweltering dead of summer heat, nothing feels quite like a refreshing face mist. Spritzing your face with a homemade infused face mist is cooling and refreshing on a hot day, post workout or as a pick-me-up for that mid-afternoon drop off.

    Face mists make your skin less dull and more dewy, providing additional benefits from the botanicals you select for infusing. Traditionally with facial mists that are hydrosol distillations that include the essence of botanicals and endure an involved distillation process. While some store-bought versions use this method, many can also contain synthetic fragrances, alcohol, or other ingredients that can cause dryness and irritation.

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