Summer’s here and in Only Natural we have lots of great products and advice to help you through the warm season and to help you make the most of that sun holiday you’ve been looking forward to.
Detox time???????
Many of us think of doing a detox after Christmas during a surge of New Year’s fervor and, while that may be no harm at all, I’ve always thought that this time of year might be a better detox time. For one thing, with local fruits and fresh green vegetables being so much more abundant while we’re more naturally inclined to eat lightly for a while, it makes sense to use that for a bit of a cleanse. We’re also more ready to be physically active right now which can also help to throw toxins off and aid the renewal process. So if you can forgo the beers with the barbecue for a week or two it’s the ideal time for a cleanse and check out our product review for the month if you feel you could use some help with this.
If you’d like to shed a few pounds for summer there’s also natural help in that direction.
Green tea can be a wonderful metabolism booster and can be taken in capsule form or drunk as matcha powdered green tea (I don’t think green tea in teabag form is potent enough!).
Solgar Tonalin CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is derived from safflower oil and is a source of the essential fatty acid linoleic acid. Studies show that it can help with weight management by encouraging the conversation of stored body fat to energy in conjunction with a sensible exercise regime.
Garcinia Cambogia is a tropical fruit available in supplement form and studies have shown that it can curb food cravings, possibly due to its ability to increase seratonin, while also inhibiting a fat producing enzyme called citrate lease thus stopping carbohydrates turning into fats.
Enjoy the sun but take care. Make the most of the good weather to naturally boost your Vitamin D supplies and feel the benefits that outdoor exercise, be it walking, running or playing your favorite sport, can bring but be sure to use sun screen whenever you’re exposed. Look for natural products from brands like Optima, Jason and Green People to minimize ingesting chemicals through the skin and possible allergic skin reactions.
Also consider taking an Astaxanthin supplement. Astaxanthin is a carotenoid which has been hailed as a ‘ sunscreen in a pill! ‘ It appears to have remarkable skin health properties, helping to prevent wrinkles, age spots, dry skin and freckles as well as helping with sun protection. It’s actually produced by a microorganism haematococcus pluvialis to protect itself from the damaging effects of sunlight when the water it lives in dries up. When we ingest Astaxanthin in supplement form it seems that we reap the same benefit. Sunburn is an inflammatory process and it seems that Astaxanthin blocks that inflammation. As it’s also reputed to have cardiovascular, blood sugar balancing, immune stimulating and anti cancer properties I’d say that was a whole raft of reasons to take it quite apart from getting a healthy tan!
If you suffer from hayfever it’s not too late to treat it with natural anti histamine supplements such as Viridian‘s Quercitin B5 complex capsules, a combination of natural anti allergic, anti histamine ingredients including nettle, chamomile, bromelain, pine bark and Quercetin. Viridian’s Bilberry with Eyebright capsules have helped many who suffer primarily with eye problems at this time and Nelson’s Polenna is a gentle homoeopathic remedy for hayfever symptoms generally.
To keep biting insects at bay either at home or abroad why not try a B1 (thiamine) supplement. Some studies suggest that taking large doses of this vitamin is effective in reducing mosquito bites. This safe vitamin apparently produces a skin odour that is not detectable by humans but is disagreeable to mosquitoes. It seems to be especially effective for hypersensitive, allergic individuals. Thiamine takes about two weeks before the odour fully saturates the skin so if you’re prone to getting bitten on holiday we suggest taking 500mg of vitamin B1 once daily for two weeks before and for the duration of the holiday. Should you get bitten, application of neat lavender essential oil will often take the pain and itch away and prevent any infection.
Citronella oil can also be used as a repellant so use a commercially available citronella body spray or add the essential oil to water, one drop per 2 ml. , in a spray bottle to spray onto skin and clothes. Use cautiously on sensitive areas.
Other holiday must haves include a good probiotic to avoid traveler’s tummy bugs (Proven and Optibac are two reliable companies that make probiotics specifically for this situation) and Citricidal, a natural anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic and anti-fungal agent derived from grapefruit seeds. If you’re unsure that water is safe to drink add a few drops to a bottle to kill off potential pathogens.
So get out there and get active but take some sensible precautions to stay safe and well.
