It was one of the days when I was craving for kim chi but was not willing to wait for days for the fermentation process to kick in. If I make napa cabbage kim chi, it would take at least 4-5 days before I can sample the food. Quick solution - cucumber kim chi! It's just as tasty and a healthy probiotic food. 


In truth, I still had to wait over a day before I could satiate my craving. It wouldn't be kim chi without the fermentation process. Fermentation is needed not only to get the tangy taste but most importantly, to promote good bacteria such as Lactobacillus, which thrives in a salty environment, into our bodies' intestinal tract. This, in turn, promotes a healthy digestive system by breaking down sugars and carbohydrates in the foods to make them more digestible and nutritious for us. The good bacteria also suppresses the growth of harmful bacteria in the intestines. So remember not to skip the fermentation part! The best thing with cucumber kim chi is that the fermentation process is short and you wouldn't want to keep it too long anyway because cucumber loses it's crunchiness by the day.

I prepared one whole large cucumber the evening before by cutting them into short, medium-thickness pieces. Then toss sea salt all over the cucumber pieces. Leave them in a bowl over night. Here's how it looks like the next day. The brine is naturally produced during the fermentation process.


Next, add sliced green onions, a teaspoon of minced garlic, Korean red chili flakes (adjust quantity to taste), a teaspoon of vinegar (Apple Cider Vinegar is recommended), a teaspoon of agave nectar for a hint of sweetness. Mix them all up. It's also good to know that the red chili flakes are packed with Vitamin A, C, iron and no cholesterol. 


You can eat some of the cucumber kim chi straight away as a side dish to a meal and pack the rest away in a glass bottle for additional fermentation. Keep the glass bottle in the refrigerator. Eat up within the next two or three days.


If you don't find yourself with time to make this superfood, get the sauerkraut the next time you pop into a korean or asian store. 

Healthy and delicious cucumber kim chi

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Iceland is a country that has abundance of fishes, being an island in the Atlantic sea. It is the second biggest fishery behind Norway and cod seems to be the largest catch. The fishing business has helped to catapult Iceland to be one of the richest country in Europe. That is, until the 2008-2011 Icelandic financial crisis where all the three major banks in the country collapsed, the British government seized £4bn assets of the banks and Icelandic government over statements that the accounts of UK depositors could not be guaranteed, and a IMF and Nordic countries bailout was needed. Despite the crisis, fishing remains the country's biggest industry.

It was such a joy to be having fresh seafood in our meals during the recent trip to Iceland. I was especially delighted to have found canned cod liver in a restaurant by the Old Harbor called the Sea Baron (oh, and dulse flakes too but more of that later). Cod liver is packed with Vitamin A, D and Omega-3 essential fatty acids, just like cod liver oil that is sold in every health store except that this is in its original form, unprocessed, and certainly no concerns of toxicity due to the higher level of Vitamin A that is usually the case in many brands of cod liver oil. 

cod liver, vitamin A, vitamin D, DHA, EPA, Omega 3
I stocked up with a few of these cod liver cans from Iceland

Cod liver is healthy for the following reasons:

* It contains pre-formed Vitamin A, which means that once consumed, it is straight away used by the body. Provitamin A needs to be converted by your body.
* A source of DHA (DocosaHexaenoic Acid) and EPA (EicosoPentaenoic Acid). These are the more important two out of the three varieties of Omega-3 fatty acids. Vegetarians usually stick to chia seeds, flax seeds, dark leafy greens like kale, and walnuts as sources for ALA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid), the third type of Omega-3 that is able to be converted into DHA and EPA by the body. However, there are studies that humans don't convert ALA found in plants to DHA and EPA efficiently, hence it is recommended to consume animal foods that contain them.
* Vitamin D, especially important during the winter months when you don't get enough sunlight or work indoors most of the time.

There is a concern of the mercury level in seafood due to environment pollutants. This is a valid concern but should not be a reason altogether to avoid taking cod liver oil, especially if you are deficient in Omega-3 fats. Choose a good brand of cod liver oil or fish oil, and note where they are sourced from. Be sure that the fish are from ocean that are not heavily polluted. Email the manufacturer to find out. I did email the manufacturer of the cod liver product I bought in Iceland. I was immediately replied to with an assurance that their cod liver comes from wild Icelandic fish stocks. They were used to be produced from raw materials coming from the Baltic sea but the production has stopped due to the high volumes of dioxin in cod liver in the region [1] - I am quoting this from the email word by word. So it's a relief to know that I'm not consuming toxin, not to mention that cod liver actually tastes really good!

cod liver, vitamin A, vitamin D, DHA, EPA, Omega 3

cod liver, vitamin A, vitamin D, DHA, EPA, Omega 3

It's a pity that I cannot get hold of more fresh and contaminant-free cod liver in UK. Fortunately, there is a brand of cod liver oil/fish oil recommended by Dr Ben Kim. The Carlson's brand seems good, with the ratio between vitamin A and vitamin D of about 2 to 1 so there is no concern of over-consumption of vitamin A causing toxic in our body tissues. Their cod liver oil and fish oil are also tested on a regular basis by an independent, FDA-approved laboratory and has been determined to be free of mercury, cadmium, lead and other pollutants. I am thinking of getting it once running out of the cod liver as I'm pretty sure that I'm not getting enough sunshine and I do need to increase my intake of Omega 3 as compared to Omega 6.

References

Cod liver from Iceland for Vitamin A, D and Omega 3

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I just got back from a spa holiday in Iceland! Well, I call it a spa holiday because it was the most relaxing holiday I've had, and the best experience was at the infamous Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa. I literally spent one whole day at the spa. And best of all, I paid only around £41 for the entrance fee including hotel pickup service. Not bad at all considering the natural mud full of beneficial minerals I slathered all over myself whilst soaking in 38 Celsius Centigrade and 7.5 pH steamy waters.

Blue Lagoon Mud SpaBlue Lagoon is reputed to help patients suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis and atomic dermatitis in particular. Extraction of the silica mud and cultivation of the three microalgae species[1] in the mixture of 35% freshwater and 65% seawater are carried out at the Blue Lagoon R&D Center to produce skincare products. There is a research paper that mentions some of the benefits of the silica mud and microalgae such as:[2]

* Improving skin barrier function. Silica mud extracts help to stimulate the keratinocyte, which is a key component in determining the quality of the skin barrier. Extracts from the microalgaes help as well, although to a lesser extend. Patients with psoriasis and atomic dermatitis usually have perturbed skin barrier function hence they would benefit from the silica mud.
* Prevent premature skin aging. The microalgaes are shown to be able to significantly upregulate Collagen 1A1 and Collagen 1A2, the two genes that are involved in collagen synthesis and are usually at the risk of being downregulated due to UV radiation exposure.

Silica Mud Exfoliator
Well, the ingredients certainly sound good. Unfortunately, the researchers at Blue Lagoon also packed lots of other bad chemicals into the products. It's such a waste really. I would loved to get the Silica Mud Mask but it's full of parabens. The Algae Mask is slightly better but it contains Butylphenyl Methylpropional, which is listed as an alergic substance by the European Cosmetic Directive.[3] The only Blue Lagoon product I bought is the Silica Mud Exfoliator. It is made up of only 6 ingredients - Blue Lagoon sea water, freshwater, Blue Lagoon Silica, Glycerin (natural moisturiser), Benzyl Alcohol (can be too drying for dry skin, has a certain toxic level although not as bad), and Dehydroacetic Acid (for preservation purpose). The funny thing is that, the Silica Mud Exfoliator is advertised on the Blue Lagoon's website as "Free from parabens". If they care enough for one product to be free from parabens, I really wonder why they couldn't do the same for the other products. It's a shame really...

Publications

1. http://www.matis.is/media/algae-network-2012/Halldor-Svavarsson.pdf
2. http://www.bluelagoon.com/files/research-studies/psoriasis-research/152.pdf/
3. http://www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/butylphenyl-methylpropional

A muddy holiday in Iceland

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I made this for tomorrow's packed lunch. Absolutely love the simplicity of the taste. It's also made of healthy non-gluten ingredients.

* Sushi rice with rice vinegar
* Nori sheets, rich in vitamins and minerals. 
* Carrot
* Cucumber
* Probiotic and enzyme salad. Stay tuned for an upcoming post on the beautifying and healthy benefits of this salad!
* Spirulina and nori flakes to sprinkle on the sushi. These are also nutrients with many health benefits.





Gluten-free vegetable sushi with probiotic and enzyme salad

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In the previous post, we discussed about the detrimental and beneficial effects of the sun's ultraviolet rays. In this post, we'll take a look into the factors that determine how much of the UV rays is absorbed by each individuals. 

Know thy skin type

Your genes is, foremost, the most important factor that you should take note of before exposing yourself to the sunlight. Experts have identified six different skin types based on the colors of the hair and eye, and the reactions caused by being under a strong sun. Refer to the diagram and the categories to know your type. [1]

Type I - Often burns, rarely tans. Tends to have freckles, red or fair hair, and blue or green eyes.
Type II - Usually burns, sometimes tans. Tends to have light hair, and blue or brown eyes.
Type III - Sometimes burns, usually tans. Tends to have brown hair and eyes.
Type IV - Rarely burns, often tans. Tends to have dark brown eyes and hair.
Type V - Naturally black-brown skin. Often has dark brown eyes and hair.
Type VI - Naturally black-brown skin. Usually has black-brown eyes and hair.


Check the UV Index

The UV Index (UVI) indicates how strong the UV rays (UVR) from the sun is at a particular place. The index is reported by various local weather forecasts worldwide. Refer to the list in the WHO website for your local weather forecasts link or go to www.uvawareness.com and type in your location.

Depending on the UVI of the day, you should take the necessary precautions according to the severity imposed given in the following table,[1] which is very much dependent on your skin type.


Terrestrial UVR

The UV Index is a general indicator. Depending on where you are specifically and various other conditions, the following rules should be factored in as well. [2,3]
* Time of the day. Peak hours for UVR are from 10am to 4pm.
* Altitude. The higher you are above the sea level, the more exposed you are to the sun's radiation. Each 1 km increase in altitude increases the ultraviolet flux by about 6%.
* Clouds. Light cloud virtually makes no difference to the UVR intensity. Heavy cloud reduces the UVR but not by much therefore do not assume that you are protected from the strong sun. Only very heavy storm clouds will shield us from the rays.
* Surface reflection. You are not completely protected even when in the shades. The snow, sand, and ground/water reflect 30%-80%, 15%-30%, and <5% of UVR respectively.
* Geographical latitude. Annual UVR flux decreases with increasing distance from the equator.


Safe level of sun exposure

A 2007 study submitted by the University of Ottawa to the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. reports that there is not enough information to determine a safe level of sun exposure. More recently, a research to model the seasonal variation of Vitamin D due to sun exposure [4] summarised that the current advice of about 10-20 minutes of daily sun exposure during the summer months does little in boosting the Vitamin D3 level in our body. Yet, sufficient sun exposure to achieve a worthwhile benefit could adversely impact skin's health. To this effect, many independent sites and research are recommending that we stick to the advisable sun exposure level [6] and fill in the missing Vitamin D3 dosage from other safer nutritional sources [5].

The recommendation for safe level of sun exposure hence, can be summed up by the following:
* Fair skin people should spend no more than 10 minutes in the midday sun in shorts and tank top without sunscreen. This produces 10,000 international units (IU) of the vitamin. As this amount is more than the recommended level of 2,000 IUs per day - published in various health sites and by researchers such as Dr. Edward Giovannucci, Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology of the Harvard School of Public Health [6,7,8] - soaking up the summer sun for 10 minutes should be done 3-4 times a week, not everyday.
* Dark skin people requires around 15-20 minutes under the sun.

Of course, logic applies depending on the various other conditions as highlighted in this article. If you are at the peak of Mount Everest or K2 when the sun is at its peak hour, no minimal amount of sun exposure without sunscreen, I'd say, is advised.

As it clearly shows that we are not getting enough Vitamin D3 from sun exposure, which I'd rather stay away than suffer the many health and skin issues due to excessive exposure as we discussed in Part 2 of this series,  the quest to find balanced alternatives to the sun UVR continues in Part 4. Stay in tune for Part 5 for sunscreen recommendations.

Related posts:
Part 1 - Introduction
Part 2 - The good and bad of UV rays exposure

References


Let's soak up the sun.. or not (Part 3 - Too much or too little UV rays?)

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I love eye makeup. I wear them almost everyday when not at home and when out somewhere for an extended period of time. It's the one makeup I will wear even when not wearing any foundations or lipsticks. The eyes are one of the ways to communicate, to hold the gaze of another, to seduce, to attract. When talking to someone, I look at the eyes to show that I am listening to what the person is saying. These are reasons enough for me to spend 1 minute or so to put on eye makeup before heading out.


The harmful components in some chemical eyeliners

Needless to say, the areas around the eyes are the most delicate areas on the face. Having toxic ingredients so close to the eyes could cause infections and irritations. The skin's the thinnest around the eyes which also makes it easier for harmful components to penetrate the skin and get into the bloodstream. Now that I am aware of the toxicity in most of counters' cosmetic lines with ingredients such as propylene glycol, sorbic acid, triethanolamine, and butylparaben to name a few, I have begun to search for safer, non-toxic, organic eye makeup lines. Also beware that cosmetic lines that do not advertise their ingredients do not mean that they are safe! In fact, I would say there are definitely suspicious and should be avoided at all cost!

The safe, natural and organic options

I'm a fan of the Vapour Organic beauty line. I am using their atmosphere soft focus foundation, siren lipstick and classic multi-use blusher, and recently acquired the mesmerize eyeliner/smoky eyetool. What I love about it is that it contains the healing properties of coconut oil, 70% organic, and does not contain nano particles. The application is easy, can be used to apply a defined line, or smudged up for a smoky look. It is however, quite pricey, but definitely worth the price.

Another but cheaper eye pencil made from natural ingredients that I recently purchased is from the Beauty Without Cruelty line - the Kohl Charcoal Grey Natural Eye Pencil. Priced at just around £5, it is quite a gem to keep. Obviously it does not match up to the Vapour Organic line and if you are worried that it does not mention anything about the ingredients being non-nano and organic, then I would say to avoid it all together.

The Lavera liquid eyeliner is another product I recently acquired purely because it is made of mostly natural, organic ingredients. Unfortunately, I find the application comes off easily and the brush is too fine to make anything solid out of it. Whilst most people make do with just eye pencil, I have the preference for liquid eyeliner because I just love the eye makeup style like the one worn by the Chinese supermodel Liu Wen in this post. Lovely isn't it? So I am still in the quest of finding a good, natural, organic and safe liquid eyeliner. Have any of you come across any?
Vapour Organic Eyeliner

Why and how to avoid toxic eyeliner

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Just the other day I came across an article on zucchini pasta on rawmazing. The idea is so fresh and interesting that I decided to make myself a dish of zucchini pasta for dinner.

I made lots of tweak because my fridge did not have the ingredients in the article and I had not the time to pre-marinade the zucchini beforehand. Using a fruit peeler, the zucchini was transformed into fettucine look-alike. The sauce was made from whatever I have left in the fridge - red and yellow peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, yellow onion - all blended together. The peppers and onion were baked on low heat first before blending.

The result? A healthy dinner made entirely out of veggies.




Zucchini fetuccine with roasted pepper and sun dried tomato sauce

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In my quest to understanding the beneficial and detrimental effects of sunlight, I came to know that categorically, there are three main types of the sun UV rays as a function of the wavelengths. Let's examine them one by one.

Composition of the sun UV rays

UVC with wavelength between 100 to 280nm and being the most harmful to the human skin, is fortunately completely absorbed by the earth's stratospheric zone layer and does not reach the earth's surface.[1]

UVB, with wavelength in the region of 280-315nm, is responsible for between 1-10% of the whole UV rays (UVR) that reach the earth's surface.[1] There is a concern that, with the depletion of the earth's stratospheric layer, we are in the risk of being exposed to a larger percentage of UVB that passes through the ozone layer.[2] UVB penetrates as far as the outer layer of the skin's dermis.

The third type of UV rays emitted by the sun, UVA, has wavelength between 315nm and 400nm.[1] 90%-99% of UVA reaches the earth. UVA penetrates into the deep end of the dermis layer. UVA can be further categorized into UVA1 (340-400nm) and UVA2 (315-340nm).

The detrimental effects of the UVR

The skin, when exposed directly to solar UVR, will attempt to defend itself against the damaging action caused. The skin does so by triggering sunburn, thicken the epidermis' stratum corneum, and activating the pigment cells which produce pigmentation when exposed to UVB. Further damage to the skin's cellular DNA will cause skin cancer, which occurs mostly at the skin's epidermis layer.

Image taken from the research paper
Vitamins and Photoaging: Do scientific data support their use?
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC), is the most common malignant skin cancer and the biggest risk factor has been associated to the exposure of the sun UVB rays, especially for those with fair skin.[4] Like BCC, Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) occurs in the epidermis layer, is not as common as BCC but certainly more dangerous.[5] Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer that can be caused by prolonged exposure to the sun. There are many researches that associate UVR with the development of melanoma risk.[6,7,8,9]

When exposed to UVA, the skin produces less high quality collagen and elastin fibres. This, as we know, causes premature aging. But what exactly is at work here that results in photo-aging? When UVA enters the skin layer, it is absorbed by the skin's molecules that generates harmful compounds called reactive oxygen species (ROS) and sets activator protein (AP)-1 in motion for a longer period of time.[3] This in turn increases the production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) ezyme that in turn increases the breakdown of collagen. UVR also decreases the transforming growth factor (TGF) that complements the AP-1 in regulating the collagen by promoting the production of collagen. In short, an increase in collagen breakdown due to increasing AP-1 and a decrease of collagen production due to decreasing TGF will lead to skin sagging and wrinkles. The synthesis is best described in the picture on the right.

The benefits of the solar UV

The human body has the ability to synthesize vitamin D3 from absorbing the solar UVB rays. The lack of Vitamin D3 have been found to be associated with many issues such as[10,11,12]:
* Type 1 diabetes mellitus
* Autoimmune disorders including multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis
* Rickets amongst children.
* Osteoporosis amongst adults
* Cardiovascular disease
* A certain level of exposure to UVB may even decrease the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC).[11]

Now that we have an inkling of the good and bad of sun rays, what should we do to ensure we stay away from the bad stuffs yet benefit from the good parts. Stay with me for the next post.

Related posts:
Part 1 - Introduction
Part 3 - Too much or too little UV rays?

References:

1 The Real Value of Novel Particulate Carriers for Sunscreen Formulation
2 The effects on human health from stratospheric ozone depletion and its interactions with climate change.
3 Overview of skin aging and photoaging
4 The role of UV radiation in the development of basal cell carcinoma
5 Fact sheet: Preventing and detecting skin cancer
6 Sun damage in ultraviolet photographs correlates with phenotypic melanoma risk factors in 12-year-old children
7 Multiple melanoma susceptibility factors function in an ultraviolet radiation response pathway in skin
8 Landmark research links melanoma to UV radiation
9 How UV Radiation Triggers Melanoma
10 Sunlight and vitamin D for bone health and prevention of autoimmune diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular disease
11 UV Radiation, Vitamin D and Epidermal Carcinogenesis
12 Solar UV Doses of Young Americans and Vitamin D 3 Production

Let's soak up the sun ... or not? (Part 2 - The good and bad of UV rays exposure)

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Green smoothies of the day!
Before you reject this article as gross, yuck and distasteful, let me assure you that I once, too, thought of green smoothies as such. But not anymore! It is amazingly delicious. In fact, it is one of the most important staples in my diet - especially important to detox after being naughty satiating myself with my not-so-healthy cravings.

See some of the benefits of green smoothies:
* 3 of your 5 a day portions. Why 5 A Day? Need I say more?
* Natural weight-loss. Drink this in the morning in replacement of your usual brekkie. It is surprisingly filling and you are still getting all the minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates and fiber that your body need.
* A very good way to help your children's intake of veggies, or even yourself if you hate veggies. Blended together with fruits, it is delicious, satisfying and hides the taste of the veggies.
* Better than fruit or veggie juice because you are getting all the goodness of the veggies and fruits including the fiber, which is important for smooth bowel movements.
* Gwyneth Paltrow and Dita von Tesse are drinking it too. Why shouldn't you?

I blended two glasses this morning with:
* 3 handfuls of organic spinach
* 1 1/2 stalks of organic celery
* 1 pear
* 1 frozen banana (cut into pieces before freezing it)
* a handful of blueberries
* 1/2 lemon
* 3-4 cups of water

Instructions:
* Fill the blender with water.
* Add in the spinach and blend.
* Add in the pear and celery and blend.
* Add in the banana, lemon and blueberries and do a final blend.
* Enjoy the drink!

The ingredients

Remember to wash the veggies and fruits well

Beautiful color of the green smoothies

    Green smoothies for a healthier self

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    A holiday in Asia is always a wonderful break from the cold wintery months in Europe. I recently had the pleasure of one; a last minute decision but a good one as I was beginning to feel a little depressed and sluggish.

    I started writing this article as an overview of the sun UV ray and its effects, and the importance of sunscreen. However, there are more grounds to cover and each of the sections below warrants a comprehensive analysis and write-up from reliable medical sources, so stay tune for Part 2 to 6.

    The good and bad of sun exposure

    It is no secrets that too much sun causes old spots, skin and bone diseases. Too little or none at all isn't an ideal situation as well because the sun is the best natural source to obtain Vitamin D which is important to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body and increase the immunity system.

    Read more of Part 2 - The good and bad of UV rays exposure

    How much sun is too much, or too little?

    As a general rule of thumb, it is usually recommended that around 10 minutes are spent under the sun without sunblock every day during summer and around 15-20 minutes during winter or when the sky is overcast. People with fairer skin tone should spend shorter time under the sun compared to people with darker skin tone.

    Read more of Part 3 - Too much or too little UV rays?

    Vitamin D supplements?

    It is reported that most of us are generally deficient in Vitamin D and the recommended dose for each person is different. Seek advice from your doctor if you are worried about the level of your Vitamin D before simply choosing any Vitamin D supplement at your local health store.

    Use sunscreen for protection

    If you spend a lot of time under the sun, sunscreen application is a must! The consequences of excessive sun exposure such as skin cancer, far outweight the benefits of Vitamin D. Choose a good sunscreen. Needless to say, chemical sunscreen with ingredients such as Oxybenzone and Avobenzone is a huge no-no! A good sunscreen should be natural and safe. It should be physical sunscreen and contains sufficient amount of zinc oxide, between 18% and 20%. Zinc Oxide is the best ingredient because it guards off against the UVA1, UVA2 and UVB rays. In fact, it is the only ingredient that reflects off all the mentioned three types of UV rays that penetrates into our skin's epidermis and dermis layers otherwise.

    Which sunscreen product?

    This will be the last of the series on this topic where I will recommend and compare between a few physical sunscreen products out there in the market.

    Let's soak up the sun.. or not (Part 1 - Introduction)

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