by Alison Williams-Smith | Jun 8, 2022
What is Skin Care?
Skincare is the steps you take to look after your skin. The products you choose to use on your skin, including the choice of skin protection from too much sun, and environmental damage; Your intake of food and nutrition, and water can all support and enhance the skin and its appearance, or can weaken it and cause damage. As the largest organ of your body, if you look after your skin, it will look after you. It is your skin that protects you from outside pathogens. And, in the same way that you take care of the other parts of yourself, your skin requires some attention to keep it functioning properly.
These steps are for anyone who is curious about what it means or what it takes to have an effective routine when it comes to taking care of your skin!
The three basic skin-care steps when using products are:
- Cleansing
- Moisturising
- Applying sunscreen
Your morning routine should include basics steps: washing or spritzing your face with a cleanser, putting on a moisturiser, then wearing a sunscreen.
TIP: Use a moisturiser and/or sunscreen that has a minimum 30 SPF and broad-spectrum protection.
When choosing a sunscreen, you have the options of a chemical sunscreen or a physical/mineral/natural (all means the same thing).
- Chemical Sunscreen: has a synthetic chemical ingredient called avobenzone, that absorbs the sun’s UV rays, converts them to an energy, then it releases them in the form of heat. The problem with this, is that its protection only lasts 30 minutes. This means other chemical ingredients must be used in the sunscreen. One of these ingredients is Octocrylene, which is a known endocrine/hormonal disruptor…not good for those who suffer with acne. This can cause skin cell damage and increase the risk of cancer. Studies show that using octocrylene in sunscreen creates more of those pesky free radicals that cause us to age prematurely, than if you used nothing at all and were exposed to the sun.
- Physical Sunscreen: has natural mineral ingredients such as zinc oxide or titanium oxide which forms a barrier that blocks the sun’s rays. For those who are label savvy, you will know that as well as being natural and better received by the skin, despite the sometimes white/grey hue that takes a while to rub in, zinc oxide doesn’t breakdown in the sun, doesn’t release free radicals, doesn’t cause premature skin ageing, doesn’t cause skin cancer and as an added bonus, it is also coral friendly if you want to go for a swim in the sea.
Your bedtime routine might include additional steps if you wear makeup or a sunscreen that needs reapplying during the day. You may find that your usual cleanser doesn’t get all your makeup off or still leaves you feeling kind of greasy. In that case, you may benefit from double cleansing without over cleaning or causing the face to feel and look overly dry.
- Double Cleansing is a process in which you first apply an oil-based cleanser directly to the skin (and possibly wipe clean with a warm wet flannel). You follow this by wetting the skin on the face and then applying a water-based cleanser or micellar water to remove anything that was left behind.
After cleansing, it’s time to apply any toners or serums, before ending your routine with a good moisturiser.
Just as using a sunscreen is important to protect your skin from the sun, you should use a moisturiser to help protect your skin from environmental damage whilst at the same time it will help prevent the skin becoming too dry, or too oily. Both these extremes can cause eczema, acne or premature ageing with fine lines and wrinkles.
Keeping your skincare routine simple is best. When introducing any new skincare, it is safer to only make one change at a time in case your skin has a bad reaction. This way, you know exactly what product your skin was sensitive to. Personally, I don’t use anything on my face that has any added fragrance, whether it is synthetic or natural, as i end up with eczema, or a rash of some sort.
If you are looking at ways to look after the skin that don’t include the skincare products in your routine, then the amount of water you drink to keep your body and skin hydrated and the food choices we make are of the utmost importance.
As an adult, aim for no less than one and a half litres of water a day, and depending on your body size or even what activities you are taking part in that day i.e., exercise or any activity that makes you sweat you could even push it to over three litres.
When it comes to your food and if you are taking your skin health seriously, then keeping away from ultra-processed and processed junk foods are a necessity. The more natural the food and the more anti-inflammatory the food, the more your skin will thank you for it.
I often notice that people who eat a mainly plant based, and natural wholefood diet have the best skin. My skin is far from perfect as I cheat, but when I do eat meat, I try to limit my pasture raised or organic meat and line caught fish eating to two days a week. I keep away from gluten and animal milk, and I aim to have at least organic or locally produced vegetables covering half my plate. As I have a sweet tooth, I use dates or locally produced honey as a sweetener and my guilty pleasure is salted plain crisps, roasted nuts, or chips, which I try and save for the weekend.
See…no one said you have to be perfect…you just need to try your best for your skin, so give it a go.
Alison x
For more information, check our YouTube channel to help with your skin journey! Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE, like, comment & share!
@ Tigs and Moo Naturals
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by Alison Williams-Smith | May 11, 2022
What is hormonal adult acne?
Hormonal adult acne is acne that occurs after the age of 25. So just when you thought there was a time limit to suffering with a skin condition that is associated with puberty, we now simply have a different label for it in our later years.
When does it start?
So, although teenage acne can sometimes or primarily be triggered by an influx of hormones during puberty, which should then in theory calm down and stabilise after puberty. For adults…and by adults, I mean mainly but not always women, fluctuations in our female hormones can be the cause of our acne returning in our later life.
Your hormones can fluctuate or become imbalanced before and during your period, during pregnancy, when you are pre-menopausal & during your actual menopause. These imbalances can be the cause of your hormonal adult acne.
There is also polycystic ovary syndrome for which some women have a hormonal imbalance, metabolism problem and high levels of insulin.
Periods and the menopause are inevitable as a woman, but how you treat your body can make all the difference as to how much your hormones fluctuate during these times of our lives and pregnancy.
When it comes to men, a disruption in your testosterone levels can be the culprit for your hormonal adult acne.
But don’t despair…you don’t have to suffer!
How can we deal with acne naturally?
To prevent or reduce acne naturally, the food and drink you consume will make a massive difference to your skin. By making simple changes you can help prevent your hormonal/endocrine system from fluctuating during your period, pre-menopause and menopause. You will also help prevent causing changes to other parts of the body that could trigger your acne.
Eating the wrong foods can influence and cause fluctuations or imbalances in your endocrine/hormonal system; can cause low level chronic inflammation in your gut which affects your whole body and skin; can cause sebum/oil production on the skin itself; and can cause a weakened immune system, affecting your overall health and skin WHICH affects whether you get cystic hormonal acne.
So, as you can see by now, those wrong foods cause a whole host of issues to your body and ultimately your skin.
FOOD JOURNAL AND EXCLUSION DIET
Doing a food journal of just monitoring what you eat and drink for 2 weeks, then doing an exclusion diet of removing known acne trigger foods will help to raise some red flags. But remember, exclusion diets should only ever be short term to ensure you are getting a good variety of foods for the vitamins and minerals they supply.
The idea behind a very temporary exclusion diet is to ONLY remove all suspected trigger foods for a few weeks and then add one of your trigger foods back into your diet to see how your health and skin reacts. If no reaction, then enjoy, but if you do react, then the choice is yours as to what you will do next.
Now personally when I gave up certain food groups like milk, I went out and searched online to make sure I was getting my calcium from a plant-based wholefood source and not from processed food. I did this because processed foods for me are also a massive trigger.
When you start to read the labels of some of your favourite packaged foods, you will start to see why you have acne breaks out. All those chemicals that you are unknowingly ingesting are an absolute joke and really don’t belong in our bodies.
FOOD
If your body is getting its sources of energy from ingredients that are unpronounceable, artificial flavourings, artificial colours, artificial sweeteners, and if your food has more than one source of sugar then you’re eating CRAP. The artificial foods are called artificial for a reason…its because they are artificial, and artificial stuff isn’t tolerated well by the body. The same goes for all those different types of sugars that are added to foods. Sugar is added to make it taste nice and to make it more addictive, but ultimately it is ruining our bodies and skin, slowly, so that you won’t notice until the changes are all too obvious.
In fact, if the item of food you have picked up doesn’t look as close to its original natural state as it was picked up from the tree or soil, assume that it is crap.
If the fish you have picked up in the supermarket is from farmed sources and not wild caught, then assume that the fish has been swimming in its own faeces and that antibiotics have been added to the water to prevent disease.
Same goes for our meat, unless you can afford to only eating organic or grass-fed meat, then again assume that the animal will have lived in confined conditions where they will have been given antibiotics and some sort of hormonal treatment for them to grow faster. The same goes for milk and eggs. Washing or cooking the food doesn’t prevent the consumption of all these added chemicals, so they end up in our bodies and cause havoc.
Why am I mentioning all this stuff?
I’m mentioning all these crappy foods, that shouldn’t really be labelled as food, because it doesn’t matter how well you wash your meat and fish, it doesn’t matter how well you cook any of your meat, fish, or heavily processed junk foods. All the bad stuff that is in those foods can’t be gotten rid of from the body anytime soon. Instead, it causes inflammation in your gut, disruption of your endocrine or hormonal system and toxin build up in the different parts of the body.
Although toxins should be eliminated via the liver, kidney, colon, skin and even the lungs they stay in the body way too long and cause chronic issues.
All these points that I have just mentioned then lead to chronic long term health conditions for which our skin conditions are merely the symptoms of the problems within our body.
It doesn’t matter how much the so-called experts tell you how the body is meant to self-clean and remove toxins, because ultimately your body is telling you via your skin issues, that something isn’t right in your body.
When your skin is the symptom of a bigger issue that could potentially be improved of fixed with what you eat or don’t eat, will you do something about it?
My best advice is to first do a food journal, documenting your meals and symptoms daily for 2 weeks and then do your elimination diet. Once you have established what you shouldn’t eat for your body, then do your best to include more plant-based meals.
The main thing is to cut out what you know you react to and get rid of processed crappy foods, as everyone reacts to it on some level, they just don’t realise it.
You will feel and see a change in a matter of weeks!
If you’d like access to a free food journal, simply scroll to the bottom of the home page on the TigsAndMoo website or go to the description on any of our YouTube videos.
Alison x
Check out Natural Ways To Help Acne on our YouTube channel!
For more information, check our YouTube channel to help with your skin journey! Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE, like, comment & share!
@ Tigs and Moo Naturals
Also check out our Instagram and Facebook @tigsandmoonaturalskincare
by Alison Williams-Smith | Apr 29, 2022
Magnesium & Omega 3
Do you know that the food you consume, the daily stress you experience, the products you put on your skin, sleepless nights, the environment you are in, and allergens can be some of the triggers for your eczema?
Do you also know that a vitamin deficiency can further trigger your eczema?
Vitamins are substances that your body needs to regularly grow and develop, so it makes sense that a lack of vitamins can also cause a whole host of skin problems, which are merely the body’s way of telling you that something isn’t working the way it should be, within the body itself. After all, eczema, adult acne or many of the other dry skin conditions are often the symptom of another problem.
MAGNESIUM
A magnesium deficiency can lead to dry & cracked skin…and wrinkles, as your skin’s elasticity and moisture are reduced! This is caused by a low level of fatty acids…and your skin loves fatty acids. So it is definitely worth putting in the time to find a good supplement if you don’t believe you are getting enough magnesium from your diet.
Just like some of the previously mentioned vitamins in my other blogs, magnesium helps to protect the body from free radicals, because of its antioxidant properties. It regulates cellular regeneration and helps the recovery of the skin when it has been disturbed by eczema or acne.
Do you know that approximately 70 to 80% of the British population are estimated to have a magnesium deficiency?
Be warned though, you can overdo your consumption of magnesium, which can cause stomach upset, if you take it as a supplement, so always read the directions on the label carefully.
Some food sources include:
- Spinach
- Almonds
- Peanuts
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Cashews
As a family, we take our magnesium powdered supplement at night just before bed, as it helps the body relax and can therefore improve sleep. My investigations showed that it helps because it activates the part of the nervous system responsible for calm and relaxation. You could possibly get a deeper sleep, which means you are less inclined to scratch if you suffer with eczema.
FISH OIL (OMEGA 3)
When it comes to fish oil, research has shown that consumption reduces the symptoms of eczema. The belief is that fish oil reduces Leukotriene b4. Leukotriene b4 is an inflammatory substance that is secreted, it can take from 6 weeks to 6 months to see a difference from when you take fish oils to improve your eczema, so you will need to persevere.
As a family if we are taking a fish oil supplement, we prefer to take a krill oil supplement instead of fish oil or cod liver oil. This is because it is less likely to have any pollutants or contaminants because krill is so small and is from the cleaner less polluted Antarctic Ocean. The body also absorbs krill oil easier than fish oils.
The following fatty or oily fish are a good source:
- Alaskan Salmon
- Sardines
- Mackerel
- Herring
- Pilchards
- Anchovy
An actual deficiency in Omega 3 can affect the skin’s ability to regulate oil production. This can then lead to dry skin, which can possibly result in eczema and difficulty in the skin remaining hydrated.
Dandruff/seborrheic dermatitis, can also be another tell-tale sign of an Omega 3 deficiency. Its actually quite amazing, that as you get better at understanding your body and what it requires, the difference it can make to your skin health and indeed your overall health will have a massive impact to your both physically and mentally.
Alison x
For more information, check out our YouTube channel to help with your skin journey!
Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE, like, comment & share!
@ Tigs and Moo Naturals
Also check out our Instagram and Facebook @tigsandmoonaturalskincare
by Alison Williams-Smith | Apr 8, 2022
JAMAICAN SORREL/RED SORREL
Jamaican Sorrel is a vibrant red flower, with petals that can be eaten. (not to be confused with another plant also named Sorrel, that is green in colour). It has a sweet, slightly tarty, floral taste just like cranberries but without the strong tarty taste.
Sorrel has been used in traditional medicine for centuries if not, thousands of years and was native to Africa, but made its way over to the Caribbean during the transatlantic slave trade.
Since its first planting on the Island of Jamaica, Sorrel became known as Jamaican Sorrel or Red Sorrel.
In Jamaica, as Sorrel lives and dies in one season around New Year, then you’re more than likely to come across its dried flowers.
The Jamaican Sorrel dried flowers are available in other countries, including the UK or Ethiopia, but as of yet, I have only ever seen it available for sale as a dried flower, so you will need to use your imagination and create a drink with the dried flowers, unless you know someone who is willing to share their homemade drink or recipe. It can be consumed both hot or cold with whatever ingredients you decide to add. I prefer to add a little natural ginger, cinnamon and honey.
Research shows that Sorrel is beneficial for high blood pressure, weight loss, coughs and colds, hangovers and some cancers. It is also beneficial for skin conditions such as acne and eczema because of its antioxidant properties. The powerful antioxidant is called Protocatechuic (PROTO-CAT-E-CHU-IC) acid. It is more powerful than vitamin E and it actually scavenges for free radicals roaming around the body.
As a quick reminder, free radicals are created by the UV rays of the sun, by pollution, the air we breathe, stress, medication, the things we eat & drink, our tap water, etc. These are responsible for our skin damage, skin ageing and collagen loss, which can not only make the skin sag and wrinkle, but also cause the dull, uneven skin tone and pigmentation scarring issues, after our acne has gone.
…And, that’s only the skin.
I didn’t even mention body issues like arthritis!
Did I mention yet that Jamaican Sorrel has anti-inflammatory properties which will benefit your acne further?
I know for myself that when I can feel the acne cyst starting to make an appearance on my face; Sorrel & Ginger tea, as well as Moringa tea, Golden Turmeric Milk with cinnamon, are all my main go-to drinks as they all have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and the added advantage of tasting gorgeous.
Ginger is pretty much always added to Jamaican Sorrel drinks, because as well as tasting nice, and giving your drink that zingy kick, our ancestors knew that by combining the two ingredients, you have a double whammy drink that targets not only inflammation around the body, but also on your skin, and ultimately this will benefit your eczema and acne.
Not only do Jamaican Sorrel and Ginger when combined have extremely high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Individually they are potent.
Sorrel is rich in Iron, Selenium, Copper, Manganese, Chromium and Phosphorous.
- Iron aids in the healing of acne (wound healing).
- Selenium: Hormone balancing, anti-inflammatory, fight infection
- Copper – a deficiency can cause acne by promoting the production of sebum (the skin’s natural oil) and inflammation.
- Manganese – amongst other things it keeps the antioxidant defences performing at their top level of cleaning up those free radicals.
- Chromium aids in the production of collagen
- Phosphorous is responsible for the growth, repair and maintenance of all tissues and cells in the body and it also filters out toxins.
GINGER
There are approximately 30 chemicals in ginger, and they all help to alleviate the inflammation, discomfort and irritation caused by acne and eczema.
Just like Sorrel, it doesn’t just deal with the symptoms on the skin, it also works on the entire body. It stimulates blood flow and can boost the skin’s overall health and can actually help prevent premature skin ageing.
As well as adding ginger to drinks, you can cook with it, or simply take it as a supplement. If you scrub it and clean it well, you don’t have to peel it. I also like to freeze it because I don’t have to defrost it. I just use it straight out of the freezer.
When ingested, ginger can help to fight the acne scars and dark spots caused by our pesky skin issues. But, as with many natural ingredients, as well as being taken orally it can be used topically.
Did I mention that ginger also has antimicrobial properties? In other words, it helps fight the microbes on the surface of the skin, that cause acne.
Of course, everything that I’m talking about is only as good as the work you put in, so if you’re still eating crap then…
CRAP IN EQUALS CRAP OUT!
Considering everything I have said about Sorrel and Ginger, the one most important factor for me is how good they both taste together.
What more can I say?
You’re enjoying a tasty beverage and also getting health benefits from it!
Alison x
For more information, watch our YouTube video: @ Tigs and Moo Naturals
Food & Drinks That Help Fight Acne: Jamaican Sorrel & Ginger
Also check out our Instagram and Facebook @tigsandmoonaturalskincare
by Alison Williams-Smith | Mar 25, 2022
Neem Oil has been a bathroom cabinet staple in our household for four or five years, since the last time my son had a major eczema flare up triggered by accidentally ingesting cow milk.
At the time, I was advised by a family member to use diluted neem as an alternative rather than reaching for the steroid cream. I was extremely dubious as my son’s skin was sensitive to everything I had tried in the past, so for me it was a major leap of faith.
It is safe to say that it was one of the best decisions ever.
Here’s why:
By applying the neem oil that had been diluted with olive oil, the itching stopped quite quickly, and the angry reddened skin visibly calmed down within a couple of days. At the time, I had panicked and also given my son infant antihistamine, so I believed then, that the antihistamine had helped as well. Nevertheless, during his previous flare up, when he’d only had the antihistamine medicine, the itching didn’t completely go away, so I knew I was on to a winner. After four days of using the blended neem & olive oil day and night, I noticed that my son’s eczema had flattened and was no longer inflamed. It wasn’t bothering him at all.
I was still of course applying my own handmade Tigs & Moo Body Butter as well, hence his skin was well moisturised, and I knew the ingredients to have anti-inflammatory properties. At that time, it wasn’t a skincare product I was selling, but rather just for the benefit of my family only. After seven days the eczema was the same colour as his skin and no longer an issue. After 14 days the eczema was gone completely.
What a relief!
I have to admit though, that it wasn’t the skincare products alone that fixed the eczema. I am fully aware, as a result of doing a food diary, that my son’s food triggers are all animal milks and all processed sugars, so I knew how to prevent another flare up by keeping away from those foods.
I did however decide that it was time to do my research on neem.
Used in Ayurvedic medicine for hundreds, if not thousands of years, neem is known for its medicinal and healing properties. Three of neem’s compounds are nimbidin, nimbin and quercetin. These compounds are what makes neem antiseptic, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and antihistamine. As well as being used to soothe inflamed eczema skin, it can help with psoriasis, acne and hyperpigmentation, so now, as soon as I feel any acne slowly making an appearance, I dab neem undiluted on that particular bump, even before there is a whitehead on it. I then continue to use it until the scarring has gone. As well as using it undiluted, I also add it to my daily face cream to help with my uneven skin tone.
The best type of neem oil to purchase is the organic cold pressed neem oil. The colour can vary but the smell is distinctive. Some people have described the smell as a cross between peanuts and garlic. Remember that when you first try it, dilute it, and do a test patch, as it is potent and sometimes those with very sensitive skin may find it too strong. If you react negatively, then you should stop using it because of its potency.
If you do a quick online search, you will see that neem can be used for many other conditions. Neem comes in varying forms, including teas, powders, supplements and even pessaries for the ladies. It can be used on the hair and scalp, in soaps, lotions and many other cosmetics.
As well as the oil being used topically, other parts of the neem plant can be used in powdered form, added to foods, used to help digestive issues and as a blood and liver cleanser. This is a definite benefit, as many of you will probably know that internal issues with our gut, blood and liver can appear as symptoms on our skin, in the form of those many skin conditions that we have normalized such as eczema and acne.
Although bitter in taste, this can be overcome by having neem as a supplement, or blending the powdered neem leaf with something else, which is worth it, as neem can also help to lower blood glucose. If you are someone who suffers regularly with acne, then controlling your blood sugar levels, and preventing it from spiking and falling will help prevent the appearance of acne. For me, applying the oil topically and taking the supplement when I deem it necessary, has without a doubt, helped my skin.
And just when you thought the benefits stopped there, neem can even be used as an insect repellent on your skin, and for your plants when added to water and put in a spray bottle. In fact, it has been approved in the US as a natural pesticide for organic crops.
I hope you found this useful and become a user of neem as it is a true product hero.
Alison x
For more information, check out our YouTube video;
Natural Oils That Help Eczema: NEEM OIL @ Tigs and Moo Naturals
Also check out our Instagram and Facebook @tigsandmoonaturalskincare
by Alison Williams-Smith | Mar 23, 2022
A study of 640 infants aged 4 – 11 months was conducted, and in that study, 23% of infants were already found to be sensitive to peanuts (webmd, 2010). However, even if you aren’t born with this allergy, you can still have a sensitivity or intolerance to peanuts.
But here is the thing! It is not so much because of the peanut itself, but because of the quality of what you are eating.
In this blog, let’s break down roasted & salted peanuts. A simple snack that can trigger eczema, and other skin conditions.
We’ll look at the peanut itself, rapeseed oil and salt which are ingredients, commonly found together with purchased peanuts that you find in the snack aisle of any supermarket, and most local smaller convenient shops.
PEANUTS
Firstly, always assume that unless the pack tells you the peanuts are organic, then it has been massively sprayed with chemical pesticides. Pesticides are sprayed on conventionally grown foods to control pests, weeds and disease. This prevents the growing food from spoiling, but there is no way to prevent the pesticides from ending up in your body as chemical toxins, which can cause a whole host of health and skin problems. If you have sensitivities to food, you could quite conceivably be reacting to the pesticides.
Peanuts are a highly processed food, created as cheaply as possible to make a profit for that particular company, and your health isn’t their concern. I used to not eat peanuts as I believed that peanuts were at the top of the list for being from GM crops (genetically modified), but currently they aren’t. I learned instead, by my own trial and error, that when I had digestive issues, or skin problems, after eating non-organic peanuts, that it was more than likely what had been sprayed on or added to the peanuts that was causing my reactions.
It is definitely a food for thought, isn’t it?
RAPESEED OIL
Rapeseed oil is canola oil. The difference between the names is that canola oil is the culinary/food version, whereas rapeseed oil is industrial and used more in the chemical and automotive industries. Although the names tend to be used interchangeably, to be called canola oil, it must have less than 2% erucic acid.
As well as being an industrial seed oil, which means high heat and then chemicals such as petroleum are used; to get to the end product of the extracted oil, it needs to be refined, deodorised, and bleached…a very unnatural process. Unnatural foods, Ultra processed foods, gut issues and skin issues are intrinsically linked to eczema, acne, and the many other skin issues that we have to put up with throughout our modern day lives.
Just like peanuts, unless the rapeseed oil found in grocery stores is labelled as organic, then it has been genetically modified (GM), which again means that many chemical toxins will end up in our bodies.
By modifying the genes of the rapeseed plant to become pest-resistant, growers are able to produce larger yields, resulting in a more affordable product with less waste. While this may be perceived as a benefit, there are some concerns about GM foods and their effects on health, particularly allergies, antibiotic resistance, and cancer according to Genes Nutr, 2013. Hence it is important to consider this ingredient when you consume peanuts and how it will affect your overall health and your skin.
It is also worth noting that industrial seed oils such as rapeseed, soy, corn and safflower have been linked to heart health issues, although they are sold as having health benefits.
SALT
Unless the label states otherwise, assume that it is table salt.
Table Salt
Table salt is mined from the salt deposits of the older remnants of seawater, which is left over when it washes away. It is massively processed, losing its minerals and anything that was originally good about it.
The leftover deposits from the old sea water are washed with water, then the salt solution is evaporated under a vacuum to form crystals. As all its minerals are stripped away it is then made into its fine texture.
Sea Salt
Sea Salt is the deposits of more current sea water. This one retains more of its minerals as it is less processed and therefore more expensive to produce. If you purchase unrefined instead of refined, then you have even more of its natural minerals. But how often will you sea the words ‘sea salt’ on a packet of cheap peanuts?
Pink Himalayan Salt
Pink Himalayan Salt is mined from areas close to the Himalayas, often in Pakistan. It is lower in sodium than table salt. Its pink colour is due to its minerals like iron, potassium, magnesium & calcium. It is usually hand extracted and has minimal processing…
…And I have never seen salted peanuts with Himalayan salt as an ingredient!
Your Choice
Now imagine…you eat a packet of your bog-standard peanuts. Your skin breaks out with eczema, acne, or something else a few days later. You may even have problems digesting it, whilst all the while wondering why you react to the whole nut, but not to a good quality peanut butter…put simply, it is because of the quality of the nut; its accompanying ingredients; what all those ingredients have been sprayed with; or the process used to get them to the end product.
After all, you can’t control what the manufacturer of the product or the grower of the ingredients have done to it.
You can control whether or not you decide to eat it.
Healthier alternative tip
In all the time that I have purchased peanuts, I have never ever seen organic roasted and salted peanuts that have included olive oil, coconut oil, butter, ghee or lard as an ingredient. Nor have I ever seen sea salt or Himalayan salt as an ingredient.
If you crave that peanutty taste, then consider organic peanut butter with slices of apple, carrot, celery, or topped banana slices.
If you just really want to eat peanuts then you may have to consider a trip to a health food shop and make do with salted organic peanuts or unsalted organic peanuts.
For now, I eat organic crunchy or smooth peanut butter, but if you do know of any salted organic peanuts, please let me know, as I’d love to try them.
Alison x
For more information, check our YouTube video;
What Snacks Can I Eat?
Also check out our Instagram and Facebook @tigsandmoonaturalskincare
