The 3 Things They Lied to You About and the Truth Behind the Myths of Sun, Salt, and Fat
- Mar 17
- 12 min read
Updated: Mar 19
Dee Mani is a holistic healing advocate and founder of My Way CBD, who transformed her life after overcoming an aggressive breast cancer diagnosis using natural remedies. She is an author, entrepreneur, and speaker dedicated to empowering others through the healing potential of cannabis and holistic wellness practices.
There was a time when people didn’t fear sunlight, didn’t count grains of salt, and didn’t panic over a bit of butter. And strangely enough, people weren’t as sick as they are today. Obesity wasn’t normal, fertility clinics weren’t everywhere, and children weren’t chronically inflamed before they hit their teenage years. Depression wasn’t considered a lifelong identity, and millions of adults weren’t dependent on medication for blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar.
Yet, somewhere along the way, we were taught three very specific fears: to avoid the sun, to cut the salt, and to stop eating fat.
At the same time, ultra-processed food exploded, people began living indoors under artificial lighting, and pharmaceutical treatments became the default solution for lifestyle diseases. So, it’s worth asking a question that should make all of us pause:
Why are we scared of the sun, salt, and fat? Because we’ve been programmed to be, and when you start looking at the science and history, the story begins to unravel.
The sun: What humans evolved with
I left the UK in 2002 and have spent most of my adult life living in year-round hot climates. My children have grown up in the sun, we’ve never relied on conventional sunscreen, and we’ve never burned. That isn’t because we’re reckless; it’s because the body adapts when it’s allowed to.
Sun tolerance is built gradually because, when skin is exposed consistently and intelligently, it strengthens and learns how to protect itself. Think about it: humans have lived under the sun for thousands of years, and our biology has evolved with that relationship.
In our home, we’ve always used coconut oil. It has a mild natural SPF of around 4. It’s not intended to block the sun completely but rather to offer gentle support while still allowing the skin to adapt naturally.
Of course, I’m not suggesting everyone can tolerate sunlight in exactly the same way. Skin types differ, genetics differ, and geography matters, but the modern narrative that sunlight itself is inherently dangerous deserves questioning.
For decades, we’ve been told a very simple story: that the sun causes skin cancer. That message has conditioned many people to fear sunlight entirely. Yet, biology is rarely that simple. Skin health, and disease risk, is influenced by many factors, including skin type, cumulative exposure, immune health, metabolic health, and whether the skin is repeatedly damaged through burning. Reducing the conversation to “sun equals cancer” ignores the wider biological context.
Lifestyle plays a role as well. Chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and poor metabolic health can make the skin more vulnerable to damage. What we eat is also part of that picture. Diets dominated by ultra-processed foods and industrial seed oils increase oxidative stress in the body, while diets rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, and whole foods help support the skin’s natural resilience.
When you step back and look at the bigger picture, the issue isn’t simply sunlight. It’s how modern lifestyles interact with it.
Many people now spend most of the year indoors under artificial lighting and then suddenly expose unadapted skin to intense sunlight for a week or two on holiday. Combine that with poor diet, chronic stress, and constant exposure to chemicals through skincare products, and the body is far less equipped to handle environmental stress. Gradual, sensible sun exposure within a healthy lifestyle is very different from the belief that sunlight itself is harmful.
For parents who want protection for their children, there are also sensible alternatives to chemical sunscreens. A mineral-based approach, such as non-nano zinc oxide blended with nourishing oils like coconut oil and shea butter, creates a physical barrier that reflects sunlight rather than relying on synthetic UV filters.
That matters because many mainstream sunscreens contain ingredients such as oxybenzone, octinoxate, homosalate, octocrylene, and avobenzone, chemical UV filters that research has shown can be absorbed through the skin and enter the bloodstream. Some of these compounds have raised concerns around hormone disruption, while others can break down in sunlight or degrade into potentially harmful by-products over time. There have also been recalls of certain sunscreen products after independent testing detected contamination with benzene, a known carcinogen.
None of this automatically means every sunscreen is dangerous, but it does raise an important question: if these chemicals are being absorbed into the body and interacting with our biology, why are they applied so casually and so frequently, often to children and on a daily basis?
At the very least, it should encourage people to pause, read the ingredients, and think more carefully about what they are putting on their skin every day.
I grew up in the UK, but my parents were raised in the Mediterranean, and many of those habits carried through into our home. Olive oil was a staple, meals were cooked from scratch, and sunshine was never something we feared. It was something we honoured and respected. When I left the UK as an adult and began living in warmer climates year-round, that lifestyle simply became even more natural.
Another modern habit worth questioning is our obsession with blocking out natural light entirely. If we sleep when it’s dark and wake when it’s light, we are following the rhythm the human body evolved with. Morning sunlight entering the eyes sends signals to the brain’s internal clock, helping regulate cortisol, melatonin, and reproductive hormones.
Yet modern life often encourages the opposite: bedrooms sealed behind blackout blinds, artificial lighting late into the night, and sunglasses worn constantly outdoors that block the very light signals our brain relies on.
Sunglasses certainly have their place, particularly for driving or extremely bright conditions. But when natural light rarely reaches our eyes, we begin to interfere with one of the body’s most fundamental regulatory systems.
Sunlight isn’t just about the skin; it's about biological timing. And when we disconnect from that rhythm, the body feels it, and eventually, it shows.
Salt: You cannot hydrate without it
Salt has been turned into a villain over the past few decades, but the real problem was never salt itself. Salt is made up of two main elements, sodium and chloride, and it’s the sodium component that the body relies on to function. Sodium is essential for survival. It enables nerves to send signals, muscles to contract, the adrenal glands to function properly, and fluids in the body to stay balanced.
Put simply, without sodium, the body cannot regulate hydration properly. This is why drinking large amounts of plain water alone does not necessarily hydrate the body. Cells rely on minerals, particularly sodium and potassium, to move fluid in and out. This process is controlled by what’s known as the sodium–potassium pump, one of the most fundamental mechanisms in human physiology. Without adequate minerals, water can actually dilute electrolytes rather than properly hydrate the body. So yes, salt is necessary, but it’s the type of salt that matters enormously.
The salt most people are familiar with is table salt, the fine white salt found in packets and used heavily in processed foods. Table salt is highly refined, which means during processing it is stripped of its natural trace minerals, leaving almost pure sodium chloride. It is then treated with anti-caking agents so it pours easily and remains free-flowing, leaving the end result toxic to the body.
On the other hand, natural sea salt or mineral salt is completely different. It still contains sodium and chloride, but it also retains trace minerals that occur naturally in salt deposits and seawater. The bigger concern, however, is not the pinch of salt used in home cooking, it’s where refined salt actually appears in today’s modern diet.
Refined salt is everywhere in ultra-processed foods. It’s added to packaged meals, snacks, sauces, and ready-made products, not because manufacturers are concerned about your mineral balance, but because salt enhances flavour, extends shelf life, and encourages people to eat more.
And it rarely appears alone; it’s usually combined with refined sugar and industrial seed oils, three toxic ingredients that dominate heavily processed food and contribute to modern metabolic problems. That combination, not a pinch of mineral salt used in your kitchen, is where the real issue lies.
In contrast, when people cook from scratch using whole, clean ingredients, salt intake naturally becomes balanced. They season food to taste rather than consuming large amounts of hidden sodium in factory-produced meals.
Salt also has another traditional use that modern life has largely forgotten, salt baths. For centuries, people have used mineral bathing for relaxation and recovery. Epsom salts, magnesium sulfate crystals, are a form of mineral salt that dissolves easily in warm water. When added to a bath, they create a mineral-rich soak that has long been used to relax muscles, ease tension, and calm the nervous system.
Magnesium itself is one of the most important minerals in the human body. It plays a role in hundreds of biochemical reactions, including energy production, muscle relaxation, nerve signalling, and stress regulation. Yet, many people today are thought to be low in magnesium due to soil depletion, processed diets, and chronic stress.
Soaking in a warm bath containing mineral salts allows the body to relax while being surrounded by these important minerals. The warmth of the water helps muscles release tension, while the mineral content supports the body’s natural relaxation response. This is why salt baths are often associated with better sleep, reduced muscle soreness, and a calmer nervous system. Warm mineral bathing helps shift the body into a parasympathetic state, the “rest and repair” mode where healing and recovery can take place.
In a world dominated by chronic stress, constant stimulation, and nervous system overload, something as simple as a mineral salt bath can be a powerful way to help the body slow down and reset. Sometimes the most effective solutions are the ones humans have been using for centuries.
Fat: The biggest nutritional misunderstanding
For decades, we were told to fear fat, and butter was replaced with margarine. Traditional cooking fats disappeared from kitchens, and supermarket shelves got filled with “low-fat” products and spreads, cleverly marketed as healthier alternatives. Yet, at the same time, obesity and metabolic disease continued to rise.
Fat is not simply a source of calories, it is fundamental to human biology. Healthy fats support hormone production, brain function, cell membranes, and nutrient absorption. Cholesterol, which has been heavily demonised, is actually the building block for important hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. It also plays a role in repairing damaged tissue.
In other words, cholesterol isn’t a design flaw because the body produces it for a reason.
Traditional fats such as extra virgin olive oil, raw butter, tallow, and coconut oil have nourished humans for generations. These are stable fats that the body recognises and uses efficiently. The problem arose when natural fats were replaced with industrial seed oils, oils extracted and refined on a massive scale from crops like soybean, corn, canola, and sunflower. These oils are now present in countless packaged foods and restaurants.
Many products marketed as “butter spreads” are actually made primarily from these toxic seed oils with flavourings added. The marketing trick is the word "butter" on the label, which leads people to believe they’re consuming something natural.
Real butter is exactly that, butter. Ideally raw and organic, coming straight from a farm where cows are grass-fed and properly raised. Raw butter naturally contains fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K along with beneficial fatty acids, which haven’t been heavily processed or altered.
Supermarket butter is still far better than margarine or seed-oil spreads, but it is usually pasteurised and produced on a large industrial scale. Raw butter from a farm is closer to how humans have consumed it for centuries, simple, nutrient-rich, and made from one ingredient.
When you return to real fats and remove the industrial substitutes, something interesting happens. People feel satisfied after meals, blood sugar becomes more stable, cravings drop, and energy becomes steadier.
That’s because healthy fats, together with mineral salt and real food, create true satiety — something ultra-processed diets rarely achieve.
The nervous system: The hidden link between sun, salt, and fat
One of the most overlooked connections between sunlight, mineral salts, and healthy fats is the nervous system. These three elements all influence how the body regulates itself.
Sunlight helps set the body’s circadian rhythm, the internal clock that governs sleep, hormone production, and metabolic function. Morning light signals the brain to regulate cortisol properly and allows melatonin to rise naturally later in the evening.
Mineral salts support nerve signaling and electrical communication throughout the body. Every nerve impulse relies on sodium and potassium moving across cell membranes. Without proper mineral balance, that communication becomes inefficient.
Healthy fats play an equally important role. The brain itself is largely composed of fat, and cell membranes throughout the body depend on healthy lipids to maintain their structure and function. When these foundations are disrupted, too little sunlight, poor mineral balance, and diets dominated by industrial seed oils, the nervous system struggles to regulate itself.
And when the nervous system is dysregulated, the consequences ripple throughout the body.Sleep becomes fragmented, hormones become unstable, metabolism slows, and inflammation rises. This is why restoring these foundations often improves multiple aspects of health at once: the body doesn’t operate in isolated systems, everything is connected.
The cholesterol story we were sold
For decades, cholesterol has been portrayed as one of the biggest enemies of health, yet cholesterol itself isn’t a toxin, it’s a vital molecule the body produces for survival. In fact, cholesterol is essential because every cell in the body relies on it for structural stability. It forms part of the membrane that surrounds each cell and protects its internal environment.
Cholesterol is also the building block for steroid hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and cortisol. Without cholesterol, the body simply cannot produce these hormones properly.
When cholesterol levels rise, it is often a response to inflammation or metabolic stress within the body. So, blaming cholesterol alone for disease is a bit like blaming firefighters for a house fire simply because they appear at the scene. The body produces cholesterol for protection and repair, and when you understand that, it changes the entire conversation around dietary fat.
When food became industrial
For most of human history, food was simple. People ate what they grew or caught and prepared it in their own kitchens. Salt came from the earth or sea, fats came from animals, olives, or coconuts, and meals were cooked slowly and eaten together.
Then food became industrialized. Factories replaced kitchens, seed oils replaced traditional fats, and packaged convenience meals replaced home cooking. Today, the modern diet is dominated by ultra-processed products engineered for convenience, long shelf life, and maximum profit.
Refined salt, refined sugar, and industrial seed oils now appear in countless packaged foods. These products are designed to stimulate the palate and encourage overconsumption. But the human body did not evolve to thrive on factory-produced food.
When the foundations of the diet change this dramatically, it is no surprise that health follows the same trajectory. Rising obesity, metabolic disease, and chronic inflammation are not random events. They are the predictable result of replacing real food with industrial substitutes.
Bringing sun, salt, and fat back into life
This isn’t about extreme diets or rejecting modern medicine; it’s about remembering how human biology actually works. We should start by reconnecting with the things our bodies evolved with.
Wake with natural light whenever possible, open the curtains, remove blackout blinds, and let morning daylight reach your eyes. That simple signal helps regulate the body’s internal clock, influencing hormones, metabolism, and sleep. Spend as much time outdoors and build sun tolerance gradually instead of avoiding sunlight all year, and then overwhelming your skin on holiday. Cook from scratch using real ingredients, so you control what goes into your food. And use mineral-rich sea salt in your cooking rather than relying on processed foods already loaded with refined sodium, also known as table salt.
Bring back traditional fats like olive oil, raw organic butter when possible, coconut oil, and even tallow, fats that humans have used for generations. Remove the toxic margarine and the so-called “butter spreads” from your kitchen. Most are little more than industrial seed oils dressed up with clever marketing.
Support your nervous system too. Something as simple as a warm salt bath can help calm the body, relax muscles, and shift the nervous system into repair mode.
None of this is complicated. These are simply the foundations human health was built on for generations. For most of our history, people lived outdoors, ate food cooked at home, used natural fats, and mineral salts without thinking twice about it.
They weren’t scared of sunlight, they weren’t scared of butter, and they certainly weren’t frightened of a pinch of salt. Yet somewhere along the way, those basic elements of human life were turned into villains.
When you look closely, the issue was never sun, salt, or fat themselves. The problem was what replaced them, ultra-processed food, industrial oils, chronic indoor living, and a system that often focuses on managing symptoms rather than restoring the environment that allows the body to function properly. Of course, this isn’t about rejecting medicine when it’s crucially necessary; it’s about recognizing that health doesn’t begin in a prescription bottle. It begins with the everyday inputs that shape our biology.
The important thing to remember is that sunlight regulates our internal clock. Mineral salt allows proper hydration and nerve signaling. And healthy fats support hormones, brain function, and cellular repair.
When those three things are restored, intelligently and consistently, the body often begins to do what it was designed to do: regulate, repair, and rebalance.
Try it for a few months and see what happens. I can almost guarantee your energy will improve. Sleep will deepen, cravings will reduce, your mood will stabilize, and your resilience will increase. Quite simply, the body remembers what to do when it receives the inputs it evolved with.
So perhaps the real question isn’t why sun, salt, and fat became controversial. Perhaps the real question is this, "Why were we taught to fear the very things humans have always needed?"
Read more from Dee Mani
Dee Mani, Cannabis & Natural Health Consultant
Dee Mani is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, and holistic healing advocate who defied the odds by overcoming aggressive breast cancer through natural remedies, including cannabis. As the founder of My Way CBD, she is passionate about empowering others to explore alternative healing methods. Dee's journey from illness to wellness inspires her writing, where she shares insights on natural health, wellness, and the transformative power of nature. Follow her work to discover how to harness holistic practices for a healthier, more balanced life. See here for more info!
