Eating to Help Prevent Sunburn
By Sara Butler
With summer here in full swing it’s time to start thinking about the best ways to avoid sunburn. Many people solve this problem by slathering on sunscreen. Though you should wear sunscreen you may be able to give your body some extra protection through eating the right things. That’s right; some foods can help to protect your skin against the harmful rays of the sun. Here are just a few!
Red Wine
Well, it is summer, so why not break out the wine? Just remember, the protection offered against the sun doesn’t increase the more you drink, so use some moderation. The flavonoids in wine help your body to stockpile antioxidants, and those antioxidants can help to protect your cells from some of the most damaging aspects of sun exposure, such as skin cancer.
Sweet Potatoes
When you’re thirsty and dehydrated, your body may crave sweet things. Instead of grabbing a candy bar, go for a sweet potato and kill two birds with one stone. Not only will it help to satisfy your sweet tooth, it also lends you protection from the sun. The beta-carotene in sweet potatoes helps the antioxidants in your body to protect your skin from sun damage. You just can’t go wrong with sweet potatoes!
Olive Oil
Not only does this oil taste good on a salad, it also is a natural sun block. It contains a plant peptide called squalene and that protects the fats in your skin from burning in the sun. Plus, it’s a healthy fat that is good for your body in a lot of other ways!
Avocados
The Vitamin E in avocados is an effective antioxidant that can help your skin protect itself from free radicals that can damage it. Vitamin E also happens to protect your skin from some of the most undesirable aspects of aging. So, avocados protect your skin from UVA rays that damage it and from the biological process of aging too. And they taste great, so avocado away!
Pomegranates
The juicy little nuggets in this fruit are a great source of antioxidants that help to prevent oxidative stress damage to the lipid layer of your skin. The rays of the sun, UVB and UVA, damage the lipid layer of the skin. Pomegranates help to give that lipid layer a little boost and protect it from damage from the sun.
Incorporate these foods into your diet and reap the benefits all year long – not just in the summer!