Protect Your Skin From Within

Most of do our best to apply an SPF to our faces and bodies, yet did you know there are certain foods that promote sun protection from within? Read on to learn more.

  • A Mediterranean diet that includes vitamin E-rich olive oil and fish packed with inflammation-fighting omega-3 fatty acids—as well as citrus, fresh herbs and green vegetables with polyphenols are all known to protect skin from free radicals. These compounds eliminate the potentially cancerous cells and help reverse some DNA defects before they develop.
  • Antioxidant lycopene, which is abundant in tomatoes, guava, watermelon, parsley, grapefruit, apricot, papaya and red cabbage, is proven to increase sun protection thus preventing sunburn.
  • Flavonols are found in coffee, green and black tea, dark chocolate. Research suggests that drinking a cup or two of tea a day may lower risk for squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, by 30 percent.
  • One half cup of spinach, kale, lettuce, and other dark green leafy veggies a day lowers the risk of developing subsequent tumors including skin cancer by more than 50 percent.