Worried about sunburn when you work out in the yard or go to the beach? Do you use sunblock? Do you eat the right foods to provide protection inside your skin?
Brightly colored foods such as tomatoes, peaches and broccoli offer protection inside your body to help you recover more quickly in case of sunburn.
Three or four servings each day of pomegranates and bright colored foods prevent damage from free radicals, the rascals that cause so much pain to our strong but delicate coverings. In addition to fighting the free radicals, fruits and veggies hydrate the skin. Drinking green tea helps, too.
Herbs such as parsley, basil, sage, and rosemary are not just great smelling herbs; they are super herbs filled with antioxidants. Seasoning your food may be one of the better tasting ways to fight free radicals and protect skin against sunburn.
Omega-3 filled fatty fish, such as salmon and shellfish offer protection from free radical damage. Supplements with Omega-3 may help prevent skin cancers, which are caused by over exposure to the sun. This is not just at the beach. It applies to garden lovers who spend long times tending their plants, or those who work in outdoor professions such as builders or lawn care specialists.
Lycopene, found in red and yellow produce, is another great tool in the fight against skin damage. Scientists have found these to be an added protection against skin irritants caused by UV rays. Red and yellow peppers and squash are excellent sources of lycopene.
Broccoli and cauliflower offer antioxidants to keep us strong against cancer and free radicals. Kale is also excellent in this regard.
With all this good food, we need something equally good to drink. In this regard, green and black teas are the ticket. Why teas? Remember before we get them in those little boxes and tea bags, they start out life as green plants. Filled with polyphenols, which are instrumental in stopping the development of cancer, teas also taste good hot or cold.
While all of the above foods support our skin against the dangers of too much sun, they also help prevent reoccurring skin cancers. Yet dairy products, which most of us have heard called ‘Nature’s most nearly perfect foods – especially milk’ may be instrumental in helping cancers to return.
So put on the sunblock before spending very long outdoors, but eat the foods that provide fight the good fight against sunburn from the inside. Using common sense such as having a beach umbrella handy, along with the right foods and drink, a few hours in the sun, although never totally safe, may not be quite so dangerous. Why give skin cancer a fighting chance when we have the tools available to fight it?