Eat Your Sunscreen: 5 Healthy Foods That Fight Sun Damage
1. Tomatoes. Research has shown that tomatoes are nature’s sunscreen. A study at the University of Michigan found that eating tomato paste could help protect the skin from UV damage. The high lycopene content found in tomatoes helps neutralize free radicals that can cause skin damage.
2. Sweet Potatoes. Sweet potatoes as well as butternut squash are a good source of skin-protecting beta-carotene, which is known for its potential to block the harmful effects of the sun's UV rays.
3. Leafy Greens. The darker the leafy green, the better. It turns out that a diet loaded with ample leafy greens can do a lot to boost your epidermal armor from the sun’s damaging rays. Some leafy greens are kale, collard greens, swiss chard and romaine lettuce.
4. Citrus Fruits. Vitamin C fights the free radicals that cause sun damage and aging. Eating a diet high in vitamin C protects your skin from the inside out. Kiwi, berries, grapes, and citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits are all high in vitamin C.
5. Salmon Salmon is a great source for omega 3 fatty acids that help protect your skin from UV damage and premature aging. Astaxanthin, the carotenoid that gives salmon its pink color is considered the strongest antioxidant for fighting the free radicals that cause your skin sun damage.
If you’ve got brown spots, age spots, freckles, or sun damage from sunburns, use sunscreen to protect your skin on the outside and make sure to consume a diet loaded with nutrient rich, skin protecting compounds that will help protect your skin from the inside.
Updated, by Alyssa Rolnick, Co-Founder of Zax’s Original Products, Registered Dietitian and Mother of a very busy household.