The food you eat can protect your skin from sun damage. Yes, it’s true, you can now eat your sunscreen! Well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But some foods are certainly able to improve your skins ability to protect itself from the negative effects of the sun.
In one study the diets of 1,000 people were analysed. People who ate oily fish at least once a week were 28% less likely to develop skin cancer thanks to its high omega 3 content which is anti-inflammatory. Bestow Beauty Oils have Omega 3 present. Half a glass of wine daily reduced your risk by 27%. It’s thought the antioxidants in wine help the skin cope with UV radiation.
These aren’t the only foods that help protect the skin from these damaging rays. Other nutrients also play a role in delivering sun-protective benefits to the skin.
Selenium is an anti-oxidant mineral with the ability to lessen the damage UV rays have on our skin. In 2009 a study showed that higher levels of selenium in the blood reduced the risk of skin cancer by half. If you want to increase your selenium levels, eat a couple of Brazil nuts a day. They are nature’s richest source of this important mineral.
Green tea was shown to reduce skin damage from UV rays in a 2004 study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. It is absolutely full of protective anti-oxidants which are also able to maintain your anti-wrinkle fibre, collagen. A cup of Bestow Luminositea which is green and white tea a day keeps your skin looking younger and smoother.
Foods high is betacarotene also help by regulating your body’s inflammatory response to UV rays. Yellow and orange foods like carrots, kumara and pumpkin are high in betacarotene help support healthy skin and can shield us from sunburn.
Lycopene, found in tomatoes, is another useful nutrient that has been shown to greatly reduce the redness caused by sun exposure. In one study, people that consumed tomato paste daily showed an average of 40% less redness than the control group. Another study of 40-50 year old’s showed that people with higher skin lycopene levels also had smoother skin.
Spring is a great time to increase your intake of brightly coloured fruits and vegetables, drink your green tea and snack on a few brazil nuts. These foods need to be consumed daily for a minimum of 10 weeks before becoming effective. So try this recipe to make sure you’re protecting your skin from the inside as well as the outside.