Protect your skin with food
In the summer the sun is strongest and you want to protect your skin against the amount of UV rays. This can be done by biological sunscreen, but you can also protect the skin from within by eating certain food in the summer.
Various nutrients seem to be able to protect the skin and to reduce the risk of skin cancer, especially lycopene and polyphenols. What food can help you in with this?
Lycopene
Lycopene is a powerful carotenoid antioxidant. The main food sources of lycopene are fresh raw tomatoes and tomato products such as tomato sauce, tomato soup and-organic-ketchup. In addition, it also in watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava and papaya.
Polyphenols
Research has shown that eating polyphenols has an anti-inflammatory effect and the protects skin against sunburn. There are now more than eight thousand polyphenols known. Polyphenols are natural substances found in plants and are characterized by the presence of more than one phenol unit per molecule. The main sources of polyphenols in our diet are fruits, vegetables, cereals, olives, chocolate and beverages such as tea, coffee and wine. In recent years, research into the health effects of polyphenols strongly increased.
Pomegranate, green tea and cacao
Some foods outnumber by far the other in terms of amount of polyphenols. Pomegranate is a fruit that slows the browning of the skin and in this way damage due to UV radiation. These anti-oxidative properties, the pomegranate has due the composition of polyphenols. Ellagitannins form the most important group of polyphenols in pomegranates and pomegranate juice (freshly made from the fruit, chaff and the seeds) and contain more than 90% of all antioxidants. In addition, it has been shown that regular drinking green tea and polyphenols from green tea also has a positive effect on the protection of the skin from UVR. Furthermore, you can eat 20 grams per day of raw chocolate or chocolate with over 70% cacao and without milk powder. That is also full of polyphenols. With this food in the summer you start the summer extra protected.
When you want to know more, on the internet you can find a lot of articles about this subject, for example this one from Dr. Frank Lipman.
(Source: article: Huid: beschermen tegen UV met voedingsstoffen) = (Skin: protect skin against UV with nutrients).