What foods should you eat and when, if you want to prevent sunburn and skin aging, but also want to enjoy the summer sun? We have collected how you can support the health of your skin outside of the use of sunscreen and appropriate clothing – from the inside! Click for details
Everyone has heard that you should never go out in the summer sun without sunscreen – but there is one more very important thing that can help your skin’s defenses against the damaging effects of sunlight: a well-prepared breakfast! In our article, we have collected what and when you should eat if the goal is to protect your skin!
Why is timing important?
It turns out that our skin also has a “biological clock,” says Joseph S. Takahashi, PhD, (Chair of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center’s Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.) . In a 2017 study 1, Takahashi and his team discovered that the enzyme responsible for repairing UV damage to the skin is produced according to a daily cycle, which can be influenced by food.
“It seems that if someone eats according to a regular eating rhythm, he provides better UV protection during the day. If we eat according to an abnormal schedule, we can stop the skin’s biological clock,” said Takahashi.
Instead of snacking at night, let’s include these ingredients in the meals during the day, for example in a morning smoothie.
Blueberry
We have already written about cranberries many times – they are full of antioxidants, which play an important role in the fight against free radicals – thus also in skin protection . If you can get a wild variety it is even more effective. Cranberries also have a high vitamin C content, which helps prevent skin wrinkling due to sun exposure. So it’s not only our favorite because of its taste, but also because of the summer protection of our skin!
Quick breakfast: make muesli or porridge with seeds, vegetable milk or even creamy natural Greek yogurt and sprinkle with a handful of blueberries !
Watermelon
Yes, we already wrote an article about it before , because watermelon also has countless health-protective effects – let’s now see why it is worth consuming from the point of view of sun protection.
Tomatoes are famous for their red color, lycopene , which also acts as an antioxidant. However, watermelon contains much more of this substance! This substance absorbs UVA and UVB rays – although it may take a few weeks for the skin to be effective even with regular use of sunscreen, according to a 2012 study.2
A few weeks after you start consuming juicy watermelon on a daily basis (which, let’s face it, is not a difficult task in the heat), lycopene can act as a natural sunscreen in the body. Of course, eating watermelon does not replace the use of sun protection creams or clothing, but it can have a very positive effect on the aging of skin exposed to the sun.
Seeds, nuts
Walnuts, hemp seeds, chia seeds and flax seeds are good sources of plant-based Omega-3. Among animal ingredients, fish and eggs also contain significant amounts of Omega-3, which is also an important and beneficial nutrient for the skin. It helps maintain the integrity of the skin and has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Since our body cannot produce it, it is important to take it in with food or even in the form of a dietary supplement
Carrots and leafy greens
Our body converts beta carotene into vitamin A, which is very important for the skin. A 2007 meta-analysis 3 revealed that after 10 weeks of regular consumption, beta carotene acted as a natural sunscreen.
That’s why it’s worth crunching carrots as a snack between two meals, and boosting your morning smoothies or salad with spinach and curly kale. Another advantage of these is that they are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which are also antioxidants. Among other things, they can provide protection against wrinkles, the harmful effects of the sun and even skin cancer.
Green tea
A 2010 study 4 showed that consumption of green tea reduced the formation of tumors caused by UV light in mice. This is due to the EGCG content of the tea, which we also wrote about in our previous article on weight loss.
In another animal experiment on green tea 5 , the result was that green tea moderates the collagen reduction caused by UVA light. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body, which provides strength and elasticity to the skin – you can read more about it here >>
Make iced tea from green tea – if you add mint leaves to it, it’s guaranteed to refresh you in the heat!
Cauliflower
When it comes to buying fresh vegetables or fruit, one of the basic principles is to choose the most vividly colored and combine the most diversely colored raw materials – as these have a higher antioxidant content.
Despite its pale color, cauliflower is a very useful plant – with all the advantages of cruciferous vegetables. The strong antioxidants it contains are effective against oxidative stress. Its sun protection properties are due to its histidine, which stimulates the production of urocanic acid, which absorbs UV radiation.